JP4730380B2 - Printing apparatus, printing data creation apparatus, and computer program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus that performs printing on a tape-shaped printing medium, a printing data creation apparatus that creates printing data for the printing apparatus, and a computer program that causes a computer to function as each control unit of the printing data creation apparatus.

  Conventionally, tape printers that print characters, numbers, symbols, etc. (hereinafter collectively referred to as “characters” unless otherwise specified) on a paper or plastic film tape are known. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). In this tape printer, characters can be printed over a plurality of lines according to the width of the tape. Also, at least one character can be designated as one block, and a plurality of blocks can be printed side by side in the tape length direction. In this case, one block can be composed of characters extending over a plurality of lines. The line feed and block delimiter are specified by using function keys provided on the keyboard.

By the way, in the conventional tape printer as described above, when setting the length of each block, first, a reference length as a reference of the first block is input, and then the length of the first block is determined. Enter the multiple that indicates how many times the reference length is to be set, and set the length of the first block. Next, the length of the second block is designated by entering a multiple that indicates how many times the reference length of the second block is to be set. Even when there are third and subsequent blocks, a multiple that indicates how many times the reference length is to be used is entered to set the length of the third and subsequent blocks.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-251532

  However, like the conventional tape printer, if the length of the second and subsequent blocks is specified by how many times the reference length of the first block, the length of the second and subsequent blocks is There is a problem that the length can be set only to a multiple of the reference length, and there is a lack of flexibility in setting the length of the second and subsequent blocks.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and when printing a plurality of blocks of characters of an arbitrary number of lines on a tape-like print medium, the reference length of the first block set first is set. PRINTING DEVICE, PRINT DATA CREATION DEVICE, AND COMPUTER DATA CONTROL DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING PRINT DATA CREATION DEVICE WITHOUT CHANGE OF SAME The purpose is to provide.

  In order to achieve the above object, a printing apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention prints an arbitrary number of lines of characters such as letters and symbols on a long tape-shaped print medium, and 1 character of an arbitrary number of lines. A tape printing apparatus that prints a plurality of blocks in order in the longitudinal direction of the print medium as individual blocks, and inputs the number of blocks to be arranged and printed continuously in the longitudinal direction of the print medium A block number input unit and any one of the block numbers input from the block number input unit, which serves as a reference for a setting target block for setting the length of the block in the longitudinal direction of the print medium A reference length setting means for setting a reference length, and a multiple that specifies how many times the reference length set by the reference length setting means is to be the length of the setting target block Multiple setting means for setting, setting target block moving means for moving the setting target block to any of the blocks input from the block number input means, and blocks input by the block number input means Display means for displaying a number, a reference length set by the reference length setting means, a multiple set by the multiple setting means, a character input means for inputting the character to an arbitrary line of each block, and Character storage means for storing the character input from the character input means, and a length determined by the product of the reference length set by the reference length setting means and the multiple set by the multiple setting means, The blocks are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the print medium, and the characters stored in the character storage means are arranged and printed in the respective rows of the respective blocks. Print data creation means for creating print data to be printed, and print means for printing on the print medium based on the print data created by the print data creation means, and the setting target block is moved by the setting target block moving means. Even when moving to the second and subsequent blocks, any reference length can be set by the reference length setting means.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect of the invention, when the setting target block is moved to the second and subsequent blocks by the setting target block moving means, the setting is performed. Reference length initial value setting means for setting the reference length set by the reference length setting means to the block before the target block as an initial value of the setting target block, the reference length setting means, The initial length set by the reference length initial value setting means is increased or decreased to set the reference length for the setting target block.

  In addition to the configuration of the invention described in claim 1 or 2, the printing apparatus of the invention according to claim 3 is configured such that when the setting target block is moved to the second and subsequent blocks by the setting target block moving unit, A multiple initial value setting means for setting the multiple set by the multiple setting means in the block before the setting target block as an initial value of the setting target block; and the multiple setting means includes the multiple initial value setting means The set initial value is increased or decreased, and the multiple is set in the setting target block.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the second aspect of the present invention, the setting target block moving means moves the setting target block to the second and subsequent blocks. When the reference length has already been set for the target block, the reference length initial value setting means sets the reference length set by the reference length setting means to the block before the setting target block. The initial value of the setting target block is not set.

