JP2015066824A - Printer, control method for printer, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To delete a blank space by utilizing characteristics of a combined character.SOLUTION: In printing a part, a control unit 26 of a printer 11 acquires font data of the part, deletes a blank space of the acquired font data and develops the font data to a buffer 40, and makes a printing part comprising a line thermal head 25 etc. print the part on the basis of the font data developed to the buffer 40.

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus capable of printing combined characters, a method for controlling the printing apparatus, and a program related to the control of the printing apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a printing device (Thai label printer) that can print a combined character in which one character, such as a character related to Thai, is divided into a plurality of parts and parts are combined for each part to form one character ) Is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2005-212375 A

Here, as in the printing apparatus described above, in the case of printing the combined character, unnecessary white space is deleted using the characteristic of the combined character, the appearance of the printed character is improved, and the print medium is consumed. There is a need to control the amount.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to delete margins using the characteristics of a combined character when printing the combined character.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a printing apparatus capable of printing a combined character in which one character is divided into a plurality of parts, and one character is constituted by a combination of parts in each part, And a control unit that deletes the margin of the part and prints the part on the printing unit when printing at least one part.
According to this configuration, it is possible to print with the margins removed for each part, and the margins can be accurately reduced by using the characteristics of a combined character in which one character is composed of a combination of multiple parts. It is.

Further, the printing apparatus of the present invention includes a storage unit that stores font data of each part, and the control unit acquires font data of the part when printing at least one part, and a margin of the acquired font data. Is developed in a buffer, and the part is printed on the printing unit based on the font data developed in the buffer.
According to this configuration, it is possible to print with the margins removed for each part, and the margins can be accurately reduced by using the characteristics of a combined character in which one character is composed of a combination of multiple parts. It is.

In addition, the printing apparatus of the present invention is communicably connected to the control apparatus, and the control unit receives control data instructing printing of parts for one line for each part from the control apparatus, and receives the received 1 Based on the control data instructing the printing of the parts for the lines, the font data of the parts for one line is obtained, and the font data of each part is expanded in the buffer by reducing the margin in a predetermined manner, Based on the font data for one line developed in the buffer, the printing unit prints parts for one line.
According to this configuration, it is possible to perform printing while reducing the margin for each part on the same line based on the control data of each part received from the control device.

In the printing apparatus of the present invention, the storage unit stores, for each font data, margin information indicating a mode for reducing margins, and the control unit acquires font data of the part when printing the part. The margin information corresponding to the part is acquired, and the acquired margin information is reduced in the form indicated by the acquired margin information and expanded in the buffer. Based on the font data expanded in the buffer, The part is printed on the printing unit.
According to this configuration, it is possible to reduce the margin in a manner suitable for the part for each part based on the margin information.

In addition, the printing apparatus of the present invention is communicably connected to the control apparatus, and the control unit receives control data instructing printing of parts for one line for each part from the control apparatus, and receives the received 1 Based on the control data for instructing the printing of the parts for the lines, the font data of the parts for one line is acquired, the margin information corresponding to each part is acquired, and the acquired margin information is acquired in the manner indicated by the acquired margin information. The margin of the font data of each part is reduced and expanded in the buffer, and the font data position of each part in the buffer is adjusted according to the positional relationship of the printing position of each part, and expanded in the buffer. Based on the font data for one line, the printing unit prints parts for one line.
According to this configuration, it is possible to reduce the blank space without missing the black pixel portion of each part for one line and without shifting the positional relationship between the parts on the same line.

Further, the printing apparatus of the present invention includes a storage unit that stores font data of each part, and the control unit acquires font data of the part when printing at least one part, and buffers the acquired font data. And the print start position of the font data developed in the buffer is adjusted so that the margin of the developed font data is reduced, and the part is printed by the printing unit.
According to this configuration, it is possible to print with the margins removed for each part, and the margins can be accurately reduced by using the characteristics of a combined character in which one character is composed of a combination of multiple parts. It is.

In addition, the printing apparatus of the present invention is communicably connected to the control apparatus, and the control unit receives control data instructing printing of parts for one line for each part from the control apparatus, and receives the received 1 Based on the control data for instructing the printing of parts for the line, the font data of the part for one line is acquired, the font data for each part is expanded in the buffer, and the margin of the expanded font data for the line is The printing start position of the font data developed in the buffer is adjusted so as to be reduced, and a part for one line is printed on the printing unit.
According to this configuration, it is possible to perform printing while reducing the margin for each part on the same line based on the control data of each part received from the control device.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a method for controlling a printing apparatus capable of printing a combined character in which one character is divided into a plurality of parts and one character is constituted by a combination of parts in each part. Then, when printing at least one part, the margin of the part is deleted, and the part is printed by the printing unit.
According to this control method, it is possible to delete the margin for each part and print, and the margin can be accurately reduced by using the feature of the combined character in which one character is composed of a combination of a plurality of parts. Is possible.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention controls a printing apparatus capable of printing a combined character in which one character is divided into a plurality of parts and one character is constituted by a combination of parts in each part. A program executed by the control unit, wherein when printing at least one part, the control unit deletes a margin of the part and causes the printing unit to print the part.
According to this program, it is possible to delete the margin for each part and print it, and it is possible to reduce the margins accurately by using the characteristics of a combined character in which one character is composed of a combination of multiple parts. It is.

