JP2024016507A - program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technique for allowing a user of an external device to easily use a printer on which sheet information can be designated, when a print job is submitted from the external device to the printer.

SOLUTION: According to a printer driver 23, a PC 1 is configured to: acquire, when receiving a print instruction from an editing application 22 and receiving image data and print settings including sheet information, sheet information designated for a label printer 3 from the label printer 3; determine whether or not the acquired sheet information is coincident with the sheet information received from the editing application 22; and transmits, when the coincidence is determined, a print command to perform printing based on the image data received from the editing application 22 to the label printer 3. The sheet information includes multiple items each capable of being set as to whether or not the item is set as a determination object. The PC 1 determines whether or not the items set as the determination object are coincident, and does not determine whether or not the items not set as the determination object are coincident.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

COPYRIGHT: (C)2024,JPO&INPIT

Description

The technical field disclosed herein relates to a program that is used to control a printer that can specify paper information.

Conventionally, printers that can specify paper information are known. For example, in Patent Document 1, the size of paper fed from a paper feeding device is detected, and if the detected paper size matches the paper size specified in the input print job, the matching paper size is A configuration is disclosed in which the size is set to the paper size of the paper feeder, and if they do not match, the paper size of the paper feeder is set to "unknown." Furthermore, Patent Document 1 also discloses a configuration that notifies an error when the paper sizes do not match.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-19212

Even when using a printer that allows paper information to be specified from an external device, the external device can combine the paper information specified in the print job, that is, the paper information specified by the external device, and the paper information specified in the printer itself. By determining whether or not the specified paper information matches, and passing the print job to the printer on the condition that they match, the printer is guaranteed to print based on the specified paper information. can. However, some users may allow printing on similar paper even if the paper information does not exactly match. Even in such a case, if the submission of print jobs is uniformly restricted, it will be inconvenient to use.

A program designed to solve the above-mentioned problems is a program used to control a printer that can specify paper information, and the program is installed in a computer of an information processing device with an application installed in the information processing device. This is the paper information specified for the printer when there is a print instruction from the program that causes the printer to execute printing, and image data to be printed and print settings including paper information are passed. an acquisition process that acquires first paper information from the printer, the first paper information acquired in the acquisition process, and second paper information that is paper information included in the print settings passed from the application program. The paper information includes a plurality of items, and each item is determined whether or not to be determined in the determination process. In the determination process, it is determined whether or not items set as determination targets among the plurality of items match, and whether or not items that are not set as determination targets are matched. is passed from the application program to the computer of the information processing apparatus when it is determined in the determination process that the first paper information and the second paper information match. The printer is configured to execute a print transmission process of transmitting a print command to the printer to perform printing based on the image data.

According to the program disclosed in this specification, when an information processing apparatus receives a print instruction, the information processing apparatus uses the first paper information specified in the printer body and the second paper information included in the print instruction passed from the application program. If it is determined that the paper information and the paper information match, a print command is sent to the printer. Furthermore, the information processing apparatus can set items to be determined for consistency between the first sheet information and the second sheet information, and does not perform consistency determination for items that are not to be determined. This increases the degree of freedom in determining paper alignment, restricts the input of print jobs that do not match the paper information specified in the printer body into the printer, and avoids determining more items than necessary. As a result, for example, even if the paper information specified in the printer itself and the paper information included in the print instruction do not match for items that are not subject to judgment, the print job will still be submitted to the printer. The possibility of doing so increases.

An information processing device incorporating the program, a control method for realizing the functions of the program, and a computer-readable storage medium storing the program are also new and useful.

According to the technology disclosed in this specification, when a print job is submitted from an external device to a printer that can specify paper information, a technology is realized that allows a user of the external device to easily use the printer.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a printing system according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a paper registration screen. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a paper information DB. FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing a printing procedure in the printing system. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a print setting screen. 3 is a flowchart showing a procedure for matching determination processing. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of automatically determined determination items. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of inconsistency processing. It is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a notification message. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a print setting screen.

Hereinafter, embodiments embodying the program will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. This specification discloses a program that is executed on a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as "PC") that can be connected to a label printer.

The printing system 100 of this embodiment includes a PC 1 and a label printer 3, as shown in FIG. PC1 is an example of an information processing device. The label printer 3 is an example of a printer.

The PC 1 includes a controller 10 including a CPU 11 and a memory 12, as shown in FIG. The CPU 11 is an example of a computer. The PC 1 also includes a user interface (hereinafter referred to as “user IF”) 13 and a communication interface (hereinafter referred to as “communication IF”) 14, which are electrically connected to the controller 10. . Note that the controller 10 in FIG. 1 is a general term for hardware and software used to control the PC 1, and does not necessarily represent a single piece of hardware that actually exists in the PC 1.

The CPU 11 executes various processes according to programs read from the memory 12 and based on user operations. The memory 12 stores various programs and various data. The memory 12 is also used as a work area when various processes are executed. The buffer included in the CPU 11 is also an example of memory. Note that an example of the memory 12 is not limited to a ROM, RAM, HDD, etc. built into the PC 1, but also a storage medium readable and writable by the CPU 11, such as a recording medium such as a CD-ROM or a DVD-ROM. Also good.