  Furthermore, in addition to the configuration of the invention of claim 3 or 4, the printing apparatus of the invention according to claim 5 is configured such that when the setting target block is moved to the second and subsequent blocks by the setting target block moving means, When the multiple has already been set in the setting target block, the multiple initial value setting means sets the multiple set by the multiple setting means in the block preceding the setting target block as the initial value of the setting target block. It is not set as a value.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a print data creating apparatus that prints an arbitrary number of lines of characters such as characters and symbols on a long tape-shaped print medium, and sets the characters of an arbitrary number of lines as one block. A print data creation device for a tape printer that prints a plurality of the blocks in order in the longitudinal direction of the print medium, wherein the number of blocks to be arranged and printed continuously in the longitudinal direction of the print medium A block number input means to be input and a setting target block reference for setting the length of the block in the longitudinal direction of the print medium, which is one of the blocks input from the block number input means A reference length setting means for setting a reference length to be, and how many times the reference length set by the reference length setting means is to be set as the length of the setting target block A multiple setting means for setting a multiple to be determined, a setting target block moving means for moving the setting target block to any of the block numbers input from the block number input means, and the block number input means. Display means for displaying the number of entered blocks, the reference length set by the reference length setting means, and a multiple set by the multiple setting means, and character input for inputting the character to an arbitrary line of each block A length determined by the product of the means, a character storage means for storing the character input from the character input means, and a reference length set by the reference length setting means and a multiple set by the multiple setting means Now, the blocks are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the print medium, and the character stored in the character storage means is placed in each row of each block. Print data creation means for creating print data to be placed and printed, and when the setting target block is moved to the second and subsequent blocks by the setting target block moving means, the reference length setting means arbitrarily The reference length can be set.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the sixth aspect of the invention, when the setting target block is moved to the second and subsequent blocks by the setting target block moving means. A reference length initial value setting means for setting the reference length set by the reference length setting means in the block before the setting target block as an initial value of the setting target block, and the reference length setting means Is configured to increase or decrease the initial value set by the reference length initial value setting means and set the reference length to the setting target block.

  In addition to the configuration of the invention described in claim 6 or 7, the print data creation device of the invention according to claim 8 is a case where the setting target block is moved to the second and subsequent blocks by the setting target block moving means. And a multiple initial value setting means for setting the multiple set by the multiple setting means in the block before the setting target block as an initial value of the setting target block, wherein the multiple setting means sets the multiple initial value setting The initial value set by the means is increased or decreased, and the multiple is set in the setting target block.

  In addition to the configuration of the invention according to claim 7, the print data creation device according to the invention according to claim 9 is configured such that when the setting target block is moved to the second and subsequent blocks by the setting target block moving unit, If the reference length has already been set for the setting target block, the reference length initial value setting means sets the reference length set by the reference length setting means to the block preceding the setting target block. This is characterized in that it is not set as the initial value of the setting target block.

  In addition to the configuration of the invention according to claim 8 or 9, the print data creation device of the invention according to claim 10 moves the setting target block to the second and subsequent blocks by the setting target block moving means. In addition, when the multiple has already been set in the setting target block, the multiple initial value setting means sets the multiple set by the multiple setting means to the block preceding the setting target block. The initial value is not set.

  According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer program that causes a computer to function as each control unit of the print data generating apparatus according to any one of the sixth to tenth aspects.

  In the printing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, when an arbitrary number of characters are set as one block and a plurality of the blocks are continuously set as a long tape-shaped print medium, the reference length and the reference length are set. Even if the setting target block that sets the multiple that specifies how many times the block length is to be moved to the second and subsequent blocks by the setting target block moving means, the standard length setting means Therefore, the second and subsequent reference lengths can be changed without changing the reference length of the first block.

  In the printing apparatus of the invention according to claim 2, in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 1, when the setting object block is moved to the second and subsequent blocks by the setting object block moving means, the setting object block The reference length set by the reference length setting means in the block before the reference length can be set as the initial value of the setting target block by the reference length initial value setting means. Therefore, the reference length can be easily changed and set only by increasing or decreasing the length of the initial value.

  In the printing apparatus of the invention according to claim 3, in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 1 or 2, when the setting object block is moved to the second and subsequent blocks by the setting object block moving means, the setting is performed. The multiple set by the multiple setting unit in the block before the target block can be set as the initial value of the setting target block by the multiple initial value setting unit. Therefore, the multiple can be easily changed and set only by increasing / decreasing the multiple of the initial value.