  According to the present invention, when printing a combined character, margins are deleted using the characteristics of the combined character.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a printing system according to an embodiment. It is a figure which shows the Thai character printed by the operation mode A. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of control data. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a printer. (A) is an example of the uppermost part part, (B) is a view showing the state when the uppermost part part for one line is printed in operation mode A, and (C) is a diagram showing the data structure of the margin information database. . It is a figure which shows the state of the buffer at the time of developing the uppermost part part in the buffer in the operation mode B. 6 is a diagram showing Thai characters printed in an operation mode B. FIG. It is a figure utilized for description of the modification in the case of printing by reducing the margin of a part.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a printing system 1 according to the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 1, the printing system 1 includes a host computer 10 (control device) and a printer 11 (printing device), and prints on a print medium by the printer 11 under the control of the host computer 10. .
As shown in FIG. 1, the host computer 10 includes a host control unit 15, a host display unit 16, a host input unit 17, an interface (I / F) unit 18, and a host storage unit 19. .
The host control unit 15 controls each unit of the host computer 10 and includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, and other peripheral circuits. The host display unit 16 includes a display panel such as a liquid crystal display panel, and displays various types of information on the display panel under the control of the host control unit 15. The host input unit 17 is connected to various input devices, detects operations on these input devices, and outputs them to the host control unit 15. The interface unit 18 performs communication based on the communication standard with the printer 11 under the control of the host control unit 15. The host storage unit 19 includes a storage device such as a hard disk or an EEPROM, and stores various data in a rewritable manner.

The printer 11 includes a line thermal head 25 having a heating element array extending in a direction intersecting the print medium conveyance direction YJ1 on which a print medium such as a thermal roll paper is set. The printer 11 transports the print medium in the transport direction YJ1, forms dots with the heating elements of the line thermal head 25, and prints an image. The printer 11 is a so-called line thermal printing apparatus.
As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 11 includes a control unit 26, a head drive circuit 27, a motor drive circuit 28, a display unit 33, an input unit 34, an interface (I / F) unit 38, and a storage unit. 37 and a buffer 40.
The control unit 26 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, other peripheral circuits, and the like, and controls each unit of the printer 11. The head drive circuit 27 is connected to the above-described line thermal head 25 and drives the line thermal head 25 under the control of the control unit 26.
In the present embodiment, the line thermal head 25, the head drive circuit 27, and other mechanisms and devices cooperate to function as a “printing unit”.
The motor drive circuit 28 drives the paper feed motor 31 under the control of the control unit 26. The paper feed motor 31 is connected to a transport roller 32 provided on the transport path of the print medium. The transport roller 32 rotates in a predetermined direction as the paper feed motor 31 is driven. According to the rotation of the transport roller 32, the print medium is transported in the transport direction YJ1 or in the opposite direction. The display unit 33 includes various display panels, LEDs, and the like, and notifies various information under the control of the control unit 26. The input unit 34 is connected to an operation switch provided in the printer 11, detects an operation on the operation switch, and outputs it to the control unit 26. The storage unit 37 stores various data in a rewritable manner. The uppermost part part font table 37a, the upper part part font table 37b, the middle part part font table 37c, the lower part part font table 37d, and the margin information database 37e stored in the storage unit 37 will be described later. The interface unit 38 performs communication based on the communication standard with the host computer 10 under the control of the control unit 26.
The buffer 40 is an image buffer formed in a predetermined storage area such as a RAM. When printing an image on a print medium, the control unit 26 develops image data corresponding to the image to be printed in the buffer 40. Next, the control unit 26 controls the line thermal head 25 and other mechanisms based on the image data developed in the buffer 40 to print an image.

Now, the printer 11 according to the present embodiment can print Thai characters (joined characters).
The printer 11 according to the present embodiment has an operation mode A and an operation mode B as operation modes for operations related to printing on a print medium.
The operation mode A is an operation mode in which printing on a print medium is performed in the same manner as a conventional printing apparatus. On the other hand, the operation mode B is an operation mode in which printing on a print medium is performed by reducing the margin of each part, as will be described in detail later. Hereinafter, the operation of the printer 11 in the operation mode A will be described first, and then the operation of the printer 11 in the operation mode B will be described together with the advantages compared with the operation mode A.
The operation mode can be switched by the user.