The user IF 13 includes hardware that displays a screen for notifying the user of information and hardware that accepts operations by the user. Note that the user IF 13 may be a combination of a display capable of displaying information and a mouse, keyboard, or the like that has an input reception function, or may include a touch panel that has a display function and an input reception function.

The communication IF 14 includes hardware for communicating with external devices such as the label printer 3. The communication standard of the communication IF 14 is Ethernet (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), USB, etc. The PC 1 may include multiple communication IFs 14 that support multiple communication standards.

The memory 12 of the PC 1 includes an operating system (hereinafter referred to as "OS") 21, an editing application program (hereinafter referred to as "editing application") 22, a printer driver 23, and a paper information database (hereinafter referred to as "paper An information DB) 25 and a registration tool 26 are stored. The editing application 22 is an example of an application program installed in the information processing device, and the printer driver 23 is an example of the program. The OS 21 is, for example, Windows (registered trademark), macOS (registered trademark), Linux (registered trademark), iOS (registered trademark), or Android (registered trademark).

The editing application 22 is, for example, a program that accepts instructions for creating, editing, printing, saving, etc. images and documents to be printed. The editing application 22 may be, for example, Word or PowerPoint manufactured by Microsoft (registered trademark), or may be an application provided by the vendor of the label printer 3. The editing application 22 of this embodiment is capable of accepting user instructions regarding label printing, such as designation of image data to be printed, instruction to edit print settings, and instruction to execute printing, via the user IF 13.

The printer driver 23 is a program corresponding to the label printer 3 and has a function of communicating with the label printer 3 and controlling the label printer 3. For example, when the printer driver 23 receives an instruction to execute printing on the label printer 3 using the editing application 22 or the like, the printer driver 23 generates print data based on the image data specified as the print target. The print instruction passed from the editing application 22 or the like to the printer driver 23 includes image data and print settings, and the print settings include information about the paper to be printed.

The paper information DB 25 is a database that stores paper information regarding various types of paper used as print media in the label printer 3. The print medium used in the label printer 3 is a label, and the paper information includes information regarding label characteristics such as the size and shape of the label. The paper information includes a plurality of items, and the information on these items is stored in the paper information DB 25 as one piece of preset data.

The registration tool 26 is a program that accepts a user's instruction to register preset data and stores the accepted preset data in the paper information DB 25. The registration tool 26 causes the user IF 13 to display a registration screen 250 as shown in FIG. 2, for example, and receives user input. The registration screen 250 includes, for example, a paper name field 251, a paper type selection field 252, and a paper size selection field 253. The paper name column 251 is a column that accepts input of a paper name.

The paper type selection field 252 is a field that accepts selection of paper type. The paper type is information that is a combination of release paper information indicating the shape of the release paper and shape information indicating the shape of the label paper. The label printer 3 of this embodiment can accommodate roll paper, which is label paper wound into a roll, and when the roll paper is accommodated, the roll paper is used as a printing medium. Further, the label printer 3 can use fanfold paper, which is folded label paper, as a printing medium. Roll paper and fanfold paper are both print media in which label paper is superimposed on a continuous strip of release paper. Release paper information is information indicating whether the paper is roll paper or fanfold paper. The shape information may be, for example, a continuous long label with an indefinite length, a die-cut label that is cut into a predetermined shape, or a mark label that has predetermined marks attached at predetermined intervals. This is information indicating. Note that the release paper information and the shape information may be information that can be set individually.

The paper size selection field 253 is information indicating the size of the label to be created, and includes items for width and length. The width is the size of the label in the direction perpendicular to the paper transport direction in the label printer 3, and the length is the size of the label in the paper transport direction. Note that the width is information that indicates the width of the label itself regardless of the shape of the label, while the length can be freely selected if it is an indefinite length label, and if it is a die-cut label or a mark label, Determined according to the shape of the label.

When die-cut labels are selected in the paper type selection field 252, for example, as shown in FIG. A selection field is additionally displayed to accept user input. In addition, when mark label is selected in the paper type selection field 252, the paper size selection field 253 includes a mark width, which is an item indicating the width of the mark itself, and an item indicating the distance from the leading edge of the paper to the mark. A selection field for a certain offset is additionally displayed to accept user input.

Paper information includes, in addition to the paper type and paper size, for example, margin information, various correction value information, sensor setting information, and in the case of roll paper, information indicating the roll shape. You can leave it there. Label paper comes in various paper qualities and paper thicknesses, and the registration tool 26 may be able to accept information on correction values for obtaining good printed matter according to the paper quality. Further, the label printer 3 is equipped with a plurality of sensors in order to appropriately convey die-cut labels and marked labels, and the registration tool 26 may be able to receive information regarding the settings of each sensor. When the registration tool 26 receives correction values and sensor information, it can incorporate the received information into the information on the paper.

