JP2023045955A - Print data creation method, information processing device, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To improve work efficiency when an information processing device creates print data to be transmitted to a printing device.SOLUTION: A computer causes a display unit (24) to display an edit screen (100) capable of editing a print image to be printed on a print medium (15). Then, in a state where no input operation has been performed to designate a position within an editing area (120) displayed on the display unit, if an input operation is performed to designate a position within the editing area where there is no editing object for editing the print image (S104;YES), the computer performs processing for creating a text box in the print image according to the designated position (S105).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to a print data creation method, an information processing apparatus, and a program.

A printing device that prints on a tape-shaped print medium can print on the print medium based on print data created by an information processing device such as a personal computer or a smartphone that can be connected to the printing device. There are possibilities (see, for example, Patent Document 1). When creating print data using an information processing apparatus, a user executes a dedicated application on the information processing apparatus and performs operations for inputting characters to be printed on a print medium and making various settings related to printing.

JP 2021-56674 A

In conventional applications used to create print data, characters can be entered at the specified position by specifying the character input position after performing an operation to select execution of character input. A text box is generated. The operation of selecting execution of character input is, for example, one of a plurality of executable menus displayed in a menu display area provided outside the editing area for inputting characters to be printed on the print medium on the display screen. This is an operation to select from among them. That is, in the conventional application used for creating print data, an operation for selecting execution of character input was required when performing character input, which is a main operation. For this reason, the work efficiency of creating print data using conventional applications was low. In particular, in the case of an information processing device such as a smartphone whose display unit size is relatively small, for example, a display screen that includes a menu display area and an editing area and that is large enough to allow information such as characters in each area to be easily viewed is displayed once. It is difficult to display on the screen, and operations for scrolling and switching screens are added, which can significantly reduce work efficiency.

An object of one aspect of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of improving work efficiency when an information processing apparatus creates print data to be transmitted to a printing apparatus.

A print data creation method according to an aspect of the present invention is such that a computer displays on a display section an edit screen on which a print image to be printed on a medium to be printed can be edited, and designates a position within an edit area displayed on the display section. When an input operation is performed to specify a position where an edit object for editing the print image does not exist in the edit area in a state where an input operation to and executing a process of generating a text box in the print image in response.

According to the above aspect, it is possible to improve work efficiency when the information processing apparatus creates print data to be transmitted to the printing apparatus.

1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a printing device that can be used in combination with an information processing device according to an embodiment; FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of functional configurations of an information processing apparatus and a printing apparatus according to an embodiment; FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of an edit screen displayed when an application for creating print data is executed on an information processing apparatus; 4 is a flowchart illustrating a first example of processing performed during editing work in the information processing apparatus according to one embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a first example of editing work using the information processing apparatus according to one embodiment; FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a second example of editing work using the information processing apparatus according to one embodiment; 9 is a flowchart illustrating a second example of processing performed during editing work in the information processing apparatus according to one embodiment; FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a second example of editing work using the information processing apparatus according to one embodiment; FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a third example of editing work using the information processing apparatus according to one embodiment; 10 is a flowchart illustrating a third example of processing performed during editing work in the information processing apparatus according to one embodiment; FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of writing horizontally in a text box generated when the label area is horizontally oriented; FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of vertically writing a text box generated when a label area is horizontally oriented; FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of horizontal writing in a text box generated when a label area is vertically oriented; FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of vertically writing a text box generated when a label area is vertically oriented; FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the correspondence relationship between the direction of the label area, the specified position, and the method of generating the text box; FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a correspondence relationship between a method of specifying a range and a method of generating a text box; FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating another example of the correspondence relationship between the method of specifying a range and the method of generating a text box;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, well-known functions of an application used to create print data, well-known configurations, functions, and operations of an information processing apparatus that executes the application, and printing on a print medium based on print data, etc. Detailed descriptions of well-known configurations, functions, and operations of printing devices that perform

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a printing device that can be used in combination with an information processing device according to an embodiment. The printing apparatus 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 is an apparatus capable of printing on a tape-shaped print medium 15 based on print data transferred from the information processing apparatus 1 . A user of the printing apparatus 10 can, for example, cause an information processing apparatus 1 such as a personal computer or a smart phone to execute a predetermined application 2 to create print data and transmit the print data to the printing apparatus 10 . The information processing device 1 and the printing device 10 communicate via wireless communication conforming to wireless communication standards such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) and Bluetooth Low Energy (registered trademark), or transmission using a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable. Communicatively connected by a cable.

The printer 10 includes a transport mechanism for transporting the print medium 15, a print mechanism for printing on the print medium 15, and a cut of the print medium 15 in a device housing composed of a box portion 11 and a lid portion 12. A cutting mechanism for cutting, a control circuit for controlling the operation of each mechanism, and the like are accommodated. In addition, in the housing of the printer 10, a roll (tape roll) formed by winding the tape-shaped print medium 15 around a core material such as a paper tube can be accommodated. The printing apparatus 10 carries out processes such as transporting the print medium 15 unwound from the tape roll, printing on the print medium 15, and cutting the print medium 15 based on the print data. The print medium 15 unwound from the tape roll can be discharged to the outside of the printer 10 from a discharge port 1101 formed in the device housing (the box portion 11 and the lid portion 12).

Several operation buttons 13 and several display lamps 14 are provided on the outer surface of the device housing (box portion 11) in the printing device 10 illustrated in FIG. The operation buttons 13 include, for example, a button for turning power on/off, a button for switching wireless communication, and a button for reprinting. The indicator lamp 14 indicates the status of the printer 10 by, for example, turning on, off, and blinking. It should be noted that the printing apparatus 10 that can be used in combination with the information processing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment is not limited to the appearance configuration illustrated in FIG. can be anything. The printing apparatus 10 provided with a keyboard or the like performs printing on the print medium 15 based on the print data transferred from the information processing apparatus 1, and also creates print data on its own to print on the print medium. 15 can also be performed.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of functional configurations of an information processing apparatus and a printing apparatus according to one embodiment.

The information processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment may be a general-purpose computer capable of communicating with an external device, such as a desktop computer, a notebook computer, a tablet computer, and a smart phone. The information processing apparatus 1 includes a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, an input unit 23, a display unit 24, and a communication unit 25 as illustrated in FIG.

The control unit 21 of the information processing device 1 controls the operation of the information processing device 1 as a whole. The control of the operation by the control unit 21 is performed by a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that executes an OS (Operating System) program and additional application programs such as Application 2, for example. The processor reads and executes the programs stored in the storage unit 22 . The storage unit 22 of the information processing apparatus 1 stores various types of information such as programs executed by the processor, information referred to by the processor during program execution, and generated information. The storage unit 22 includes, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory) as a main storage device, and an auxiliary storage device. The auxiliary storage devices are, for example, HDDs (Hard Disk Drives) and SSDs (Solid State Drives).

The input unit 23 of the information processing device 1 receives an input operation to the information processing device 1 . The input unit 23 includes, for example, a character input device such as a keyboard and a pointing device such as a mouse or touch pad. The display unit 24 of the information processing device 1 displays the state of the information processing device 1, input information, and the like. The display unit 24 includes, for example, a dot-matrix display device (for example, a liquid crystal display, an organic EL (Electroluminescence) display, etc.). The display unit 24 may be, for example, a touch panel display in which a pointing device such as a digitizer functioning as the input unit 23 is arranged on the display area of the liquid crystal display. The information processing apparatus 1 having a touch panel display may, for example, omit a hardware keyboard and perform character input using a software keyboard using the touch panel display.

The communication unit 25 of the information processing device 1 communicates with external devices including the printing device 10 . The communication unit 25 can perform at least one of wireless communication according to wireless communication standards such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low Energy, and wired communication via a transmission cable such as a USB cable. hardware interface.