<Operation mode A>
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of Thai characters for one line printed on the print medium by the printer 11 in the operation mode A. FIG. In FIG. 2, the transport direction YJ1 indicates the direction in which the print medium is transported when printing Thai characters. Since the printer 11 is a line thermal printer, the heating element array of the line thermal head 25 extends so as to cover the entire width of the print medium in the direction intersecting the transport direction YJ1.
As shown in FIG. 2, one Thai character is composed of a combination of a plurality of parts (elements). Specifically, one Thai character is divided into four parts, the uppermost part, the upper part, the middle part, and the lower part. One tie character is composed of a combination of the uppermost part part of the uppermost part, the upper part part of the upper part, the middle part part of the middle part, and the lower part part of the lower part. In the present embodiment, the concept of parts includes a space. For example, a part related to a space is stored in the upper part of the first character in FIG. The characters include ruled lines and the like.
As shown in FIG. 2, “1 line” is the uppermost part for “1 line”, the upper part for “1 line”, the middle part for “1 line”, and the lower part for “1 line”. It is comprised by.
As described above, in the present embodiment, the “line” represents a line corresponding to one Thai character, and is configured to include a line of each part. On the other hand, a “line” represents a row corresponding to one part and exists for each part. In the following description, “line” and “line” are clearly distinguished.
In the operation mode A, the length of one line of each part in the transport direction YJ1 is 24 dots. Therefore, the length of one line in the transport direction YJ1 is 96 dots (24 dots × 4).

Hereinafter, the operation of the printer 11 in the operation mode A will be described by taking as an example the case of printing a Thai character string for one line (a character string composed of six Thai characters) shown in FIG.
In the following description, each part shown in FIG. 2 is expressed using the reference numerals given in FIG. For example, the middle part part of the middle part of the first character in FIG. 2 is expressed as “middle part part Y1”. For example, the upper part part of the upper part of the third character is expressed as “upper part part X3”. For example, the lower part part of the lower part of the third character is expressed as “lower part part Z3”. For example, the uppermost part part of the uppermost part of the fourth character is expressed as “uppermost part part W4”.
Furthermore, for the sake of convenience, it is assumed that each part is given a character code representing the alphabet part of the code of each part in lower case. For example, “y1” is assigned as the character code to the middle part Y1. Further, for example, “x3” is assigned as the character code to “upper part part X3”. For example, “lower part part Z3” is assigned “z3” as a character code. Further, for example, “w4” is assigned to the “top part part W4” as a character code.
The character code “ww” is the character code of the uppermost part representing a space. The character code “xx” is a character code of an upper part part representing a space. The character code “yy” is a character code of a middle part representing a space. The character code “zz” is a character code of a lower part part representing a space.

When printing a Thai character string by the printer 11 in the operation mode A, first, control data is transmitted from the host computer 10 to the printer 11.
FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing the data structure of control data transmitted from the host computer 10 to the printer 11 in consideration of convenience of explanation.
As shown in FIG. 3, the control data transmitted from the host computer 10 to the printer 11 includes the uppermost part control command C1 (control data), the upper part control command C2 (control data), and the middle part control command C3 ( Control data) and a lower part control command C4 (control data).
The uppermost part control command C1 is control data instructing printing of the uppermost part part for one line related to the uppermost part.
As shown in FIG. 3, the uppermost part control command C1 includes an uppermost part print instruction code M1, an uppermost part part designation part P1, and an uppermost part line feed command LF1. The uppermost part printing instruction code M1 is an instruction code for instructing printing of the uppermost part part for one line related to the uppermost part. The uppermost part designating part P1 is a data part in which the character codes of the uppermost part parts to be printed on the uppermost part for one line are described in the order to be printed. The uppermost part line feed command LF1 is a command for instructing a line feed.
Similarly, the upper part control command C2 includes an upper part printing instruction code M2, an upper part part designating part P2, and an upper part line feed command LF2. The middle part control command C3 includes a middle part printing instruction code M3, a middle part part designation part P3, and a middle part line feed command LF3. The lower part control command C4 includes a lower part printing instruction code M4, a lower part part designating part P4, and a lower part line feed command LF4.

After receiving the control data shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 26 of the printer 11 in the operation mode A sequentially prints parts for one line for each part based on the control command for each part. Note that the function of the control unit 26 described below is realized by cooperation of hardware and software, such as a CPU reading and executing firmware.
First, the control unit 26 prints each part for one line of the uppermost part based on the uppermost part control command C1.
More specifically, the storage unit 37 stores an uppermost part part font table 37 a storing font data of the uppermost part parts. Font data is actual data that represents characters in a form that can be printed on a print medium. The type of font data according to this embodiment is bitmap font data. Types of font data include bitmap font data, scalable font data, vector font data, outline font data, and the like. Further, the storage unit 37 has a conversion table in which the correspondence between each character code of the uppermost part part and the address of the storage area in which the corresponding font data is stored in the uppermost part part font table 37a is described. It is remembered.