Correction values related to paper quality include, for example, the amount of transport adjustment to correct transport errors, the amount of dot scraping to correct the ease with which ink bleeds, the guaranteed print speed based on the ease with which ink ejected onto label paper dries, A print density adjustment value for obtaining an appropriate print density is included. Information regarding sensor settings includes, for example, selection of sensors to be used and correction values regarding detection levels of each sensor.

Note that the registration tool 26 may have a correction value set that is a combination of correction value information for a plurality of items in association with paper quality information. In this case, the registration tool 26 may accept the selection of paper quality and incorporate a correction value set corresponding to the selected paper quality into the information about the paper, as shown in FIG. 2, for example.

When the registration tool 26 receives a registration instruction by operating the OK button on the registration screen 250, etc., the registration tool 26 stores information about the sheet being displayed in the sheet information DB 25. For example, by accepting an instruction to register the information of "Paper A" shown in FIG. 2, the paper information associated with the paper name "Paper A" is stored in the paper information DB 25 as one preset data as shown in FIG. is stored as.

Each preset data stored in the paper information DB 25 includes information on a plurality of items including a paper name, paper type, width, and length, as shown in FIG. 3, for example. The paper name is an example of identification information that identifies each preset data stored in the paper information DB 25.

The label printer 3 of this embodiment is a printer that has at least a printing function and a communication function, and is capable of printing on label paper by monochrome printing using an inkjet method, for example. As shown in FIG. 1, the label printer 3 includes a paper information table 31, an operation panel 32, and designated paper information 33. The operation panel 32 includes, for example, a touch panel, hardware that displays a screen for notifying the user of information, and hardware that accepts operations by the user.

The paper information table 31 is a table that stores information on paper that can be used as print media in the label printer 3. For example, the PC 1 can send the preset data registered in the paper information DB 25 to the label printer 3 and instruct the label printer 3 to store it in the paper information table 31. Thereby, the label printer 3 can register preset data common to the paper information DB 25 in the paper information table 31. Note that the label printer 3 may be able to accept input of paper information via the operation panel 32 and store it in the paper information table 31. Further, the paper information stored in the paper information table 31 may have the same content as the preset data in the paper information DB 25, or may be part of the preset data in the paper information DB 25.

The designated paper information 33 is information about one type of paper designated for the label printer 3, and is an example of information about the paper designated for the printer body. For example, when paper is set and the cover is closed, the label printer 3 of this embodiment accepts a user's designation regarding information about the set paper via the operation panel 32. For example, the user can select and specify a paper name indicating the set paper from among the plurality of paper information stored in the paper information table 31. The label printer 3 stores information about the paper designated by the user as designated paper information 33. It should be noted that the label printer 3 can accept a paper designation based on a user's instruction at any timing other than when the cover is closed.

The label printer 3 is equipped with multiple sensors, and when new paper is set, the set paper is conveyed to the sensor position and detected, thereby identifying part of the information on the set paper. can. The label printer 3 of this embodiment compares the paper information received via the operation panel 32 and the paper information based on the sensor detection value, and notifies an error if it is determined that they do not match. Then, the received information is not stored in the designated paper information 33. In other words, the designated paper information 33 is at least information about paper that is determined by the label printer 3 to be consistent with the detection result by the sensor.

Next, the printing procedure in the printing system 100 will be explained with reference to the sequence diagram of FIG. 4. Note that the procedures and processing steps of each program described below basically indicate processing by the CPU 11 according to instructions written in each program. That is, processes such as "judgment", "extraction", "selection", "determination", "acquisition", and "reception" in the following description represent the processing of the CPU 11. The processing by the CPU 11 also includes hardware control using the OS API. In this specification, the operation of each program will be explained without describing the OS. Furthermore, "acquisition" is used as a concept that does not require a request.

In the printing system 100 of this embodiment, the user uses the editing application 22 on the PC 1 when creating a label. That is, the editing application 22 is activated by the user's operation (A01). The editing application 22 causes the user IF 13 to display an editing screen for editing the image to be printed (A02), and receives various instructions from the user. For example, the user can edit the image to be printed on the editing screen (A03).

The editing application 22 can receive instructions for print settings and instructions for executing printing on the editing screen displayed at A02. When the editing application 22 receives a print setting instruction from the user (A11), the editing application 22 starts the printer driver 23 (A12). The printer driver 23 displays a print setting screen on the user IF 13 (A13) and receives setting instructions from the user. The print setting screen is an example of a setting screen, and A13 is an example of manual setting processing. The printer driver 23 can accept print setting instructions including specification of printing paper on the displayed print setting screen.

For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the print setting screen 50 includes a paper name selection field 51, a width selection field 52, a length selection field 53, a distance selection field 54 between labels, and a number of copies selection field 55. and a paper mismatch check item column 56. For example, when the printer driver 23 receives an instruction to select a paper name in the paper name selection column 51, it reads the paper information DB 25, obtains a list of paper names for each registered preset data, and sends the list to the user IF 13. Display the list of results.