  Furthermore, in the printing apparatus of the invention according to claim 4, in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 2, when the setting object block is moved to the second and subsequent blocks by the setting object block moving means, the setting object block If the reference length has already been set in the reference length initial value setting means, the reference length initial value setting means sets the reference length set by the reference length setting means to the block before the setting target block as the initial value of the setting target block. Do not set as a value. Therefore, even when the setting target block is moved by the setting target block moving means, it is possible to prevent the reference length value that has already been set from being changed.

  In the printing apparatus according to the fifth aspect, in addition to the effects of the third or fourth aspect, the setting target block is moved when the setting target block is moved to the second and subsequent blocks by the setting target block moving means. When the multiple has already been set in the block, the multiple initial value setting means does not set the multiple set by the multiple setting means in the block before the setting target block as the initial value of the setting target block. Therefore, even when the setting target block is moved by the setting target block moving means, it is possible to prevent the multiple value already set from being changed.

  In the print data creation device of the invention according to claim 6, when a character having an arbitrary number of lines is set as one block and a plurality of the blocks are continuously set as a long tape-shaped print medium, Even if the setting target block that sets the multiple that specifies how many times the reference length is to be set is moved to the second and subsequent blocks by the setting target block moving means, the reference length Since an arbitrary reference length can be set by the setting means, the second and subsequent reference lengths can be changed without changing the reference length of the first block.

  Further, in the print data creation device of the invention according to claim 7, in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 6, when the setting object block is moved to the second and subsequent blocks by the setting object block moving means, the setting is made The reference length set by the reference length setting means in the block before the target block can be set as the initial value of the setting target block by the reference length initial value setting means. Therefore, the reference length can be easily changed and set only by increasing or decreasing the length of the initial value.

  Furthermore, in the print data creation device of the invention according to claim 8, in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 6 or 7, when the setting target block is moved to the second and subsequent blocks by the setting target block moving means, The multiple set by the multiple setting means in the block before the setting target block can be set as the initial value of the setting target block by the multiple initial value setting means. Therefore, the multiple can be easily changed and set only by increasing / decreasing the multiple of the initial value.

  Furthermore, in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 7, the print data creation device of the invention according to claim 9 sets the setting when the setting target block is moved to the second and subsequent blocks by the setting target block moving means. If the reference length has already been set for the target block, the reference length initial value setting means sets the reference length set by the reference length setting means to the block before the setting target block. Do not set as the initial value of. Therefore, even when the setting target block is moved by the setting target block moving means, it is possible to prevent the reference length value that has already been set from being changed.

  Furthermore, in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 8 or 9, the print data creation device of the invention according to claim 10 has the setting object block moving means to move the setting object block to the second and subsequent blocks. When the multiple has already been set in the setting target block, the multiple initial value setting means does not set the multiple set by the multiple setting means in the block before the setting target block as the initial value of the setting target block. . Therefore, even when the setting target block is moved by the setting target block moving means, it is possible to prevent the multiple value already set from being changed.

  Furthermore, a computer program according to an eleventh aspect of the invention can cause a computer to function as each control unit of the print data creation apparatus according to any of the sixth to tenth aspects.

  Hereinafter, a tape printer 1 which is one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The drawings to be referred to are used for explaining the technical features that can be adopted by the present invention, and the configuration of the apparatus described, the flowchart of various processes, etc., unless otherwise specified. It is not intended to be limited to that, but merely an illustrative example. The tape printer 1 corresponds to the “printing device” or “print data creation device” of the present invention.

  First, the physical configuration of the tape printer 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a plan view of the tape printer 1.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the tape printer 1 includes a tape cassette storage unit (not shown) that stores a tape cassette 51 (see FIG. 2) to be described later. , A numeric keypad 32, a cursor key 8 for moving the cursor in the horizontal and vertical directions, and a print key 9 for instructing printing are provided. Key 31 is a character key for inputting alphabets, hiragana, katakana, symbols, etc., a line feed key for a line feed command, a block block key for a block break command, a conversion key, print format setting, document data creation, It consists of a plurality of function keys for inputting various function commands. The cursor key 8 includes an up cursor key 81, a down cursor key 82, a left cursor key 83, and a right cursor key 84. Further, the tape printing apparatus 1 includes a liquid crystal display device 4 on the upper part of FIG. 1 on which characters input from the keyboard unit 3 are displayed. Further, a power switch 7 is provided between the liquid crystal display device 4 and the cursor key 8.