And the control part 26 reads sequentially the character code described in the uppermost part part designation | designated part P1 by reading the uppermost part printing instruction code M1 as a trigger. Next, the control unit 26 specifies corresponding font data among the font data stored in the upper part part font table 37b by using the conversion table described above, and sequentially stores the specified font data in the buffer 40. expand. The control unit 26 reads out the character code, converts the character code into font data, and develops the font data into the buffer 40 until the uppermost part line feed command LF1 is read out.
As described above, the control unit 26 develops the font data of the uppermost part part for one line (all the uppermost part parts described in the uppermost part part designating part P1) in the buffer 40 in order for the uppermost part. To do.
Next, the control unit 26 executes printing of the upper part part for one line based on the font data of the upper part part for one line developed in the buffer 40 by using the reading of the uppermost part line feed command LF1 as a trigger. Specifically, the control unit 26 controls the head drive circuit 27 and the motor drive circuit 28 based on the font data developed in the buffer 40, and conveys the print medium in the conveyance direction YJ 1. Print the image.

As described above, in the case of the operation mode A, the control unit 26 prints each part for one line of the uppermost part based on the uppermost part control command C1. Next, the control unit 26 causes the print medium to be conveyed corresponding to the value designated as the line spacing between the part related to one part and the part related to the next part. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the designated line spacing is “0 dots”.
Thereafter, the control unit 26 sequentially prints the parts of each part based on the control command of each part. As a result, a character string composed of six Thai characters shown in FIG. 2 is printed on the print medium.

Here, in this embodiment, the font data size is 24 dots long × 12 dots wide for all the parts. That is, the font data of the uppermost part part, the font data of the upper part part, the font data of the middle part part, and the font data of the lower part part are each 24 dots long × 12 dots wide.
For this reason, when Thai characters are printed in the operation mode A, the vertical length of one Thai character (the length in the transport direction YJ1) is 96 dots (24 dots).

<Operation mode B>
Next, the operation of the printer 11 in the operation mode B will be described by taking as an example the case where the control data shown in FIG. 3 is received.
In the operation mode B, the printer 11 prints Thai characters after removing margins using the feature of Thai characters (combined characters) that are configured by a combination of a plurality of parts. Thereby, compared with the operation mode A, the length of the conveyance direction YJ1 of one Thai character becomes short, the appearance is improved, and the consumption of the printing medium is suppressed. The contents of the control data transmitted from the host computer 10 to the printer 11 in the operation mode A and the operation mode B are the same. Therefore, it is not necessary to make any modification to the host computer 10 in order to support the operation mode B.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the printer 11 when printing Thai characters based on the control data shown in FIG. 3 when the operation mode is the operation mode B.
Assume that the reception of the control data shown in FIG. 3 has been completed as a premise of the description using the flowchart of FIG. 4 below. That is, it is assumed that the uppermost part control command C1, the upper part control command C2, the middle part control command C3, and the lower part control command C4 are stored in the reception buffer (not shown) in the printer 11. The reception buffer is a buffer formed in a RAM or the like, and is a storage area that temporarily stores received data received from the host computer 10. In this way, the printer 11 may start printing Thai characters after receiving control commands for all parts. Alternatively, using the start of reception of a control command as a trigger, processing may be executed based on the control command while sequentially storing the control command in the reception buffer.
First, the control unit 26 reads out a control command for instructing printing of parts for one line related to one part among the control commands for each part stored in the reception buffer (step SA1). The reception buffer stores control commands in the order of the uppermost part control command C1, the upper part control command C2, the middle part control command C3, and the lower part control command C4. And the control part 26 reads the control command which instruct | indicates printing of the part for one line which concerns on one site | part sequentially in this order.

Next, the control unit 26 determines whether or not the control command related to one part read in Step SA1 is the middle part control command C3 (Step SA2).
In the case of the middle part control command C3, the control unit 26 performs printing of the middle part part for one line related to the middle part by the same method as described in the operation mode A (step SA3). As will be described later, the control unit 26 deletes margins for parts in parts other than the middle part and develops them in the buffer 40, but does not delete such blanks for the part in the middle part. This is because the font data of the middle part has a feature that the margin part that can be reduced is small. After step SA3, the control unit 26 proceeds to step SA5, which will be described later.
On the other hand, when the control command related to one part read in step SA1 is not the middle part control command C3 (step SA2: NO), the control unit 26 executes a margin deletion print process (step SA4).
Hereinafter, the margin deletion printing process will be described in detail.