The control unit 21 in the information processing apparatus 1 executing the application 2 for creating print data includes, for example, an editing unit 2101, a setting unit 2102, and a creating unit 2103 as shown in FIG. The editing unit 2101 performs various processing related to editing characters, figures, etc. to be printed on the printing medium 15 based on the information input by the input unit 23 . Processing performed by the editing unit 2101 includes processing for generating a text box for arranging characters and the like. A setting unit 2102 performs various types of processing related to operation settings of the printing apparatus 10 . The operation settings of the printing apparatus 10 include, for example, the setting of the number of times of printing on the printing medium 15 and the setting of the operation of cutting the printing medium 15 . The creating unit 2103 transmits information to the printing apparatus 10 based on information such as characters and figures to be printed on the printing medium 15 edited by the editing unit 2101 and the operation settings of the printing apparatus 10 set by the setting unit 2102. Create print data to be used. The print data created by the creation unit 2103 is transmitted (transferred) to the printing apparatus 10 via the communication unit 25 . In this way, if it is possible to create print data in the information processing apparatus 1 different from the printing apparatus 10, the print data can be created (prepared) using the information processing apparatus 1 at a location away from the printing apparatus 10. ). For this reason, time and place restrictions on the creation of print data are eased, and for example, when one printing device 10 is shared by a plurality of users, printing on the printing medium 15 by the printing device 10 can be efficiently performed. It can be carried out.

Note that the functions corresponding to the respective functional blocks in the information processing apparatus 1 illustrated in FIG. 2 are not limited to those realized by individual hardware. hardware. Also, a function corresponding to one functional block in the information processing device 1 may be realized by two or more pieces of hardware. For example, the control by the control unit 21 of the information processing device 1 may be realized by the above-described CPU and a DSP (Digital Signal Processor).

In terms of functionality, the printing apparatus 10 includes a control unit 31, a storage unit 32, an input unit 33, a display unit 34, a print processing unit 35, and a communication unit 36, as illustrated in FIG.

The control unit 31 of the printing device 10 controls the operation of the printing device 10 as a whole. The operation of the control unit 31 is controlled by a processor such as a CPU that executes an OS program and an application program that controls the operation of the print processing unit 35 based on print data. The processor reads and executes the programs stored in the storage unit 32 . The storage unit 32 of the printing apparatus 10 stores various information such as programs executed by the processor, print data, and control data generated based on the print data. The storage unit 32 includes, for example, ROM and RAM.

The input unit 33 of the printing device 10 receives input operations to the printing device 10 . The input unit 33 includes, for example, the operation buttons 13 described above with reference to FIG. The display unit 34 of the printing device 10 displays the status of the printing device 10, input information, and the like. The display 34 includes, for example, the indicator lamps 14 described above with reference to FIG. The printing device 10 includes, as one of the input units 33, a hardware keyboard capable of performing operations for character input and operation setting, and displays characters, setting information, etc., input by the hardware keyboard. A display device (for example, a liquid crystal display) capable of

The print processing unit 35 of the printing device 10 performs various processes (operations) related to printing on the print medium 15 based on the control information from the control unit 31 . The print processing unit 35 includes, for example, a transport unit 3501 that transports the print medium 15 , a print unit 3502 that prints on the print medium 15 , and a cut unit 3503 that cuts the print medium 15 . For example, the printing apparatus 10 may be one in which the cutting unit 3503 is omitted, or one in which the operation of the cutting unit 3503 for cutting the print medium 15 is non-electric.

The communication unit 36 of the printing device 10 communicates with external devices including the information processing device 1 . The communication unit 36 can perform at least one of wireless communication according to wireless communication standards such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low Energy, and wired communication via a transmission cable such as a USB cable. hardware interface.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of an edit screen displayed when an application for creating print data is executed on an information processing apparatus. FIG. 3 shows an editing screen displayed on the display unit 24 in the information processing apparatus 1 that can move the pointer 150 on the display screen of the display unit 24 by operating a pointing device such as a mouse or a touch pad. 100 are illustrated.

Edit screen 100 includes a menu area 110 and an edit area 120 . The menu area 110 displays information for selecting processing related to editing, such as inputting, erasing, and changing the position of characters, figures, etc. to be printed on the print medium 15 . The menu area 110 of the editing screen 100 illustrated in FIG. 3 includes a button area 111 for selecting the generation of a text box for entering a horizontally written character string, and a button area for selecting the generation of a text box for entering a vertically written character string. 112.

The editing area 120 is an area for performing editing work such as displaying characters, figures, etc. to be printed on the print medium 15 and adjusting their positions and sizes. The editing area 120 includes a label area 130 indicating the planar shape of a label created by printing on the printing medium 15 by the printing apparatus 10, and an area set as a printable area within the label area 130. A print area 133 shown is displayed. The label area 130 is an area showing an image (print image) of the print medium 15 on which characters, figures, etc. are printed by the printer 10 . The inside of the label area 130 may be displayed in the color of the printing surface of the printing medium 15, for example. The "conveyance direction" described in the editing area 120 in FIG. 3 and the left-pointing arrow above it indicate the conveyance direction of the print medium 15 when printing on the print medium 15 by the printing apparatus 10. . The character string and arrow of "conveyance direction" may be displayed as part of the editing screen 100, or may not be displayed.

When the transport direction of the print medium 15 in the editing area 120 is the horizontal direction, the vertical (vertical) dimension of the label area 130 corresponds to the width of the print medium 15, and the horizontal (horizontal) dimension of the label area 130 ) corresponds to the length of the print medium 15 . The vertical dimension (label width) and horizontal dimension (label length) of the label area 130 are, for example, the label displayed in the area outside the menu area 110 and outside the editing area 120 in the editing screen 100. It can be set by operating the setting unit 140 . The label width can be selected (set) from among the widths of the print medium 15 that can be used by the printer 10 that transmits print data. The label length can be set to a length equal to or greater than the minimum dimension that can be produced as one label by the printer 10 .

The label area 130 in the editing area 120 has the label width and label length displayed in the label setting section 140, the first ruler adjacent to the left of the editing area 120, and the second ruler adjacent above the editing area 120. scaled according to the scale of the ruler. When the transport direction of the print medium 15 in the editing area 120 is the left direction, the left edge of the label area 130 is the memory 0 of the second ruler. The horizontal position of the trailing edge 132 is displayed to be the memory location specified by the scale of the second ruler and the label length. The leading end 131 corresponds to the downstream end (leading end) of the area corresponding to the printing area 133 on the printing medium 15 conveyed through the printing apparatus 10 .

In addition, on the edit screen 100 illustrated in FIG. 3, the horizontal dimension of the label area 130 can be changed by an operation of moving the slider 141 on the second ruler in the horizontal direction. When the slider 141 is moved in the horizontal direction, the label length value in the label setting section 140 is changed to a value corresponding to the memory position of the slider 141 after movement. For example, the slider 141 can be moved by moving the arrow-shaped pointer 150 illustrated in the editing area 120 to a position overlapping the slider 141 with the mouse, and then dragging the mouse rightward or leftward. .

The print area 133 in the label area 130 includes, for example, the dimensions of the label area 130, the dimensions of the margins provided to the left, right, top, and bottom of the print area 133, and the sizes of the first ruler and the second ruler. displayed with dimensions specified based on scale.

Note that the editing screen 100 of FIG. 3 is merely an example of an editing screen that is displayed on the display unit 24 while the application 2 is running and that allows editing of the print image on the printing medium 15 . The configuration, dimensions, etc. of the menu area 110 and the editing area 120 on the editing screen can be changed as appropriate.