The print setting screen 50 shown in FIG. 5 is an example of each information when "Paper A" is selected in the paper name selection field 51. The "Paper A" information is paper information registered as "Paper A" information on the registration screen 250 shown in FIG. 2, and the paper name of "Paper A" is stored in the paper information DB 25 shown in FIG. This is preset data stored in association with. The printer driver 23 reads preset data associated with the paper name selected in the paper name selection column 51 from the paper information DB 25, and displays the print setting screen 50 using the read information as an initial value.

The items displayed on the print setting screen 50 differ depending on the type of paper. The paper type of "Paper A" is a die-cut label as shown in FIGS. 3 and 2, and the print setting screen 50 shown in FIG. 5 includes a selection column 54 that accepts the selection of "distance between labels." ing. Note that the printer driver 23 may be able to accept a new paper registration instruction on the print setting screen 50. Further, the printer driver 23 may clear the paper name when the information read from the paper information DB 25 has been changed.

The paper mismatch check item column 56 is a column that accepts selection of items to be determined in a consistency determination process to be described later. At A13, the printer driver 23 displays a print setting screen 50 including a paper mismatch check item field 56 in which, for example, paper type, width, and length are selected as determination targets. By accepting selections of items to be determined on the print setting screen 50, it is possible to select whether or not to be determined for each print job.

The user sets print settings including paper information, number of copies information, and information on items to be determined on the currently displayed print settings screen 50, and determines the print settings by operating the OK button (A14). The printer driver 23 passes information on the determined print settings to the editing application 22 (A15). The editing application 22 reflects and displays the received print setting information on the editing screen displayed at A02. The editing application 22 changes the shape of the editing area of the image to be printed, for example, in accordance with the paper information included in the print settings.

When the editing application 22 receives an instruction to execute printing from the user on the currently displayed editing screen (A17), the editing application 22 passes information on the printing instruction including image data to be printed and print setting information to the printer driver 23 ( A18). The print setting information passed from the editing application 22 includes paper information. The paper information included in the information received in A18 is an example of second paper information.

Upon receiving the print instruction information, the printer driver 23 acquires paper information from the label printer 3 (A21). A21 is an example of acquisition processing. Specifically, the printer driver 23 requests designated paper information 33 specified by the label printer 3, and the label printer 3 transmits the designated paper information 33 in response to the request from the printer driver 23. The paper information acquired in A21 is an example of first paper information. Note that, as described above, the designated paper information 33 is information that does not contradict the paper detection result by the sensor.

Next, the printer driver 23 executes matching determination processing (A22). The consistency determination process is a process for determining whether or not the paper information included in the print settings received from the editing application 22 in A18 matches the paper information received from the label printer 3 in A21. . The consistency determination process is executed by the CPU 11 of the PC 1 based on the description of the printer driver 23. The procedure for matching determination processing will be explained with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

The CPU 11 first determines whether the paper type in the print settings matches the paper type acquired from the label printer 3 (S101). The paper type is information that combines release paper information and shape information, and is an essential determination item. If it is determined that the paper types do not match (S101: NO), the CPU 11 determines that there is a mismatch (S102), and ends the matching determination process. If paper of the paper type specified by the printer driver 23 is not set in the label printer 3, if printing is performed in that state, there is a high possibility that an appropriate print result will not be obtained.

Note that the CPU 11 may check not only the paper type but also width matching as an essential determination item. For example, if the width of the paper in the print settings is larger than the width of the paper obtained from the label printer 3, the CPU 11 may determine that there is a mismatch.

If it is determined that the paper types match (S101: YES), the CPU 11 determines an item to be determined for use in determining matching (S111). The paper information includes information on a plurality of items in addition to the paper type, and some of these items may be printable even if they are not completely consistent. When the number of items to be determined is increased, detailed determination becomes possible, but items whose differences are acceptable to the user are also determined, and as a result, they are determined to be inconsistent. On the other hand, if the number of items to be determined is reduced, minor differences may be accepted, but printing may not be optimal for the paper.

The printer driver 23 of this embodiment not only accepts the selection of items to be determined on the print setting screen 50 described above, but also automatically selects a predetermined item corresponding to the condition when a predetermined condition is met. The judgment item is the item to be judged. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the printer driver 23 includes a plurality of predetermined conditions for determining determination items.

For example, if the information about the number of copies to be printed included in the print settings received from the editing application 22 is larger than a predetermined number of copies threshold, the printer driver 23 automatically selects all items that can be subject to determination in S111. be subject to judgment. For example, if the number of copies is set to 100 or more, the printer driver 23 determines all items as determination items even if they are not selected as determination target items on the print setting screen 50. All items in this case are an example of specific items. S111, in which a specific item is automatically set as a determination target when the number of copies is large, is an example of the first automatic setting process.

If a large number of copies are printed with inappropriate print settings, a large number of low-quality prints may be produced, which is likely to result in significant damage. When the number of copies is large, the printer driver 23 automatically increases the number of determination items even if the items are not selected as determination targets on the print setting screen 50, which may result in a large number of inappropriate prints. It can reduce sex.