FIG. 5A is a diagram showing font data of the three uppermost part parts Q1, Q2, and Q3. The font data of these uppermost parts Q1, Q2, and Q3 are expressed as an example in consideration of the explanation of the margin deletion printing process. Therefore, the uppermost part part having such a shape does not necessarily exist in an actual Thai character.
In the following description, the line thermal head 25 performs monochrome printing. That is, the line thermal head 25 is a print head that prints an image by forming black pixels on a print medium. Each font data is bitmap font data that holds a binary value of white value or black value for each dot. Hereinafter, the black dot is expressed as “black dot” and the white dot is expressed as “white dot”. In FIG. 5A, a direction corresponding to the transport direction YJ1 when characters are printed based on the font data is represented as a transport-corresponding direction H1.
As described above, the size of the font data of the uppermost part is 24 dots long × 12 dots wide. The length corresponds to the conveyance handling direction H1. In the following description, for each font data, it is assumed that each dot of the font data is expanded in a predetermined coordinate system, and the coordinates of the dot located at the top leftmost vertex in FIG. Let (x, y) = (1, 1). In the coordinate system, the direction toward the right in the figure is the plus direction of the x axis, and the direction toward the bottom in the figure is the plus direction of the y axis. Therefore, in the figure, the coordinates of the dot located right next to the coordinates (x, y) = (1, 1) are coordinates (x, y) = (2, 1). In the drawing, the coordinates of the dot located below the coordinates (x, y) = (1, 1) are coordinates (x, y) = (1, 2). Also, the coordinates of the dot located at the top rightmost vertex are coordinates (x, y) = (12, 1). In addition, the coordinates of the dot located at the lowermost right vertex are coordinates (x, y) = (12, 24). Also, the coordinates of the dot located at the bottom left vertex are coordinates (x, y) = (1, 24).
As shown in FIG. 5A, the uppermost part Q1 is font data in which black dots are formed in a predetermined manner in an area where the y coordinate corresponds to y = 20 to y = 24. The uppermost part Q2 is font data in which black dots are formed in a predetermined manner in an area corresponding to y = 16 to y = 24. The uppermost part Q3 is font data in which black dots extend in a predetermined manner in an area corresponding to y = 12 to y = 24.
Hereinafter, the margin deletion printing process in step SA4 will be described by taking as an example the case of printing the uppermost part parts Q1, Q2, and Q3 in this order.

  FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating a state where the uppermost part parts Q1 to Q3 are developed in the buffer 40 when the operation mode is the operation mode A described above. As described above, when the operation mode is the operation mode A, the control unit 26 develops the font data of each part in the buffer 40 without reducing the margin. As a result, the length of the printed part for one line in the transport direction YJ1 is 24 dots.

When the uppermost part parts Q1, Q2, and Q3 are continuously printed in this order, that is, when the uppermost part control command C1 instructing printing of these parts is read, the control unit 26 performs the following processing. Execute. That is, the control unit 26 first acquires the character code of the uppermost part part Q1 specified in the uppermost part part specifying part P1 of the uppermost part control command C1. Next, the control unit 26 refers to the uppermost part part font table 37a and the conversion table described above, converts the acquired character code into font data, and acquires the font data of the uppermost part part Q1.
Next, the control unit 26 refers to the margin information database 37 e stored in the storage unit 37.

FIG. 5C is a diagram schematically showing the data structure of the margin information database 37e.
As shown in FIG. 5C, the margin information database 37e is a database that stores a character code and margin information in association with each other at each part.
The margin information is information indicating how the margin is reduced in the font data indicated by the corresponding character code.
In the example of FIG. 5C, in the first record R1, the character code of the uppermost part part Q1 (character code “q1” in the example of FIG. 5C) and margin information are stored in association with each other. ing. The margin information indicates that the area corresponding to y = 1 to y = 18 is to be reduced.
The margin information is set in advance for each font data based on the arrangement state of black dots in the font data for the purpose of reducing the margin formed in the font data in the conveyance-corresponding direction H1.
The margin formed in the font data is an area that does not include black pixels in the font data. In particular, in the present embodiment, the margin is a region formed by one or a plurality of dot rows extending in the x-axis direction that do not include any black dots and extend in the y-axis direction. For example, as shown in FIG. 5A, in the uppermost part Q1, a region A1 corresponding to y = 1 to y = 19 corresponds to a margin. In the uppermost part Q2, a region A2 corresponding to y = 1 to y = 15 corresponds to a margin. In the uppermost part Q3, a region A3 corresponding to y = 1 to y = 11 corresponds to a margin.
Each of the margin information is information indicating that the margin formed in the font data is deleted within a predetermined range in the y-axis direction (conveyance direction H1). By reducing the margin of the font data based on the margin information, the font data is reduced in the conveyance corresponding direction H1.

As described above, the margin information of the uppermost part Q1 is information indicating that the area corresponding to y = 1 to y = 18 is deleted. This is determined based on the arrangement state of black dots for the purpose of reducing the area A1 which is the margin of the font data of the uppermost part Q1. In the present embodiment, not all of the area A1 is deleted from the uppermost part Q1, but the area A1 is reduced after leaving a margin for one dot with the black dots.
As shown in FIG. 5C, in this example, the margin information of the uppermost part Q2 is information indicating that the area corresponding to y = 1 to y = 14 is deleted. Further, the margin information of the uppermost part Q3 is information indicating that an area corresponding to y = 1 to y = 10 is to be deleted.