  The tape printer 1 also includes a cassette detection unit 5 (see FIG. 4) at one corner in the tape cassette storage unit. A switch terminal shaft 6A of a detection switch 6 (see FIG. 4) provided on the detection sensor substrate 80 (see FIG. 4) protrudes from the cassette detection unit 5. As will be described later, the detection switch 6 is for detecting the tape cassette 51 housed in the tape cassette housing portion in combination with the identification hole 66A of the tape cassette 51.

  Next, with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the physical configuration of the tape cassette 51 housed in the tape cassette housing portion of the tape printer 1 will be described. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the tape cassette 51. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the lower case 53 with the upper case 52 removed.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the tape cassette 51 includes an upper case 52 and a lower case 53. The tape cassette 51 is provided with a support hole 57 and a support hole 55 that rotatably support a later-described tape spool 68 (see FIG. 3) and ribbon take-up spool 71 (see FIG. 3), respectively. 2 shows only the support holes 55 and 57 formed in the upper case 52, the lower case 53 is similarly opposed to the support holes 55 and 57 of the upper case 52. Support holes 55 and 57 are formed.

  Also, as shown in FIG. 2, the print tape 67 pulled out from the tape spool 68 and the ink ribbon 69 pulled out from the ribbon spool 70 are guided to the front side (lower right side in the figure) of the tape cassette 51, An arm portion 58 that feeds out from the opening 58A is provided. The print tape 67, the tape spool 68, the ink ribbon 69, and the ribbon spool 70 will be described later with reference to FIG.

  A head mounting portion 59 to which a thermal head (not shown) of the tape printer 1 is mounted is provided behind the arm portion 58. In the head mounting portion 59, a wall portion 59A facing the arm portion 58 is formed with a first fitting portion 60 that enters toward the rear of the tape cassette 51 (upper left in the figure). A second fitting portion 61 is formed on the left side wall of the first fitting portion 60. The second fitting portion 61 enters the direction perpendicular to the first fitting portion 60 (the direction along the wall portion 59A). The first fitting portion 60 and the second fitting portion 61 are fitted to two protrusions formed on a head holder (not shown) that supports the thermal head, so that the thermal head is mounted on the head mounting portion 59. This is to ensure that the printing tape 67 and the ink ribbon 69 do not interfere with each other.

  Further, a support hole 63 is provided on the downstream side of the head mounting portion 59 with respect to the running direction of the print tape 67 and the ink ribbon 69 so as to rotatably support a tape feed roller 62 described later. The tape feed roller 62 pulls out the print tape 67 from the tape spool 68 in cooperation with a pressure roller (not shown) opposed thereto. Further, a pair of upper and lower restricting members 64, 65 are provided in the vicinity of the tape feed roller 62, and each restricting member 64, 65 has a print tape 67 on which characters are printed on the downstream side of the thermal head. It regulates in the width direction.

  Next, the internal configuration of the tape cassette 51 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, at the rear part (upper part in the drawing) of the lower case 53, a tape spool 68 around which the print tape 67 is wound with the release paper facing outward rotates through the support hole 57 described above. Arranged to be possible. A ribbon spool 70 around which an ink ribbon 69 is wound is rotatably disposed at the front portion (lower portion in the drawing) of the lower case 53. Further, between the tape spool 68 and the ribbon spool 70, the ribbon take-up spool 71 that pulls out the ink ribbon 69 from the ribbon spool 70 and winds up the ink ribbon 69 that has been consumed by printing characters is provided on the support hole described above. It is arranged via 55 so as to be rotatable.

  As described above, the print tape 67 is coupled to the tape spool 68 by the cooperation of the tape feed roller 62 provided on the downstream side of the head mounting portion 59 and the pressure contact roller (not shown) provided in the tape printer 1. The tape is pulled out from the opening 58A of the arm portion 58 and passes through the front side (lower side in the figure) of the head mounting portion 59, and is then discharged from the tape discharge portion 74 to the outside of the tape cassette 51. The ink ribbon 69 is pulled out from the ribbon spool 70 by the ribbon take-up spool 71 and passes through the front side of the head mounting portion 59 from the opening 58A of the arm portion 58, and then the inside of the regulating members 64 (see FIG. 2) and 65. It is guided by a guide portion 75 formed in the direction and wound around the ribbon take-up spool 71. A clutch spring 76 is attached to the lower part of the ribbon take-up spool 71 to prevent the ink take-up ribbon 69 wound by the reverse rotation of the ribbon take-up spool 71 from loosening.