Note that the printer driver 23 may have a large number of copies of print settings, and may be able to accept an instruction from the user to change the determination items after all items are set as determination items. For example, after receiving the print instruction and before sending the print command to the label printer 3, the printer driver 23 displays a list of items that can be determined on the user IF 13 and accepts the selection by the user. good. However, if the user makes incorrect settings, the risk of inappropriate printing increases, so if all items are automatically set as judgment items in response to receiving a print instruction with a large number of copies, this risk can be reduced. It can be reduced.

Further, when a specific paper type is set as the paper type on the print setting screen 50, the printer driver 23 automatically sets the item corresponding to the paper type as the determination item. When a specific paper type is set as the paper type, S111 in which the corresponding item is used as the determination item is an example of the second automatic setting process. For example, when die-cut labels are selected as the paper type, the printer driver 23 automatically determines the distance between labels as a determination item. The die-cut label in this case is an example of a specific paper type, and the distance between labels is an example of a corresponding item. Furthermore, for example, when mark label is selected as the paper type, the printer driver 23 automatically determines the offset and mark width as determination items. In this case, the mark label is an example of a specific paper type, and the offset and mark width are examples of corresponding items.

It is preferable that corresponding items that correspond only to a specific paper type be subjected to determination when the specific paper type is set. The printer driver 23 automatically determines the corresponding item corresponding to the selected paper type as a determination item even if it is not selected as a determination target item on the print setting screen 50, so the user can specify it individually. You can save time and effort.

Further, if the paper information acquired from the label printer 3 in A21 of FIG. 4 is information indicating a specific paper, the printer driver 23 automatically determines the item corresponding to the specific paper in S111. set to target. S111 in this case is an example of the third automatic setting process. For example, if the paper information set in the label printer 3 is information indicating expensive paper, such as paper with high weather resistance or paper with strong adhesive properties, the printer driver 23 sets all items as judgment items. do. In this example, the condition that paper is expensive is an example of a specific condition, and the all items are examples of items that correspond to the specific condition.

Further, for example, if the paper information set in the label printer 3 is information indicating a special paper quality, the printer driver 23 uses a correction value related to the paper quality as a determination item. For example, if the paper information set in the label printer 3 is paper with a special surface material or surface treatment, the printer driver 23 uses a correction value related to the paper quality as a determination item. . In this example, the condition of special paper quality is an example of a specific condition, and each item of the correction value regarding paper quality is an example of an item corresponding to the specific condition. Further, for example, if the paper information set in the label printer 3 is information indicating paper whose paper thickness is outside a predetermined range, the printer driver 23 may use the setting value regarding the sensor as the determination item. In this example, the condition that the paper thickness is outside the predetermined range is an example of a specific condition, and each item of setting values regarding the sensor is an example of an item that corresponds to the specific condition.

When the information on the paper specified for the label printer 3 satisfies a specific condition, if the item corresponding to the specific condition is targeted for determination, there is a high possibility that good printing will be achieved. Since the printer driver 23 of this embodiment automatically sets such items as determination targets, it is more likely that unnecessary printing can be avoided. Note that the information on the specific conditions regarding the paper and the information on the determination items corresponding to the paper may be included in the printer driver 23, or may be stored in the paper information DB 25 or the paper information table 31. , may be stored separately from these, or may be obtained by inquiring a server or the like based on information obtained from the label printer 3.

The printer driver 23 may automatically set determination items for all the conditions shown in FIG. 7, or may be able to accept user settings regarding which conditions are to be adopted.

Returning to the description of the consistency determination process. After determining the determination items in S111, the CPU 11 determines whether the paper information included in the print settings matches the paper information received from the label printer 3 for each determination target item (S112). S112 is an example of determination processing. Then, the CPU 11 determines whether or not these pieces of information match (S113). The determination of matching may be a complete match or a permissible range.

If it is determined that they do not match (S113: NO), the CPU 11 proceeds to S102, determines that there is a mismatch, and ends the match determination process. In other words, even if there are other determination items, the CPU 11 does not perform determination on the remaining items. If there is a mismatch in even one of the determination items, it is not preferable to print on the set paper, so further determination processing is unnecessary.

If it is determined that they match (S113: YES), the CPU 11 determines whether there are any other determination items (S114). If it is determined that there is a match (S114: YES), the CPU 11 returns to S112 and determines whether other determination items match. If it is determined that there is no other item (S114: NO), that is, if all the determined determination items are determined to be consistent, the CPU 11 determines that the information on this sheet is consistent (S115), and ends the consistency determination process. do.

Returning to the explanation of the printing procedure in FIG. 4. If the printer driver 23 determines that there is a match in the match determination process at A22 (alt: [match]), the printer driver 23 prints the print data based on the image data and print settings received from the editing application 22 at A18. Generate (A31). Further, the printer driver 23 transmits the generated print data to the label printer 3 along with a print command instructing printing (A32). A32 is an example of print transmission processing.

When the label printer 3 receives the print command from the PC 1, it executes printing based on the print data (A33). This creates a label. At least regarding the determination items, the paper information in the print settings matches the paper information specified in the label printer 3, so there is little possibility that a label with unexpected print quality will be created.