Now, the control unit 26 refers to the margin information database 37e, and acquires the margin information associated with the character code of the uppermost part Q1.
Next, the control unit 26 reduces the margin of the font data of the uppermost part Q1 in accordance with the margin reduction mode indicated by the acquired margin information, and develops the font data in the buffer 40. That is, the control unit 26 deletes an area corresponding to y = 1 to y = 18 from the font data of the uppermost part Q1, and develops it in the buffer 40.
FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating a state of font data of the uppermost part Q1 developed in the buffer 40. FIG.
Here, the buffer 40 is a so-called row buffer, and the font data of parts for one line is developed in a state in which it is printed. In the present embodiment, parts for one line are developed in the buffer 40 in order from the left to the right in the figure as the starting point (print start position) when printing the point K1.
As shown in FIG. 6A, with respect to the font data of the uppermost part Q1, the length of the font data developed in the buffer 40 in the y-axis direction is 24 dots as a result of the reduction of the margin based on the margin information. To 6 dots.
Further, since the margin is reduced based on the margin information, as shown in FIG. 6A, there is no disappearance of black dots in the font data developed in the buffer 40.

As described above, after the font data of the uppermost part part Q1 with reduced margins is expanded in the buffer 40, the control unit 26 uses the uppermost part part specifying unit P1 to specify the uppermost part specified next to the uppermost part part Q1. The character code of part Q2 is acquired. Next, the control unit 26 obtains font data and margin information of the uppermost part Q2 by the same method as described above. In this example, the margin information related to the uppermost part Q2 is information indicating that an area corresponding to y = 1 to y = 14 is to be deleted.
Next, the control unit 26 reduces the margin for the font data of the uppermost part Q2 based on the corresponding margin information and develops it in the buffer 40. In the buffer 40, the position where the font data of the uppermost part Q2 is expanded is a position adjacent to the font data of the uppermost part Q1 in a predetermined direction (rightward in the figure).
FIG. 6B is a diagram illustrating a state in which the font data of the uppermost part Q2 after the margin is reduced is developed in the buffer 40.
As shown in FIG. 6 (B), the control unit 26 shows the font data of the uppermost part part Q2 after the margin is reduced in a position adjacent to the font data of the uppermost part part Q1, as shown in FIG. 6 (B). Deploy in a manner.
As shown in FIG. 6B, with respect to the font data of the uppermost part Q2, the length of the font data developed in the buffer 40 in the y-axis direction is 24 dots as a result of the reduction of the margin based on the margin information. To 10 dots.
Further, since the margin is reduced based on the margin information, as shown in FIG. 6B, there is no disappearance of black dots in the font data developed in the buffer 40.

Next, the control unit 26 adjusts the position of the font data of the uppermost part part Q1 and the font data of the uppermost part part Q2 in the buffer 40 in accordance with the positional relationship between the print positions of these parts.
More specifically, as shown in FIG. 6C, the control unit 26 uses the dot row h1 located closest to the y-axis (+) side in the font data of the uppermost part Q1, and the font data of the uppermost part Q2. The development position of the font data of the uppermost part Q1 in the buffer 40 is moved so that the dot row h2 located closest to the y-axis (+) side is located on the same straight line. That is, for the two font data, the control unit 26 has the least amount of margin reduction in the y-axis direction so that the dot row located closest to the y-axis (+) of each font data is positioned on the same line. Move the position of the font data that is not the font data.
As a result, the positional relationship between the black dots in the font data of the uppermost part Q1 and the black dots in the font data of the uppermost part Q2 is adjusted in accordance with the positional relationship of the printing positions. That is, the positional relationship between the uppermost part part Q1 and the uppermost part part Q2 when printed in the operation mode A and the positional relation between the uppermost part part Q1 and the uppermost part part Q2 when printed in the operation mode B are the same.
In the present embodiment, the margin is reduced for each part in the range where the y coordinate is y = 0 to y = n (where n is an integer of 0 ≦ n ≦ 24). Based on this, when adjusting the position of the font data of the part, the control unit 26 adjusts the position so that the dot row positioned closest to the y-axis (+) of each font data is positioned on the same straight line. .
However, the margin reduction method and the font data adjustment method for parts in the buffer 40 are not limited to this. In other words, if the positional relationship of the parts is the same when printing in operation mode A and B by adjusting according to the positional relationship of the printing position of each part, the margin is used in any way. May be reduced, and position adjustment in the buffer 40 may be performed.

As described above, the control unit 26 develops the font data of the uppermost part Q2 in the buffer 40 after reducing the margin, and adjusts the position of the font data of each part in the buffer 40.
Next, the control unit 26 acquires the character code of the uppermost part part Q3 specified next to the uppermost part part Q2 in the uppermost part part specifying part P1. Next, the control unit 26 acquires font data and margin information of the uppermost part Q3 by the same method as described above. The margin information related to the uppermost part Q3 is information indicating that an area corresponding to y = 1 to y = 10 is to be deleted.
Next, as shown in FIG. 6D, the control unit 26 develops the font data of the uppermost part part Q3 after the margin reduction based on the margin information at a predetermined position in the buffer 40. Here, the data developed in the buffer 40 is vertical 14-dot data.
Next, as shown in FIG. 6E, the control unit 26 adjusts the position of the font data of the uppermost part parts Q1 to Q3 in the buffer 40.