In the information processing apparatus 1 running the application 2, for example, after displaying the label area 130 and the print area 133 in the edit area 120 as shown in FIG. Characters, figures, etc. to be printed can be arranged. At this time, the user of the information processing apparatus 1 executing the conventional application first moves the pointer 150 to a position pointing within the button area 111 for selecting generation of a text box for inputting a horizontally written character string, and moves the mouse. Left click. After that, when the user moves the pointer 150 to the position where the text box is to be generated and left-clicks the mouse, a text box in which a horizontal character string can be entered is generated at the position of the pointer 150 .

A major task in creating print data by the application 2 is inputting characters, figures, etc. to be printed on the print medium 15 . Therefore, if the pointer 150 is moved to the button area 111 or 112 outside the editing area 120 and the mouse is left-clicked each time a text box is generated as in the conventional application, work efficiency is reduced.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a first example of processing performed during editing work by the information processing apparatus according to the embodiment. The processing illustrated in FIG. 4 is started when the application 2 (application program) according to the present embodiment is activated in the information processing apparatus 1 . When the application 2 is activated, the display unit 24 of the information processing apparatus 1 displays an edit screen 100 as shown in FIG. 3, for example.

After starting the application 2, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 1 determines whether or not an input operation has been performed on the input unit 23 (step S101), and repeats this determination until an input operation is performed (step S101). NO).

When an input operation is performed (step S101; YES), the control unit 21 determines whether or not the input operation is an operation for designating a position within the screen (step S102). The operation of specifying the position is, for example, an operation of clicking a mouse or a touch pad, an operation of tapping a touch pad or a touch panel display, or the like. In step S102, it is determined that the operation of only changing the display position of the pointer 150 is not the operation of specifying the position within the screen. In step S102, it may be determined that the operation of designating a selection range within the screen is an operation of designating a position within the screen. For example, when the user performs an operation of dragging the mouse, the control unit 21 creates a rectangle with the position of the pointer 150 at the start of the drag operation as the starting point and the position of the pointer 150 at the end of the dragging operation as the end point. It may be determined that a position within the selection range has been specified.

If the input operation is not an operation for designating a position within the screen (step S102; NO), the control unit 21 performs processing according to the input operation (step S106), and returns to the determination of step S101. For example, when the user of the information processing apparatus 1 performs an operation of inputting characters using the keyboard, the control unit 21 determines in step S102 that the input operation is not an operation of designating a position within the screen. In this case, in step S106, the control unit 21 performs processing for displaying, on the display unit 24, the edit screen 100 to which the input characters are added, for example.

If the input operation is an operation for specifying a position within the screen (step S102; YES), the control section 21 next determines whether or not there is an object (editing object) at the specified position (step S103). The object is information (e.g., icons, operation buttons, and text boxes, etc.). Objects include, for example, text boxes, tables, and other figures that have already been created within the editing area 120 at the time of determination in step S103. Objects include, for example, operation buttons, icons, and the like arranged outside the editing area 120 , such as button areas 111 and 112 for selecting generation of text boxes in the menu area 110 . For example, when the position on the screen specified by the input operation is within any one of the object selection ranges set for each object, the control unit 21 determines that there is an object at the specified position. Further, when the input operation for designating the selection range within the screen is determined to be the operation for designating the position and the determination in step S103 is performed, the control unit 21 determines that the object is within the selection range designated by the input operation. If there is an object that partially or entirely includes the selection range, it is determined that there is an object at the designated position.

If there is an object at the specified position (step S103; YES), the control unit 21 performs processing according to the input operation (step S106), and returns to the determination of step S101. For example, when an input operation is performed to specify a position within an object selection range set in a text box already generated in the editing area 120, the control unit 21 determines in step S103 that an object exists at the specified position. I judge. In this case, in step S106, the control unit 21 determines, for example, whether or not the text box at the designated position is in a selected state (a state in which characters can be input). In that case, the input position (cursor position) is determined based on the specified position, and if the state is not selected, the processing is changed to the selected state (character input possible state).

Further, for example, when an input operation is performed to specify a position within the button area 111 for selecting generation of a text box for horizontal writing, the control unit 21 determines in step S103 that there is an object at the specified position. In this case, in step S106, the control unit 21 changes the display in the button area 111, for example, to a display indicating that generation of a text box for horizontal writing has been selected. At this time, the processing in step S106 performed by the control unit 21 may include processing for receiving an input operation specifying a position for generating a text box and generating a text box after changing the display in the button area 111. May not be included. If not included, the control unit 21 can generate a text box in the editing area 120 in step S105, which will be described later, based on the position within the screen designated by the next input operation.

If there is no object at the designated position (step S103; NO), the control unit 21 next determines whether or not the designated position is within the editing area 120 (step S104). If the designated position is not within the editing area 120 (step S104; NO), the control unit 21 performs processing according to the input operation (step S106), and returns to the determination of step S101. For example, when an input operation is performed to specify a position outside the editing area 120 and without an object, the control unit 21 determines that the specified position is not inside the editing area 120 in step S104. In this case, in step S106, for example, if there is an object being selected, the control unit 21 performs a process of canceling the selection, and if there is no object being selected, nothing is performed.

On the other hand, if the designated position is within the editing area 120 (step S104; YES), the control unit 21 generates a text box within the editing area 120 based on the designated position (step S105), and determines in step S101. back to That is, in the information processing apparatus 1 that performs the processing according to the flowchart of FIG. 4, when an input operation is performed to specify a position within the editing area 120 where no object exists, the text box is displayed at the specified position. Generate. Moreover, even if the input operation for specifying the position within the button area 111 for selecting the generation of the text box is not performed before performing the input operation for specifying the position within the editing area 120 and where no object exists, the specified A text box can be generated at the specified position.

As described above, in the information processing apparatus 1 that executes the application 2 according to the present embodiment, the user's operation of selecting the generation of the text box in the menu area 110 is omitted, and the character input, which is the main operation, can be performed efficiently. can do well. In particular, the information processing apparatus 1 displays the edit screen 100 including the menu area 110 and the edit area 120, such as a smart phone or a tablet computer having a relatively small size of the display area of the display unit 24, such as characters in each area. When it is difficult to display information in a size that is easy to see in the display area, operations for scrolling and switching screens can be omitted, and work efficiency is further improved.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a first example of editing work using the information processing apparatus according to one embodiment. FIG. 5 shows an example of the relationship between the operation of generating a text box and inputting characters and the display of the display unit 24 when the information processing apparatus 1 performs the process illustrated in FIG. 5A and 5B respectively show the editing area 120 of the editing screen 100 illustrated in FIG. 3, and the portions of the first ruler and the second ruler adjacent to the editing area 120. ing. 5(c) shows only the partial area 120a of the editing area 120 shown in FIG. 5(b).

In (a) of FIG. 5, after an operation is performed to move the slider 141 provided on the second ruler adjacent above the editing area 120, the position of the pointer 150 is shifted from the position overlapping the slider 141 to the editing area 120. The changed state is shown in the print area 133 . At this time, the position of the pointer 150 is changed (moved) into the print area 133 at almost the shortest distance without going through the button area 111 for selecting generation of the text box for horizontal writing outside the edit area 120 . Since such an operation of changing the position of the pointer 150 is not an operation of specifying a position within the screen (step S102; NO), the control unit 21 of the information processing device 1 changes the display position of the pointer 150 in step S106. process to change the

After changing the display position of the pointer 150 to within the print area 133, when the user of the information processing apparatus 1 performs an operation of left-clicking the mouse, the control unit 21 performs an input operation to designate a position within the screen. (step S102; YES). There is no object within the editing area 120 illustrated in FIG. 5A (step S103; NO), and the position pointed by the pointer 150 is within the editing area 120 (step S104; YES). Therefore, when an input operation for designating a position within the screen is performed, the control unit 21 generates a text box 160 whose starting point is the position indicated by the pointer 150, as illustrated in FIG. step S105). In the label area 130 (print image) in the editing area 120 illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the conveying direction of the print medium 15 is the horizontal direction. A text box 160 is generated.