  In addition, an identification unit 66 is formed at the right rear edge of the lower case 53 at a position where the tape cassette 51 contacts the cassette detection unit 5 when the tape cassette 51 is set in the tape cassette storage unit of the tape printer 1. In the identification unit 66, the type of the tape cassette 51 (the width of the printing tape 67 provided in the tape cassette 51, the type of the printing tape 67 as a receptor type or a laminate type, whether the printing tape 67 is recyclable, etc.) A plurality of identification holes 66A are provided.

  Next, detection of the tape cassette 51 by the cassette detection unit 5 of the tape printer 1 and the identification unit 66 of the tape cassette 51 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the detection switch 6 of the cassette detection unit 5 and the identification hole 66A of the identification unit 66. The formation pattern of the identification holes 66 </ b> A provided in the identification unit 66 is different depending on the type of each tape cassette 51. Then, the switch terminal shafts 6A of the plurality of detection switches 6 disposed in the cassette detection unit 5 of the tape printer 1 are inserted into each identification hole 66A. In the drawing, like the second detection switch 6 from the left, the detection switch 6 facing the portion where the identification hole 66A is provided is turned off. On the other hand, as shown in the leftmost detection switch 6 in the figure, the switch terminal shaft 6A is pushed by the substrate of the identification portion 66 in the detection switch 6 that faces the portion where the identification hole 66A is not provided. , Turn on. The type of the tape cassette 51 is detected based on the combination of ON / OFF of the plurality of detection switches 6. In the present embodiment, of the five detection switches 6, two detection switches 6 of the second detection switch and the third detection switch are used for tape width detection, and both are “off / off” and “off / on”. Corresponding to the cases of “on / off” and “on / on”, four types of tape widths of 12 mm, 18 mm, 24 mm, and 36 mm can be detected.

  Next, the electrical configuration of the tape printer 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the tape printer 1. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the ROM 102. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the RAM 104. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the block setting storage area 151.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the control configuration of the tape printer 1 is configured with a control circuit unit 100 formed on the control board as a core. The control circuit unit 100 includes a CPU 101 that controls each device, a ROM 102, a CGROM 103, a RAM 104, and an input / output interface 105, which are connected to each other via a bus 106.

  The CGROM 103 stores dot pattern data for display corresponding to code data for each of a large number of characters. Details of the ROM 102 and the RAM 105 will be described later.

  The input / output interface 105 includes a keyboard unit 3, a detection switch 6, a display controller (hereinafter referred to as LCDC) having a video RAM (not shown) for outputting display data to the liquid crystal display device 4, and a thermal head 11. Are connected to a drive circuit 107 for driving the tape feed motor 37 and a drive circuit 108 for driving the tape feed motor 37, respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the ROM 102 is provided with a CG data storage area 121, a program storage area 122, a basic reference length storage area 123, and other data storage areas 124. In the CG data storage area 121, the dot pattern data for printing is classified for each typeface such as Gothic and Mincho for each of a large number of symbols such as alphabets, kanji, hiragana, katakana, numbers, symbols, etc. For each typeface, six types (16, 24, 32, 48, 64, and 96 dot sizes) of print character sizes are stored corresponding to the code data. In addition, graphic pattern data for printing a graphic image is also stored. In the program storage area 122, the display drive control program for controlling the LCDC 109 in correspondence with the character code data input from the keyboard unit 3 and the data in the print buffer 142 (see FIG. 7) are sequentially read out and the thermal head 11 or tape is read. Print drive control program for driving the feed motor 37, tape print control program for printing by adjusting the number of lines of characters and blocks to be printed according to the tape width of the print tape 67, and other necessary for control of the tape printer 1 Various programs are stored. The basic reference length storage area 123 stores in advance a basic reference length that is the basis of the reference length with respect to the longitudinal direction (conveying direction) of the printing tape 67 of the first block when the block length is set. . The basic reference length is 17.5 mm as an example, but can be set arbitrarily. The other data storage area 124 stores data necessary for executing various control programs. The CPU 101 performs various calculations based on various programs stored in the ROM 102.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the RAM 104 includes a text buffer 141, a print buffer 142, a print format storage area 143, a tape width storage area 144, a margin size storage area 145, a line height storage area 146, and a block line height storage area. 147, a row number storage area 148, a block number storage area 149, a maximum row number storage area 150, a block setting storage area 151, and other data areas 152 are provided. In the text buffer 141, code data such as characters, line feeds, and break blocks input from the keyboard unit 3 is stored as document data. The print buffer 142 stores a dot pattern for printing a plurality of characters, the number of applied pulses that are the amount of energy for forming each dot, and the like as print data. The thermal head 11 is stored in the print buffer 142. Printing is performed according to the printing data. The print format storage area 143 stores print format information such as set character size data and typeface data. As for the character size, when the size is designated by the user, the size is stored, but when there is no designation, the size allocated to the full printable range of the print tape 67 in the tape width direction is stored. Set automatically.