  As described above, after the font data of the uppermost part parts Q1 to Q3 are expanded in the buffer 40 in the manner shown in FIG. 6E, the control unit 26 uses the reading of the uppermost part line feed command LF1 as a trigger. The following processing is executed. That is, the control unit 26 controls the line thermal head 25 and other mechanisms based on the image data developed in the buffer 40 to print the uppermost part parts Q1 to Q3 which are parts for one line. The length of the printed part in the transport direction YJ1 is 14 dots. That is, as is clear from comparison with FIG. 5B, the length in the transport direction YJ1 is shortened by 10 dots as compared with the case of printing in the operation mode A.

In the margin deletion printing process in step SA4, as described above, the font data of each part is expanded in the buffer 40 after the margin is reduced based on the margin information.
As shown in FIG. 4, after printing one line part by the margin reduction printing process in step SA4, the control unit 26 determines whether the most recently printed one line part is the lower part part. It is determined whether or not (step SA5).
If it is not a lower part part (step SA5: NO), since there is a part that has not been printed, the control unit 26 returns the processing procedure to step SA1. On the other hand, when it is a lower part part (step SA5: YES), the control part 26 complete | finishes a process.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating six Thai characters printed by the printer 11 based on the control data shown in FIG.
In the example of FIG. 7, the length in the transport direction YJ1 of the uppermost part is 6 dots by the above-described margin deletion printing process. Further, the length of the upper part in the transport direction YJ1 is 8 dots. Further, the length in the transport direction YJ1 of the middle part that is not printed by the margin deletion printing process is 24 dots. Further, the length of the lower part part in the transport direction YJ1 is 7 dots. The length of one Thai character in the transport direction YJ1 is 45 dots.
As apparent from the comparison between FIG. 2 and FIG. 7, when printing is performed in the operation mode B, margins are reduced and printed for the parts other than the middle part by performing the margin deletion printing process in step SA <b> 4. As a result, when printing in the operation mode B, the length of the Thai character transport direction YJ1 is shorter than when printing in the operation mode A. As a result, the margin of each part is reduced, the appearance of the printed characters is improved, and the consumption of the print medium can be suppressed.

As described above, in the printer 11 according to the present embodiment, the control unit 26 acquires font data of the part when printing the part. Next, the control unit 26 reduces the margin of the acquired font data and develops it in the buffer 40. Next, the control unit 26 causes the printing unit (such as the line thermal head 25) to print the part based on the font data developed in the buffer 40.
According to this configuration, it is possible to print with the margins removed for each part, and the margins can be accurately reduced by using the characteristics of a combined character in which one character is composed of a combination of multiple parts. It is.

In the present embodiment, the control unit 26 of the printer 11 receives control data for instructing printing of parts for one line for each part from the host computer 10. Next, the control unit 26 acquires font data of parts for one line based on the received control data instructing printing of parts for one line. Next, the control unit 26 develops the font data of each part in the buffer 40 by reducing margins in a predetermined manner. Next, the control unit 26 causes the printing unit (line thermal head 25 or the like) to print a part for one line based on the font data for one line developed in the buffer 40.
According to this configuration, it is possible to print after reducing the margins for each part on the same line based on the control data of each part.

In the present embodiment, the storage unit 37 stores margin information indicating how the margin is reduced for each font data (= for each character code). And the control part 26 acquires the font data of the said part in the case of printing of a part. Next, the control unit 26 acquires the margin information corresponding to the part. Next, the control unit 26 reduces the margin of the acquired font data in the form indicated by the acquired margin information and develops it in the buffer 40. Next, the control unit 26 causes the printing unit to print the part based on the font data developed in the buffer 40.
According to this configuration, it is possible to reduce the margin in a manner suitable for the part for each part based on the margin information.

In the present embodiment, the control unit 26 receives control data instructing printing of parts for one line for each part from the host computer 10. Next, the control unit 26 acquires font data of parts for one line based on the received control data instructing printing of parts for one line. Next, the control unit 26 acquires margin information corresponding to each part. Next, the control unit 26 reduces the margin of the acquired font data of each part in the form indicated by the acquired margin information and develops it in the buffer 40. Next, the control unit 26 adjusts the position of the font data of each part in the buffer 40 in accordance with the positional relationship of the printing position of each part. Next, the control unit 26 causes the printing unit to print parts for one line based on the font data for one line developed in the buffer 40.
According to this configuration, it is possible to reduce the blank space without missing the black pixel portion of each part for one line and without shifting the positional relationship between the parts on the same line.