After generating the text box 160, when a character input operation is performed on the keyboard, which is one of the input units 23, the control unit 21 determines that the operation is not for specifying a position within the screen (step S102; NO). . Therefore, as illustrated in (c) of FIG. 5, the control unit 21 displays the characters "A", "B", and "C" input by the character input operation horizontally in the text box 160. do.

As described above with reference to FIG. 5, in the information processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the text box 160 is generated without performing an operation of pressing (selecting) the button area 111 outside the editing area 120. Characters can be entered.

Note that the character input operations that can be performed by the information processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment are not limited to the operation procedures described above with reference to (a) to (c) of FIG. For example, the position before change and the position after change in the operation of changing the position of pointer 150 to generate text box 160 are not limited to the positional relationship illustrated in (a) of FIG. Therefore, the operation of moving the position of the pointer 150 into the label area 130 does not have to be performed after the operation of changing the horizontal dimension (label length) of the label area 130 with the slider 141 . Further, for example, the operation of changing the horizontal dimension of the label area 130 using the slider 141 may be performed after the operation of inputting characters in the text box 160 as illustrated in FIG. 5(c).

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a second example of editing work using the information processing apparatus according to one embodiment. 6A and 6B respectively show the editing area 120 of the editing screen 100 illustrated in FIG. 3, and the portions of the first ruler and the second ruler adjacent to the editing area 120. ing. 6(c) shows only the partial area 120a of the editing area 120 shown in FIG. 6(b).

In FIG. 6A, after an operation is performed to move the slider 141 provided on the second ruler adjacent above the editing area 120, the position of the pointer 150 is moved from the position overlapping the slider 141 to the editing area 120. The changed state is shown in the print area 133 . At this time, the position of the pointer 150 is changed (moved) into the print area 133 at almost the shortest distance without going through the button area 111 for selecting generation of the text box for horizontal writing outside the edit area 120 . Since such an operation of changing the position of the pointer 150 is not an operation of specifying a position within the screen (step S102; NO), the control unit 21 of the information processing device 1 changes the display position of the pointer 150 in step S106. process to change the The pointer 150 after changing the display position indicated by a solid line in (a) of FIG. and "2". The already generated text box 161 illustrated in (a) of FIG. 6 is one piece of information recognized as an object in the determination of step S103 described above with reference to FIG. The text box 161 illustrated in (a) of FIG. 6 is in a non-selected state, and even if a character input operation is performed in this state, the character string in the text box 161 is not changed.

After changing the display position of the pointer 150 to the inside of the text box 161, when the user of the information processing device 1 performs an operation of left-clicking the mouse, the control unit 21 performs an input operation to designate a position within the screen. (step S102; YES). Also, the position pointed by the pointer 150 is the already generated text box 161, which is one of the objects in the editing area 120 (step S103; YES). Therefore, when an input operation for designating a position within the screen is performed, in step S106, the control unit 21 selects the text box 161 as shown in FIG. A cursor 162 indicating the character input position is displayed at the current position. Note that the display of the pointer 150 is omitted in FIG. 6(b).

After the text box 161 is set to the selected state, if a cursor movement operation or a character input operation is performed on the keyboard, which is one of the input units 23, the control unit 21 determines that the operation is not for specifying a position within the screen. (Step S102; NO). In this case, the control unit 21 performs processing according to the cursor movement operation and character input operation on the keyboard (step S106). For example, when the user performs an operation to change the character string in the text box 161 from "2021/01/01" to "2021/02/01", the control unit 21 changes the As shown, the display of the character string in the text box 161 is changed to "2021/02/01".

As described above with reference to FIG. 6, in the information processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, even if the position specified by the operation of specifying a position within the screen is within the editing area 120, an object ( edit object) exists, the process associated with that object is performed. For this reason, even if the operation of pressing (selecting) the button area 111 outside the editing area 120 is omitted, the process of newly generating a text box is distinguished from the process of already generated text boxes. processing can be performed. In the process described above with reference to FIG. 6, the text box 161 may be selected when the input operation for designating the position within the screen is performed. When an input operation for designating a position is performed while the text box 161 is selected, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 1 performs processing to change the position of the cursor 162 to the position indicated by the pointer 150, for example.

The process of generating a text box by omitting the input operation to the button areas 111 and 112 for selecting the generation of the text box according to the present embodiment is the first example of the process described above with reference to FIGS. can be changed as appropriate. For example, the process of generating a text box may be associated with an input operation specifying a selection within the editing area 120 . Further, the information processing apparatus 1 to which the first example of the processing described above with reference to FIGS. It is not limited to those operated with a pointing device such as a pad. The information processing apparatus 1 is equipped with a touch panel display such as a tablet computer or a smartphone, and does not display a specific pointer 150 such as an arrow shape as illustrated in FIG. good too.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a second example of processing performed during editing work by the information processing apparatus according to the embodiment. The processing illustrated in FIG. 7 is started when the application 2 (application program) according to the present embodiment is activated in the information processing apparatus 1 . When the application 2 is activated, the display unit 24 of the information processing apparatus 1 displays an edit screen 100 as shown in FIG. 3, for example.

After starting the application 2, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 1 determines whether or not an input operation has been performed on the input unit 23 (step S201), and repeats this determination until an input operation is performed (step S201). NO).

When an input operation is performed (step S201; YES), the control unit 21 determines whether or not the input operation is an operation for designating a selection range within the screen (step S202). The operation of designating the selection range may be any known operation of designating the starting point position and the end point position of the rectangular selection range with a pointing device, such as an operation of dragging a mouse. In step S202 of the process illustrated in FIG. 7, the control unit 21 determines that the operation of designating a single position within the screen is not the operation of designating a selection range within the screen.

If the input operation is not an operation for designating a selection range on the screen (step S202: NO), the control unit 21 performs processing according to the input operation (step S206), and returns to the determination of step S201. For example, when the user of the information processing device 1 performs an operation to designate a position within the screen, the control unit 21 determines in step S202 that the input operation is not an operation for designating a selection range within the screen. In this case, in step S206, the control unit 21, for example, determines whether or not there is a process associated with the specified position, and if there is a process associated with it, executes that process.

If the input operation is an operation for specifying a selection range within the screen (step S202; YES), the control unit 21 next determines whether or not there is an object within the specified range (step S203). As described above with reference to FIG. 4, the object is set so that the control unit 21 performs a predetermined process according to the operation of selecting the information displayed in the display area of the display unit 240. Information (eg, icons, operation buttons, text boxes, etc.). Objects include, for example, text boxes, tables, and other graphics that have already been created within editing area 120 at the time of determination in step S203. Objects include, for example, operation buttons, icons, and the like arranged outside the editing area 120 , such as button areas 111 and 112 for selecting generation of text boxes in the menu area 110 . For example, when the selection range on the screen specified by the input operation includes the entire object selection range set for each object, the control unit 21 selects the object within the specified range. It is determined that there is For example, when the selection range in the screen specified by the input operation and at least a part of any one of the object selection ranges set for each object overlap, the control unit 21 It may be determined that there is an object.

If there is an object within the specified range (step S203; YES), the control unit 21 performs processing according to the input operation (step S206), and returns to the determination of step S201. For example, if the specified range includes the entire selection range of the text box that has already been generated, the control unit 21 determines in step S203 that there is an object within the specified range. In this case, in step S206, for example, the control unit 21 determines whether or not the text box within the specified range is in a selected state (a state in which characters can be input). is processed to change to the selected state.