On the other hand, if a mismatch is determined in the match determination process at A22 (alt: [does not match]), the printer driver 23 executes a mismatch process (A35). The mismatch process is a process for prompting the user to replace the paper set in the label printer 3 when the print settings and the settings on the label printer 3 do not match the paper information. The procedure of mismatch processing will be explained with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 8.

In the mismatch process, the CPU 11 notifies the user that the paper information is mismatched via the user IF 13 (S201). For example, the CPU 11 may cause the user IF 13 to display the name of the paper specified by the label printer 3, the name of the mismatched item, and the value of the item. When the paper information set in the label printer 3 and the paper information in the print settings do not match, the user of the PC 1 can immediately understand that printing cannot be performed with the label printer 3 by notifying the PC 1.

Next, the CPU 11 creates a notification message to notify the label printer 3 (S202). The CPU 11 creates a message to notify a user near the label printer 3 in a form that can be displayed on the operation panel 32 of the label printer 3. By creating the content to be notified to the label printer 3 by the printer driver 23, there is no need to prepare various messages for the label printer 3, and the degree of freedom in the notification content is increased. The printer driver 23 may be able to accept instructions from the user regarding the content of the notification.

For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the CPU 11 sends a message 61 prompting the user to replace the paper set in the label printer 3, information 62 indicating the paper to be replaced, and an instruction 63 to set paper information after replacement. A notification message 60 containing the following information is created.

The CPU 11 may have in advance, as the information 62 indicating the paper to be replaced, a guide message including a message describing paper characteristics such as the color and pattern of the package, the roll diameter and core diameter of the roll paper. In that case, the CPU 11 creates a notification message 60 incorporating a pre-existing message as information 62. Further, when creating a notification message for a paper sheet that does not have a guide text, the CPU 11 creates a notification message that includes part of the paper information included in the print settings. The CPU 11 preferably creates a message that includes information about the paper, such as information that can be determined from the appearance of the label paper, such as paper type, width, and length.

Further, as the setting instruction 63 for paper information after replacement, the CPU 11 may, for example, specify the paper name of the preset data that corresponds to the paper information included in the print settings among the preset data stored in the paper information table 31. Create a message that includes By transmitting and notifying the paper name of the preset data to the label printer 3, a user near the label printer 3 can easily set paper information using the paper name after setting the paper.

The CPU 11 transmits a notification command including information on the notification message 60 created in S202 and an instruction to display the notification message 60 on the operation panel 32 to the label printer 3 (S203). The label printer 3 that has received the notification command displays a notification message 60 on the operation panel 32. Thereby, a user near the label printer 3 can be prompted to replace the paper with an appropriate one.

Note that if the label printer 3 has a voice output function, the CPU 11 may also transmit a command to cause the label printer 3 to make a voice notification in S203. In that case, the CPU 11 also creates audio information in S202, and sends the created audio information to the label printer 3 together with the notification command in S203.

Further, the label printer 3 may have various display information for display on the operation panel 32. In that case, instead of creating and transmitting the notification message 60, the printer driver 23 transmits specific information specifying the display information to the label printer 3, and the label printer 3 receives the received display information from among the stored display information. Display information corresponding to the specified information may be read out and displayed on the operation panel 32.

After transmitting the notification command, the CPU 11 determines whether to perform a retry of determining whether the information on the paper is consistent (S205). Information as to whether or not to retry may be set in advance in the printer driver 23 according to a user's instruction, for example. Further, the CPU 11 may display a button for accepting an instruction as to whether or not to retry, for example, when notifying in S201, and may accept the user's instruction.

If it is determined that a retry is to be performed (S205: YES), the CPU 11 determines whether or not it is time to perform a retry (S211). Since it takes a certain amount of time to replace the paper set in the label printer 3, the CPU 11 periodically performs a retry to determine whether the information on the paper is consistent, for example, at predetermined time intervals. Execute. The retry time interval may be a fixed time, or may be a variable time that differs depending on the information on the paper to be replaced, for example.

When determining that it is not time to retry (S211: NO), the CPU 11 determines whether a timeout has occurred (S212). The timeout time is, for example, 3 minutes, and may be a fixed time or a variable time that can be set by the user. If it is determined that the timeout has not occurred (S212: NO), the CPU 11 returns to S211 and determines whether it is time to retry.

If it is determined that it is time to retry (S211: YES), the CPU 11 acquires the paper information set in the label printer 3 again from the label printer 3 (S213). Then, in order to determine the consistency between the newly acquired paper information and the paper information in the print settings, the CPU 11 re-executes the consistency determination process shown in FIG. 6 (S214). Specifically, the CPU 11 determines the items to be determined, and determines consistency for each item. Then, the CPU 11 determines whether or not it is determined that there is a match (S215).

Note that the printer driver 23 may accept the user's designation of the determination item again at the time of retry, or may store the item determined to be the determination target when it is determined that there is a mismatch in the first consistency determination process. , From the second time onwards, the stored determination items may be used instead of S111. In other words, the determination items at the time of retry may be the same as those at the time of first time determination, or may be different.

Further, if the paper information acquired in S213 is the same as the paper information acquired in the first acquisition process (A21 in FIG. 4), the printer driver 23 skips S214 and performs the matching determination process. Alternatively, the process may proceed to S215 and determine that there is a mismatch.