The above-described embodiment is merely an aspect of the present invention, and can be arbitrarily modified and applied within the scope of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a diagram used for explaining a modified example in which printing is performed with the margins of parts reduced.
Hereinafter, the case where the uppermost part parts Q1, Q2, and Q3 are printed will be described as an example.
In the modified example, as shown in FIG. 8A, the font data of the uppermost part Q1, Q2, and Q3 is developed in the buffer 40 without reducing the margin. Up to this point, the operation mode A is the same.
After that, as shown in FIG. 8B, the control unit 26 adjusts the starting point K1 (print start position) when printing so that the margin of the developed font data for one line is reduced.
The control unit 26 may perform the adjustment based on the margin information of each part. In addition, the control unit 26 may perform the adjustment based on the calculation result by calculating a marginable area according to the state of the buffer 40.
At the time of printing, printing of parts is executed based on the image data developed in the buffer 40, starting from the point K1. As a result, the uppermost part parts Q1, Q2, and Q3 are printed with the margins removed, as shown in FIG. 8C.

Further, for example, in the above-described embodiment, the printer 11 is a line thermal type printing apparatus, but the printer printing method to which the present invention is applied is not limited to the line thermal type. That is, the present invention is applicable to a printing apparatus capable of printing combined characters such as Thai characters regardless of the printing method of the printer.
Further, for example, a Thai character has been described as an example of a combined character, but the combined character is not limited to a Thai character. In other words, the combined character may be a character in which one character is divided into a plurality of parts and one character is constituted by a combination of parts in each part.
Each functional block shown in FIG. 1 can be arbitrarily realized by cooperation of hardware and software, and does not suggest a specific hardware configuration. Further, each function of the printer 11 may be provided in another device externally connected to the device. The printer 11 may execute various processes by executing a program stored in an externally connected storage medium.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Printing system, 10 ... Host computer (control apparatus), 11 ... Printer (printing apparatus), 25 ... Line thermal head (printing part), 26 ... Control part, 27 ... Head drive circuit (printing part), 37 ... Memory | storage 40, buffer.

Claims (9)

A printing apparatus capable of printing a combined character in which one character is divided into a plurality of parts and one character is constituted by a combination of parts of each part,
A printing section for printing an image;
When printing at least one part, a control unit that deletes the margin of the part and causes the printing unit to print the part;
A printing apparatus comprising: A storage unit that stores font data for each part
The controller is
When printing at least one part, the font data of the part is acquired, the margin of the acquired font data is reduced and expanded in a buffer, and the part is placed in the printing unit based on the font data expanded in the buffer. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein printing is performed. Communicatively connected to the control unit,
The controller is
From the control device, control data for instructing printing of parts for one line for each part is received, and font data for parts for one line is received based on the received control data for instructing printing of parts for one line. For each part of the font data, the margin is reduced in a predetermined manner and expanded in the buffer. Based on the font data for one line expanded in the buffer, the part for one line is stored in the printing unit. The printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the printer is printed. The storage unit
For each font data, margin information indicating a mode for reducing the margin is stored,
The controller is
When printing the part, the font data of the part is acquired, the margin information corresponding to the part is acquired, and the margin of the acquired font data is reduced and expanded in the buffer in the mode indicated by the acquired margin information. The printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the printing unit causes the printing unit to print the part based on the font data developed in the buffer. Communicatively connected to the control unit,
The controller is
From the control device, control data for instructing printing of parts for one line for each part is received, and font data for parts for one line is received based on the received control data for instructing printing of parts for one line. And acquiring the margin information corresponding to each part, reducing the margin of the font data of each acquired part in the manner indicated by the acquired margin information, and developing the margin data in each buffer. The position of the font data of the parts is adjusted according to the positional relationship of the print positions of the parts, and the part for one line is printed on the printing unit based on the font data for one line developed in the buffer. The printing apparatus according to claim 4. A storage unit that stores font data for each part
The controller is
When printing at least one part, the font data of the part is acquired, the acquired font data is expanded in the buffer, and the print start position of the font data expanded in the buffer is reduced so that the margin of the expanded font data is reduced. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the part is printed by the printing unit. Communicatively connected to the control unit,
The controller is
From the control device, control data for instructing printing of parts for one line for each part is received, and font data for parts for one line is received based on the received control data for instructing printing of parts for one line. The font data of each part is expanded in the buffer, and the print start position of the font data expanded in the buffer is adjusted so that the margin of the expanded font data for one line is reduced, and the printing is performed. The printing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the printing unit prints parts for one line. A control method of a printing apparatus capable of printing a combined character in which one character is divided into a plurality of parts and one character is constituted by a combination of parts of each part,
A method for controlling a printing apparatus, wherein, when printing at least one part, the margin of the part is deleted and the part is printed by a printing unit. A program that is executed by a control unit that controls a printing apparatus that can print a combined character in which one character is divided into a plurality of parts and one character is configured by a combination of parts of each part,
In the control unit,
When printing at least one part, the program deletes the margin of the part and causes the printing unit to print the part.

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