If there is no object within the specified range (step S203; NO), the control unit 21 next determines whether or not the entire specified range is within the editing area 120 (step S204). If the entire designated range is not within the editing area 120 (step S204; NO), the control unit 21 performs processing according to the input operation (step S206), and returns to the determination of step S201. For example, when a part of the selection range specified by the input operation protrudes outside the editing area 120, or when the entire specified selection range is outside the editing area 120 and there is no selectable object within the range. If not, the control unit 21 determines that the entire specified range is not within the editing area 120 in step S204. In this case, in step S206, the control unit 21, for example, performs a process of canceling the selection if there is an object being selected, and does nothing if there is no object being selected.

On the other hand, if the entire designated range is within the editing area 120 (step S204; YES), the control unit 21 generates a text box within the editing area 120 based on the designated range (step S205), and Return to judgment. That is, in the information processing apparatus 1 that performs the processing according to the flowchart of FIG. Generates a textbox within a range. Moreover, similarly to the processing described above with reference to FIG. 4, the text box is generated within the designated selection range without performing an input operation for designating the position within the button area 111 for selecting the generation of the text box. be able to. In this way, the information processing apparatus 1 that executes the process illustrated in FIG. 7 omits the user's operation of selecting the generation of the text box in the menu area 110, and efficiently performs the main operation of inputting characters. It can be carried out. Further, in the information processing apparatus 1 that executes the process illustrated in FIG. 7, for example, the character size of the text box can be set based on the dimensions of the designated selection range.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a second example of editing work using the information processing apparatus according to one embodiment. FIG. 8 shows an example of the relationship between the operation of creating a text box and the display on the display unit 24 when the information processing apparatus 1 performs the process illustrated in FIG. (a) and (b) of FIG. 8 respectively show only the partial area 120a shown in (b) of FIG.

In FIG. 8A, the position of the pointer 150 is moved from the start point position P1 close to the upper left corner in the print area 133 of the partial area 120a (editing area 120) to the end point position P2 in the lower right direction. An example of designating a rectangular selection range 170 is shown. When specifying the selection range 170 with the mouse, the user moves the pointer 150 to the start point position P1, then moves the pointer 150 to the end point position P2 while pressing the left button of the mouse, and presses the left button. Perform an operation to release the pressing of . At this time, before moving the pointer 150 to the start point position P1, the user cannot move the pointer 150 to the button area 111 for selecting the generation of the text box for horizontal writing outside the editing area 120 and specify the position. you don't have to.

The partial area 120a illustrated in (a) of FIG. The whole is within the editing area 120 (step S204; YES). Therefore, when the input operation for designating the selection range 170 is completed, the control unit 21 generates a text box in the editing area 120 based on the designated selection range 170 in step S205. At this time, the control unit 21 generates a text box 160 having substantially the same dimensions as the specified selection range 170, as illustrated in FIG. 8B, for example. Also, at this time, the control unit 21 sets the size of the character to be input and displayed in the generated text box 160 to the maximum size of characters that can be displayed without protruding from the text box 160. A size may be set to display a cursor 162 corresponding to that size. For example, when generating the text box 160 for horizontal writing, the maximum character size among the character sizes whose vertical size is smaller than the vertical dimension of the text box 160 is set to the size of characters displayed in the text box 160. can be done.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a third example of editing work using the information processing apparatus according to one embodiment. 9A and 9B respectively show the editing area 120 of the editing screen 100 illustrated in FIG. 3, and the portions of the first ruler and the second ruler adjacent to the editing area 120. ing.

The label area 130 in the editing area 120 (partial area 120a) in FIGS. 3, 5, 6, and 8 has the horizontal direction as described above, and the horizontal writing text box 160, 161 are generated. However, in the information processing apparatus 1 that executes the application 2 according to the present embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. can be oriented vertically. In the orientation of the label area 130 shown in FIG. 9A, the top edge of the label area 130 is the starting edge 131 and the bottom edge is the terminal edge 132 . When the label area 130 is displayed in the editing area 120 in such an orientation, the slider 141 provided on the first ruler adjacent to the left of the editing area 120 moves the label area 130 in the vertical direction (the direction of the print medium 15). transport direction) can be changed. That is, the label area 130 shown in FIG. 9A has the label width in the horizontal direction and the label length in the vertical direction. In the following description, the orientation of the label area 130 whose vertical direction is the label length as shown in FIG. The orientation of the label area 130 that is horizontal is described as "horizontal".

When inputting characters to be printed on the print medium 15 by operating the information processing apparatus 1, by setting the orientation of the label area 130 (print image) so that the characters displayed on the display unit 24 are upright, It is possible to easily recognize (input) characters displayed as a print image, and to suppress input errors and the like. For this reason, when printing a vertical character string along the transport direction on the print medium 15, as shown in FIGS. Preferably, 15 displays the characters to be printed. At this time, in the information processing apparatus 1 that executes the conventional application, first, for example, in the button area 112 for selecting the generation of the text box for vertical writing provided in the menu area 110 of the editing screen 100 shown in FIG. Perform an input operation to specify the position of . After that, for example, by moving the pointer 150 to the position where the text box for vertical writing is to be generated as shown in FIG. 9(a) and left-clicking on the cell, vertical writing as shown in FIG. 9(b) is generated. A text box 163 for is generated.

Further, in the information processing apparatus 1 executing the application 2, by operating the two button areas 111 and 112 of the menu area 110 such as the editing screen 100 shown in FIG. You can choose to generate either In the information processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, it is more preferable to omit the operations on the button areas 111 and 112, including the selection of whether to generate a text box for horizontal writing or vertical writing.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a third example of processing performed during editing work by the information processing apparatus according to one embodiment. The processing illustrated in FIG. 10 is started when the application 2 (application program) according to the present embodiment is activated in the information processing device 1 . When the application 2 is activated, the display unit 24 of the information processing apparatus 1 displays an edit screen 100 as shown in FIG. 3, for example.

After starting the application 2, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 1 determines whether or not an input operation has been performed on the input unit 23 (step S301), and repeats this determination until an input operation is performed (step S301). NO).

When an input operation is performed (step S301; YES), the control unit 21 first determines whether or not the input operation is an operation of pressing the button area 111 (horizontal writing button) for selecting generation of a text box for horizontal writing. (step S302). If the operation is to press the button area 111 to select creation of a text box for horizontal writing (step S302; YES), the control unit 21 changes the display to indicate that the inside of the button area 111 is being selected, and then A text box for horizontal writing is generated according to the input operation indicating the generation position of the text box (step S308). After step S308, the control unit 21 returns to the determination of step S301.

If the input operation is not an operation to press the button area 111 (step S302; NO), the control unit 21 next selects the button area 112 (vertical writing button) for selecting generation of a text box for vertical writing. It is determined whether or not it is a pressing operation (step S303). If the operation is to press the button area 112 to select creation of a text box for vertical writing (step S303; YES), the control unit 21 changes the display to indicate that the inside of the button area 112 is being selected, for example. , the text box for vertical writing is generated according to the input operation indicating the generation position of the text box (step S309). After step S309, the control unit 21 returns to the determination of step S301.

If the input operation is not the operation of pressing the button area 112 (step S303; NO), the control unit 21 next determines whether or not the operation is the operation of specifying another position within the screen (step S304). The determination of step S304 corresponds to the determination of step S102 described above with reference to FIG.

If the input operation is not an operation for designating a position within the screen (step S304; NO), the control unit 21 performs processing according to the input operation (step S310), and returns to the determination of step S301. For example, when the user of the information processing apparatus 1 performs an operation of inputting characters using the keyboard, the control unit 21 determines in each of steps S302 to S304 that the input operation is not an operation of specifying a position within the screen. do. In this case, in step S310, the control unit 21 performs processing for displaying, on the display unit 24, the edit screen 100 to which the input characters are added, for example.

If the input operation is an operation for specifying a position within the screen (step S304; YES), the control unit 21 next determines whether or not there is an object at the specified position (step S305). The determination of step S305 corresponds to the determination of step S103 described above, and the determination criteria are substantially the same as the determination criteria of step S103.