If it is determined that there is a mismatch after the second determination (S215: NO), the CPU 11 transmits a warning command including an instruction to generate a warning sound to the label printer 3 (S217). Then, the CPU 11 returns to S211, waits for a retry timing, and acquires paper information from the label printer 3 again.

After transmitting the notification command in S203, if the paper information obtained again does not match the paper information in the print settings, the printer driver 23 causes the label printer 3 to output a warning sound. This makes it easier for a user near the label printer 3 to notice the notification, increasing the possibility that the paper will be replaced. Note that the printer driver 23 may proceed to S217 if it is determined that there is no match even after repeating S213 to S215 a predetermined number of times. Further, in S217, the printer driver 23 may cause a warning lamp to turn on or flash in addition to outputting a warning sound.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the sheets match after the retry (S215: YES), the CPU 11 notifies via the user IF 13 that the paper has been replaced in the label printer 3 (S221). By notifying that the paper has been replaced, the user of the PC 1 can immediately know that printing on the desired paper is now possible.

Then, the CPU 11 generates print data based on the image data and print settings received from the editing application 22 at A18 in FIG. 4 (S222). Further, the CPU 11 transmits the generated print data and a print command instructing execution of printing to the label printer 3 (S223). Thereby, the label printer 3 prints an image on the set paper based on the received print data.

If the printer driver 23 of this embodiment is set to retry, the image data will not be discarded if the paper information mismatches, and if the appropriate paper information is subsequently set in the label printer 3, the printer driver 23 will automatically discard the image data. Send a print command directly. In this way, it is possible to save the user the trouble of inputting the same print instruction again.

If it is determined not to retry (S205: NO) or if it is determined that it has timed out (S212: YES), the CPU 11 discards the image data received from the editing application 22 at A18 in FIG. 4 (S231). . S231 is an example of discard processing. In the case of timeout, the CPU 11 may notify that fact via the user IF 13.

Even if a paper replacement instruction is notified, it does not necessarily mean that the paper will be replaced immediately. Further, if the image data continues to be held in the memory, the load on the memory increases, so if the printer driver 23 does not retry or times out, it discards the image data from the memory and ends the process. This reduces memory load.

After S223 or S231, the CPU 11 ends the mismatch processing, returns to the printing procedure in FIG. 4, and ends A35. Thereby, the printer driver 23 ends the process. Since the processing of the print instruction passed to the printer driver 23 in A18 has been completed, the editing application 22 can now accept instructions from the user.

As described above in detail, the printer driver 23 of this embodiment is a program that can send print commands to the label printer 3, and it uses the paper information specified to the label printer 3 and the paper information passed from the editing application 22. It is possible to set the judgment target for each item in comparison with paper information. As a result, the printer driver 23 restricts the input of print commands that do not match the paper information specified in the label printer 3, and avoids making judgments about unnecessary items, so that similar paper information can be added to the print job. Even if the print job is set, the possibility of submitting the print job can be increased.

Note that this embodiment is merely an example, and does not limit the present invention in any way. Therefore, it goes without saying that various improvements and modifications can be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof. For example, instead of the PC 1, a smartphone or a tablet computer may be used. Further, the printing method of the label printer 3 is not limited to the inkjet method, and may be, for example, a thermal transfer method, an electrophotographic method, a thermal method, or an apparatus capable of color printing. Further, the paper of the print medium is not limited to label paper, and may be, for example, roll paper of plain paper, fanfold paper, or cut paper.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the paper type is an essential item, and if the paper types do not match, it is determined that the mismatch occurs in step S101 of the alignment determination process, but the invention is not limited to this. In other words, the printer driver 23 may also be able to accept a designation as to whether paper type information is to be determined as an item or not. In that case, release paper information indicating whether the paper is roll paper or fanfold paper, and shape information indicating whether the label is an indefinite length label, die-cut label, or mark label, may be specified as separate items.

Furthermore, in S113 of the consistency determination process, if even one of the items to be determined is inconsistent, the printer driver 23 of this embodiment determines that there is a mismatch and makes determinations for the remaining items. Although not performed, all items may be determined. Then, the printer driver 23 may display, for example, a list of items determined to be inconsistent, or may display the determination results for each item for all items.

In addition, in this embodiment, the printer driver 23 retains the image data when retrying, and if it is determined that there is consistency in S215 after retrying, it executes S222 to S223 and automatically resends the print command. However, there is no need to resend it. The printer driver 23 may discard the image data regardless of whether or not to retry, or may only notify that the paper has been replaced if it is determined that the paper matches after the retry.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, it is possible to select whether or not to retry, but this may not be possible. For example, if the paper information does not match, the printer driver 23 may execute the mismatch processing in S201 to S203, and then proceed to S231, discard the image data, and end the process. Alternatively, the printer driver 23 may be configured to retry if the paper information is inconsistent.