If there is an object at the specified position (step S305; YES), the control unit 21 performs processing according to the input operation (step S310), and returns to the determination of step S301. For example, when an input operation is performed to specify a position within an object selection range set in a text box already generated in the editing area 120, the control unit 21 determines in step S305 that an object exists at the specified position. I judge. In this case, in step S310, for example, the control unit 21 determines whether or not the text box at the designated position is in a selected state (a state in which characters can be input). In that case, the input position (cursor position) is determined based on the specified position, and if the state is not selected, the processing is changed to the selected state (character input possible state).

If no object exists at the specified position (step S305; NO), the control unit 21 next determines whether the specified position is within the editing area 120 (step S306). The determination of step S306 corresponds to the determination of step S104 described above, and the determination criteria are substantially the same as the determination criteria of step S104.

If the specified position is not within the editing area 120 (step S306; NO), the control unit 21 performs processing according to the input operation (step S310), and returns to the determination of step S301. For example, when an input operation is performed to specify a position outside the editing area 120 and where no object exists, the control unit 21 determines that the specified position is not inside the editing area 120 in step S306. In this case, in step S310, the control unit 21, for example, performs a process of canceling the selection if there is an object being selected, and does nothing if there is no object being selected.

If the specified position is within the editing area 120 (step S306; YES), the control unit 21 next determines whether the orientation of the label area 130 is horizontal or vertical (step S307). If the orientation of the label area 130 is horizontal (step S307; horizontal), the control unit 21 generates a text box for horizontal writing within the editing area 120 based on the designated position (step S308), and returns to the determination of step S301. If the orientation of the label area 130 is vertical (step S307; vertical), the control unit 21 generates a text box for vertical writing within the editing area 120 based on the specified position (step S309), and determines return.

As described above, in the information processing apparatus 1 that executes the process illustrated in FIG. 10 , when an operation is performed to designate a position in the editing area 120 where there is no object, if the label area 130 is in landscape orientation, horizontal writing is performed. If it is vertical, it will generate a vertical text box.

When the label area 130 is oriented horizontally, for example, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the horizontal dimension (label length) of the label area 130 is larger than the vertical dimension (label width). There are many. When inputting characters to be printed on the print medium 15 while looking at such a horizontal label area 130, the input characters are often written horizontally along the conveying direction (horizontal direction). Therefore, by generating a text box for horizontal writing when the label area 130 is oriented horizontally, it is possible to efficiently generate a text box for horizontal writing when generation of either a text box for horizontal writing or a text box for vertical writing can be selected. can be generated.

When the label area 130 is oriented vertically, for example, as shown in FIG. 9, the vertical dimension (label length) of the label area 130 may be larger than the horizontal dimension (label width). many. When inputting characters to be printed on the print medium 15 while looking at such a vertical label area 130, the input characters are often written vertically along the conveying direction (vertical direction). Therefore, by generating a text box for vertical writing when the label area 130 is oriented vertically, it is possible to efficiently generate a text box for either horizontal writing or vertical writing when generation of a text box for horizontal writing or vertical writing can be selected. You can generate a text box for

Note that the processing illustrated in FIG. 9 is merely an example of processing when generation of a text box for horizontal writing and generation of a text box for vertical writing can be selected. If horizontal writing or vertical writing can be selected, in step S307, instead of the orientation of the label area 130, it may be determined whether the previously generated text box was for horizontal writing or vertical writing. When such determination is applied, for example, when the label area 130 is vertically oriented and the label width is wide, the operation for generating a text box for horizontal writing along the label width direction can be simplified. can. Further, in step S307, for example, based on which direction the position specified by the input operation is with respect to the reference line passing through the label area 130 (printing area 133), the text box to be generated is set for horizontal writing or vertical writing. You may decide which one to use for writing.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of writing horizontally in a text box generated when the label area is horizontally oriented. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of vertical writing in a text box generated when the label area is horizontal. The partial area 120a shown in FIGS. 11(a) and (b) and FIGS. 12(a) and (b) is the partial area 120a in the editing area 120 shown in FIG. handle. “Downstream” and “upstream” shown in FIGS. 11A and 12A represent the relative positional relationship between two points in the label area 130 in the conveying direction.

FIG. 11(a) shows a horizontal label area 130. FIG. The label area 130 has a starting edge 131 at the left edge in the left-right direction (conveying direction of the print medium 15) and a trailing edge 132 at the right edge. Printing on the print medium 15 proceeds from the leftmost starting edge 131 to the rightmost trailing edge 132 . 11A shows a center line C (reference line) passing through the center position of the label area 130 in the horizontal direction, and a pointer 150 is displayed on the downstream side of the center line C. FIG.

When specifying a position on the downstream side of the center line C in order to generate a text box in the horizontal label area 130 and input characters, the input characters are displayed (printed) horizontally in the print area 133. is common. Therefore, when the mouse is left-clicked while the pointer 150 is displayed downstream of the center line C passing through the center position of the label area 130 in the horizontal direction, the pointer 150 is displayed as shown in FIG. 11(b). A horizontal writing text box 160 is generated based on the position indicated by .

FIG. 12(a) shows a horizontal label area 130. FIG. The label area 130 has a starting edge 131 at the left edge in the left-right direction (conveying direction of the print medium 15) and a trailing edge 132 at the right edge. Printing on the print medium 15 proceeds from the leftmost starting edge 131 to the rightmost trailing edge 132 . 12A shows a center line C passing through the center position of the label area 130 in the horizontal direction, and a pointer 150 is displayed on the upstream side of the center line C. FIG.

When a position on the upstream side of the center line C is specified in order to generate a text box in the horizontal label area 130 and enter characters, the entered characters are displayed horizontally to the right from the specified position. , it protrudes from the print area 133 at the stage of inputting several characters. Therefore, when specifying a position on the upstream side of the center line C to generate a text box, the input characters are displayed vertically in the print area 133 in the direction from the end 132 to the start 131 (printing ), the input characters can be accommodated in the print area 133 . Therefore, when the mouse is left-clicked while the pointer 150 is displayed on the upstream side of the center line C passing through the center position of the label area 130 in the left-right direction, the pointer 150 moves as shown in FIG. 12(b). A text box for vertical writing 163 is generated based on the indicated position.

In this way, when the label area 130 is oriented horizontally, the position specified for generating the text box is either downstream or upstream of the center line C passing through the center position of the label area 130 in the horizontal direction. determines whether the generated text box is for horizontal or vertical writing. This simplifies the operation for selecting (designating) generation of text boxes for either horizontal writing or vertical writing.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of vertically writing a text box generated when the label area is vertically oriented. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of horizontal writing in a text box generated when the label area is vertically oriented. Regions 120b shown in FIGS. 13(a) and 13(b) and FIGS. 14(a) and 14(b) are label regions 130 in the editing region 120 illustrated in FIG. 9(a). is the containing subregion.

FIG. 13(a) shows a vertically oriented label area 130. FIG. The label region 130 has a starting end 131 at the upper end in the vertical direction (transporting direction of the print medium 15) and a terminal end 132 at the lower end. Printing on the print medium 15 proceeds from a top start edge 131 to a bottom end edge 132 . 12A shows a center line C passing through the center position of the label area 130 in the horizontal direction (label width direction), and a pointer 150 is displayed to the right of the center line C. FIG.

When specifying a position to the right of the center line C in order to generate a text box in the vertical label area 130 and input characters, the input characters are written vertically in the print area 133 from right to left. By displaying (printing) toward the screen, the input characters can be accommodated in the print area 133 . Therefore, when the mouse is left-clicked while the pointer 150 is displayed to the right of the center line C that passes through the center position of the label area 130 in the horizontal direction, as shown in FIG. , the vertical writing text box 163 is generated based on the position indicated by the pointer 150 .

FIG. 14(a) shows a vertically oriented label area 130. FIG. The label region 130 has a starting end 131 at the upper end in the vertical direction (transporting direction of the print medium 15) and a terminal end 132 at the lower end. Printing on the print medium 15 proceeds from a top start edge 131 to a bottom end edge 132 . 14A shows a center line C passing through the center position of the label area 130 in the horizontal direction (label width direction), and a pointer 150 is displayed to the left of the center line C. FIG.

When a position to the left of the center line C is specified in order to generate a text box in the vertical label area 130 and enter characters, the entered characters are displayed vertically from the specified position toward the left. As it goes on, it protrudes from the print area 133 at the stage of inputting several characters. Therefore, when specifying a position to the left of the center line C to generate a text box, the input characters are displayed (printed) horizontally in the print area 133 in the direction from the start point 131 to the end point 132. As a result, the input characters can be accommodated in the print area 133 . Therefore, when the mouse is left-clicked while the pointer 150 is displayed to the left of the center line C passing through the center position of the label area 130 in the horizontal direction, as shown in FIG. A horizontal writing text box 160 is generated based on the position indicated by the pointer 150 .

As described above, when the label area 130 is oriented vertically, the position specified for generating the text box is to the right of the center line C passing through the center position of the label area 130 in the horizontal direction (label width direction). Determines whether the text box to be generated is for vertical or horizontal writing based on whether it is left or right. This simplifies the operation for selecting (designating) the generation of text boxes for either vertical writing or horizontal writing.

It should be noted that the text box generated based on which position, left or right, of the center line in the horizontal direction of the label area 130 displayed in the editing area 120 is specified, is for horizontal writing or for vertical writing. When determining whether or not, the designated position may be outside the print area 133 . Also, the position of the starting point for generating the text box may be changed based on whether the position specified for generating the text box is inside or outside the print area 133 .

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of the correspondence relationship between the direction of the label area, the designated position, and the method of generating the text box.

When the label area 130 is oriented horizontally, as illustrated in FIG. 15, the position specified for generating the text box is to the left of the reference line (center line C), within the print area 133, and to the left of the reference line. There are four types: on the other side and outside the printing area 133 , on the right side of the reference line and inside the printing area 133 , and on the right side of the reference line and outside the printing area 133 . The area on the reference line (center line C) and within the printing area 133 is included either to the left of the reference line and within the printing area 133 or to the right of the reference line and within the printing area 133 . Also, the area on the reference line (center line C) and outside the printing area 133 is included in either the left side of the reference line and outside the printing area 133 or the right side of the reference line and outside the printing area 133 .

In the method of generating a text box described above with reference to the drawings, the position specified for generating the text box is within the print area 133, and the text box is generated starting from the specified position. However, the position specified to generate the text box may be outside the print area 133 as illustrated in FIG. However, if a position outside the print area 133 is specified and a text box is generated at that position, part of the characters entered in the text box will be displayed (layed out) outside the print area 133. You need to perform an operation that changes the position.

In order to save the trouble of performing such an operation to change the position of the text box, if the specified position is within the print area 133 as shown in FIG. If the designated position is outside the print area 133, a text box may be generated starting from a predetermined position within the print area 133. FIG. For example, when a position to the left of the reference line and outside the print area 133 is specified, by generating a text box for horizontal writing starting from the upper left corner of the print area 133, characters input to the text box are displayed. The start position is within the print area 133 . Further, for example, when a position to the right of the reference line and outside the print area 133 is specified, a text box for vertical writing is generated with the upper right corner of the print area 133 as the starting point. The character display start position is within the print area 133 . Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of an additional operation for changing the position of the text box due to the character input in the generated text box protruding outside the print area 133 .

Further, although detailed description is omitted, even when the label area 130 is vertically oriented, if a position outside the print area 133 is specified in the input operation for generating the text box, the upper left corner within the print area 133 is displayed. Or create a text box starting from the upper right corner. As a result, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of an additional operation for changing the position of the text box due to the character input in the generated text box protruding outside the print area 133 .

Further, as described above with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8, when specifying a selection range on the screen to generate a text box, for example, in the operation of specifying a selection range, from the position specified as the start point to the end point The direction (horizontal writing or vertical writing) of the character string in the text box may be set based on the direction toward the specified position.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a correspondence relationship between a selection range specification method and a text box generation method. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating another example of the correspondence relationship between the selection range specification method and the text box generation method.

When a horizontally written character string is printed on the print medium 15, the character string is generally arranged from left to right in input order. On the other hand, when a vertically written character string is printed on the print medium 15, the character string is generally arranged from right to left in input order. For this reason, for example, when generating a text box in step S205 in the information processing apparatus 1 that executes the process illustrated in FIG. , may determine whether to write horizontally or vertically. The start point and end point of the selection range in FIG. 16 are the positions designated as the start point and end point of the selection range in the operation of designating the selection range, respectively. By specifying the range in which the text box is to be generated based on the tendency of the character arrangement for horizontal writing and vertical writing in this way, the desired horizontal writing or vertical writing can be performed regardless of the relative positional relationship of the specified range with respect to the print area 133. Text boxes can be easily generated.

Furthermore, when performing an input operation for specifying a range for generating a text box, the direction of the character string (horizontal writing or vertical writing) and the The rotation angle of the character string (upright (0 degrees), rotated 90 degrees left, inverted (180 degrees), rotated 90 degrees right) may be set.

A character string in a text box for horizontal writing is generally arranged from left to right, and when it reaches the right end, it often moves down one column (one line) to the left end. In other words, a character string entered in a text box for horizontal writing often starts at the upper left and ends at the lower right. For this reason, when a selection range on the screen is specified to generate a text box for horizontal writing, as shown in FIG. A text box may be generated by rotating the character string so that the direction from to the end point position (lower right) matches. The start point and end point of the selection range in FIG. 17 are the positions designated as the start point and end point of the selection range in the operation of designating the selection range, respectively. By doing so, it is possible to omit the input operation of rotating the text box after generating the text box for horizontal writing in which the character string is upright.

Also, a character string in a text box for vertical writing is generally arranged from top to bottom, and when it reaches the bottom, it often moves to the top of one column to the left. That is, a character string entered in a vertically written text box often starts at the upper right and ends at the lower left. Therefore, when creating a text box for vertical writing by designating a selection range on the screen, as shown in FIG. A text box may be generated by rotating the character string so that the direction from (upper right) to the end point position (lower left) matches. By doing so, it is possible to omit the input operation for rotating the text box after generating the text box for vertical writing in which the character string is upright.

The above-described embodiments are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the invention. That is, the print data creation method, information processing apparatus, program, and the like according to the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the claims. It is possible.

For example, an input operation for specifying the generation position when generating a text box by omitting the operation for selecting the button areas 111 and 112 for selecting the generation of the text box as described above, the position for generating the text box, and the character string A user of the information processing apparatus 1 (application 2) may be able to set/change the relationship between the direction (horizontal writing or vertical writing) and the rotation angle of the character string. For example, when the label area 130 is oriented horizontally and the input operation of pressing the button areas 111 and 112 for selecting text box generation is not performed, an operation to designate a position within the editing area 120 is performed. The process is divided into the process of always generating a text box for horizontal writing regardless of the positional relationship between the reference line (center line C) and the specified position as described above with reference to FIG. The information processing apparatus 1 selects whether to generate a text box for horizontal writing or vertical writing according to the positional relationship between the reference line (center line C) and the specified position as described above. may be settable (selectable) by the user.