Further, the display screens shown in each figure are merely examples, and the wording, arrangement of each information, shape of buttons, etc. in the figures are not limited to the illustrated examples. Instead of providing the paper mismatch check item column 56, the print setting screen 50 may be provided with a check box that accepts whether or not each item is to be determined, as shown in FIG. 10, for example. Further, when the printer driver 23 receives settings for a large number of copies on the print setting screen 50, the printer driver 23 may automatically select all settable items as determination items.

Further, for example, the PC 1 may be able to accept a designation using the registration tool 26 as to whether or not the item is to be determined. In that case, the registration tool 26 stores information on the items to be determined in the preset data, and the printer driver 23 checks the paper mismatch on the print setting screen 50 based on the information included in the read preset data. It is preferable to display the item field 56.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, when it is determined that there is a mismatch, the notification command is sent to the label printer 3, but this need not be done. For example, in step S201 of the mismatch process, the printer driver 23 may notify the user of the mismatch via the user IF 13, and then accept a selection as to whether or not the label printer 3 should be notified. If not notified, the printer driver 23 may proceed to S231 and discard the image data. Furthermore, for example, the user can also change the determination items used for matching determination based on the notified information.

Furthermore, although the present embodiment has been described as processing by the printer driver 23, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the PC 1 may have a so-called driverless configuration in which the OS includes a general-purpose printing program in advance and does not use a printer driver. The PC 1 may also include an application program for a predetermined printer, in addition to the general-purpose program included in the OS. In that case, the PC 1 may determine whether the paper information matches based on the application program.

Furthermore, in any of the flowcharts disclosed in the embodiments, the execution order of a plurality of processes in any plurality of steps can be arbitrarily changed or executed in parallel as long as there is no inconsistency in the processing contents.

Furthermore, the processing disclosed in the embodiments may be executed by a single CPU, multiple CPUs, hardware such as an ASIC, or a combination thereof. Further, the processes disclosed in the embodiments can be realized in various forms such as a recording medium recording a program for executing the processes, or a method.

1 PC
3 Label printer 11 CPU
13 User IF

Claims (9)

A program used to control a printer that can specify paper information,
The program is sent to a computer of an information processing device,
When there is a print instruction to cause the printer to execute printing from an application program installed in the information processing device, and image data to be printed and print settings including paper information are passed,
an acquisition process of acquiring first paper information, which is information on paper designated for the printer, from the printer;
a determination process for determining whether or not the first paper information acquired in the acquisition process matches second paper information that is paper information included in the print settings passed from the application program; The information on the paper includes a plurality of items, and it is possible to set each item as a determination target in the determination process. Among the items, the items set as judgment targets are determined whether they match or not, and the items not set as judgment targets are not determined whether they match,
Furthermore, the computer of the information processing device,
If it is determined in the determination process that the first paper information and the second paper information match,
causing a print sending process to send to the printer a print command that causes printing to be performed based on the image data passed from the application program;
A program configured as follows. In the program according to claim 1,
The computer of the information processing device,
If it is determined in the determination process that the first paper information and the second paper information do not match,
causing a discard process to discard the image data passed from the application program without executing the print transmission process;
A program configured as follows. In the program according to claim 1,
The computer of the information processing device,
If the number of copies included in the print settings is greater than a threshold, executing a first automatic setting process for setting a specific item among the plurality of items as a determination target in the determination process;
A program configured as follows. In the program according to claim 3,
The computer of the information processing device,
When the application program installed in the information processing device issues the print instruction to cause the printer to print, and the image data to be printed and the print settings including paper information are passed; ,
executing the first automatic setting process before executing the determination process;
A program configured as follows. In the program according to claim 1,
One of the paper information items includes the paper type;
The computer of the information processing device,
a second automatic setting for setting a corresponding item, which is an item corresponding to the specific paper type among the plurality of items, as a determination target in the determination process when a specific paper type is set in the paper type; execute the process,
A program configured as follows. In the program according to claim 5,
The computer of the information processing device,
performing manual setting processing that causes a user interface of the information processing device to display a settings screen that accepts changes to the print settings including information on the paper;
accepting a change in the print settings via the settings screen, and executing the second automatic setting process when the specific paper type is set as the paper type;
A program configured as follows. In the program according to claim 1,
The computer of the information processing device,
When the application program installed in the information processing device issues the print instruction to cause the printer to print, and the image data to be printed and the print settings including paper information are passed; ,
After executing the acquisition process and before executing the determination process, executing a third automatic setting process,
In the third automatic setting process, if the first paper information acquired in the acquisition process satisfies a specific condition, an item corresponding to the specific condition is set as a determination target in the determination process.
A program configured as follows. In the program according to claim 1,
The information processing device may store preset data in which the plurality of items are associated with respect to the information on the paper, and the preset data includes information on whether or not each item is a target of determination in the determination process. settings may be attached, and the print settings passed from the application program may include the preset data;
In the determination process, when the preset data is passed from the application program, it is determined whether or not each item matches based on settings attached to the preset data.
A program configured as follows. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The printer is a label printer,
The paper information includes information regarding label characteristics;
In the determination process,
determining whether information regarding the characteristics of the label included in the first paper information and information regarding the characteristics of the label included in the second paper information match;
A program configured as follows.

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