11 to 15, the reference line associated with the determination to generate either the text box for horizontal writing or for horizontal writing passes through the center position in the horizontal direction of the print area 133. It is not limited to the center line C, and can be changed as appropriate. The reference line is, for example, a line passing through an arbitrary intermediate position between the left end and the right end of the print area 133 (for example, a position where the ratio of the distance from the left end to the distance from the right end is 6:4). may

In the above-described embodiment, the information processing apparatus 1 is separate from the printing apparatus 10 as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. However, the present invention is not limited to this. If it is possible to edit characters, figures, etc. to be printed on the printing medium 15 by performing an input operation on the editing screen 100 displayed on the touch panel display, the application executed by the computer of the printing apparatus 10 The text box generation processing described above may be applied.

The invention described in the scope of claims at the time of filing of the present application will be additionally described below.
[Appendix 1]
the computer
Displaying an edit screen on the display unit that allows editing of the print image on the print medium,
Input specifying a position in the editing area where an editing object for editing the print image does not exist in a state where an input operation specifying a position in the editing area displayed on the display unit is not performed. generating a text box in the print image according to the position specified when an operation is performed;
A print data creation method characterized by executing a process.
[Appendix 2]
Regardless of whether or not the computer has performed an input operation specifying a position within the button area for selecting generation of the text box included in the editing screen, the editing object in the editing area is The print data creation method according to appendix 1, wherein when an input operation is performed to specify a non-existing position, a process of generating the text box at the specified position is executed.
[Appendix 3]
When the computer performs an input operation specifying a position in the editing area where the editing object does not exist, the printing medium corresponding to the print image in the editing area is transported by the printing device. determining whether to generate either a horizontal text box or a vertical text box based on the direction of
3. The print data creation method according to appendix 1 or 2, characterized by executing a process.
[Appendix 4]
When the computer performs an input operation to specify a position in the editing area where the editing object does not exist, based on the positional relationship between the specified position and the printing area in the printing image, specify the position to generate the text box,
3. The print data creation method according to appendix 1 or 2, characterized by executing a process.
[Appendix 5]
The computer selects either a text box for horizontal writing or a text box for vertical writing based on the positional relationship between the specified position and a reference line passing through the middle position in the horizontal direction of the print area in the print image. determine whether to generate one or the other,
4. The print data creation method according to appendix 4, characterized by executing a process.
[Appendix 6]
If the specified position is outside the print area within the print image, the computer changes the position for generating the text box to a position within the print area close to the specified position.
6. The print data creation method according to appendix 4 or 5, characterized by executing processing.
[Appendix 7]
the input operation specifying a position where the editing object does not exist in the editing area includes an input operation specifying a start point position and an end point position indicating a selection range;
The computer generates a text box corresponding to the designated selection range when the input operation for designating a start point position and an end point position indicating the selection range is performed.
7. The print data creation method according to any one of appendices 1 to 6, characterized by executing a process.
[Appendix 8]
When the input operation for designating the start point position and the end point position indicating the selection range is performed, the computer determines the horizontal writing text box and the determine whether to generate a text box for vertical writing,
7. The print data creation method according to appendix 7, characterized by executing a process.
[Appendix 9]
The computer determines the rotation angle of the input information to be input in the text box to be generated based on the direction from the start point position indicating the selection range in the editing area toward the end point position,
9. The print data creation method according to appendix 8, further comprising executing a process.
[Appendix 10]
the editing object includes an already generated text box;
The print data creation method according to any one of Appendices 1 to 9, characterized in that:
[Appendix 11]
wherein the computer transmits the print image edited on the edit screen to a printing device that prints on the print medium;
11. The print data creation method according to any one of appendices 1 to 10, characterized by further executing processing.
[Appendix 12]
a display unit for displaying an edit screen on which a print image to be printed on a medium to be printed can be edited;
Input specifying a position in the editing area where an editing object for editing the print image does not exist in a state where an input operation specifying a position in the editing area displayed on the display unit is not performed. a control unit that generates a text box in the print image according to the specified position when an operation is performed;
An information processing device comprising:
[Appendix 13]
Displaying an edit screen on the display unit that allows editing of the print image on the print medium,
Input specifying a position in the editing area where an editing object for editing the print image does not exist in a state where an input operation specifying a position in the editing area displayed on the display unit is not performed. generating a text box in the print image according to the position specified when an operation is performed;
A program characterized by causing a computer to execute processing.

1 information processing device 2 application 10 printing device 11 box portion 1101 outlet 12 lid portion 13 operation button 14 display lamp 15 print media 21, 31 control portions 22, 32 storage portions 23, 33 input portions 24, 34 display portion 25, 36 Communication section 35 Print processing section 100 Edit screen 110 Menu areas 111 and 112 Button area 120 Edit area 130 Label area 131 Start 132 End 133 Print area 140 Label setting information 141 Slider 150 Pointers 160, 161, 163 Text box 162 Cursor 170 Designation range

Claims (13)

the computer
Displaying an edit screen on the display unit that allows editing of the print image on the print medium,
Input specifying a position in the editing area where an editing object for editing the print image does not exist in a state where an input operation specifying a position in the editing area displayed on the display unit is not performed. generating a text box in the print image according to the position specified when an operation is performed;
A print data creation method characterized by executing a process. Regardless of whether or not the computer has performed an input operation specifying a position within the button area for selecting generation of the text box included in the editing screen, the editing object in the editing area is 2. The print data creation method according to claim 1, wherein when an input operation specifying a non-existent position is performed, a process of generating the text box at the specified position is executed. When the computer performs an input operation specifying a position in the editing area where the editing object does not exist, the printing medium corresponding to the print image in the editing area is transported by the printing device. determining whether to generate either a horizontal text box or a vertical text box based on the direction of
3. The method of creating print data according to claim 1, wherein processing is executed. When the computer performs an input operation to specify a position in the editing area where the editing object does not exist, based on the positional relationship between the specified position and the printing area in the printing image, specify the position to generate the text box,
3. The method of creating print data according to claim 1, wherein processing is executed. The computer selects either a text box for horizontal writing or a text box for vertical writing based on the positional relationship between the specified position and a reference line passing through the middle position in the horizontal direction of the print area in the print image. determine whether to generate one or the other,
5. The print data creation method according to claim 4, wherein processing is executed. If the specified position is outside the print area within the print image, the computer changes the position for generating the text box to a position within the print area close to the specified position.
6. The print data creation method according to claim 4, further comprising executing processing. the input operation specifying a position where the editing object does not exist in the editing area includes an input operation specifying a start point position and an end point position indicating a selection range;
The computer generates a text box corresponding to the designated selection range when the input operation for designating a start point position and an end point position indicating the selection range is performed.
7. The print data creation method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein processing is executed. When the input operation for designating the start point position and the end point position indicating the selection range is performed, the computer determines the horizontal writing text box and the determine whether to generate a text box for vertical writing,
8. The print data creation method according to claim 7, wherein processing is executed. The computer determines the rotation angle of the input information to be input in the text box to be generated based on the direction from the start point position indicating the selection range in the editing area toward the end point position.
9. The method of creating print data according to claim 8, further comprising executing a process. the editing object includes an already generated text box;
The print data creation method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: wherein the computer transmits the print image edited on the edit screen to a printing device that prints on the print medium;
11. The print data creation method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising executing a process. a display unit for displaying an edit screen on which a print image to be printed on a medium to be printed can be edited;
Input specifying a position in the editing area where an editing object for editing the print image does not exist in a state where an input operation specifying a position in the editing area displayed on the display unit is not performed. a control unit that generates a text box in the print image according to the designated position when an operation is performed;
An information processing device comprising: Displaying an edit screen on the display unit that allows editing of the print image on the print medium,
Input specifying a position in the editing area where an editing object for editing the print image does not exist in a state where an input operation specifying a position in the editing area displayed on the display unit is not performed. generating a text box in the print image according to the position specified when an operation is performed;
A program characterized by causing a computer to execute processing.

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