  The tape width storage area 144 stores the tape width of the print tape 67 detected by the detection switch 6 described above. In the margin size storage area, various margin sizes set are stored. The margin includes a front margin provided before the print start position in the transport direction of the print tape 67, a rear margin provided after the print end position, and a print tape in the tape width direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the print tape 67. 67, upper and lower margins provided at both ends, a line margin provided every time characters arranged in the transport direction of the printing tape 67 are line-breaked or a block is line-breaked, an inter-block margin provided between blocks, etc. There is. In the present embodiment, the line of characters along the transport direction of the printing tape 67 is called “line”, and the line is broken when it is broken, and it is composed of at least one character and is delimited by a revised block code. The unit is called “block”. The blocks are arranged along the conveyance direction of the printing tape 67, and the number of the arranged blocks is referred to as “number of blocks”. The case where the block is divided is called “block line feed”.

  Further, the margin size storage area 145 stores the above margin data, the line height storage area 146 stores the height (width) data of the printed line, and the block line height storage area. 147 stores block row height data that is the width of the block in the width direction of the print tape 67. Further, the line number storage area 148 stores the number of lines of the document data stored in the text buffer 141, and the block number storage area 149 stores the number of blocks arranged continuously in the transport direction of the print tape 67. Is done. Further, the maximum number of lines storage area 150 stores the maximum number of lines within the tape width, which is calculated in the course of the tape printing control process described later. The block setting storage area 151 stores a reference length and a multiple for each block corresponding to the number of blocks stored in the block number storage area 149. The other data area 152 stores temporarily stored data other than the above. The text buffer 141 of the RAM 104 corresponds to the “character storage unit” of the present invention.

  Next, the configuration of the block setting storage area 151 will be described with reference to FIG. The block setting storage area 151 includes a first reference length storage area 251 that stores a first reference length that is a reference length of the first block 671 (see FIG. 9) disposed at the head of the print tape 67; A first multiple storage area 252 for storing a first multiple which is a multiple of how many times the first block 671 is made to be the first reference length, and a second block 672 disposed second on the print tape 67. The second reference length storage area 253 for storing the second reference length, which is the reference length (see FIG. 9), and a multiple of how many times the second reference length is made for the second block 672. A second multiple storage area 254 that stores the second multiple, and a third reference length that is the reference length of the third block 673 (see FIG. 9) arranged at the third position of the print tape 67. The reference length storage area 255 and the third block 673 Third times the number storage area 256 for storing a third fold which is a multiple of how many times the third reference length is provided. In this block setting storage area 151, when the number of blocks stored in the block number storage area 149 of the RAM 104 is N, up to N reference lengths and multiples can be stored.

  Next, a tape printing control process of the tape printer 1 having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a result of printing on the printing tape 67. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of the tape printing control process of the tape printer 1. FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a block setting change subroutine. FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a block setting subroutine. FIG. 13 is a flowchart of a subroutine for setting the next block length. FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a reset subroutine. FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of the contents stored in the text buffer 141. 16 to 22 are plan views showing display states of the liquid crystal display device 4 when the block setting is changed. FIG. 23 is a plan view showing a display state of the liquid crystal display device 4 during the printing process. FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram of the contents stored in the text buffer 141 in the final state. In the following description, as shown in FIG. 9, in the longitudinal direction of the printing tape 67, the first block 671 is the first block and the second block 672 is the second block. The third block is referred to as a third block 673.

  In the tape printing control process shown in FIG. 10, first, an initial process is performed (S10). In this initial process (S10), the storage contents of the RAM 104 are first initialized, and the tape width of the print tape 67 provided in the tape cassette 51 mounted in the tape printer 1 is set to five as described above. It is detected based on the combination of ON / OFF of the detection switch 6 and stored in the tape width storage area 144.

  Next, it is determined whether it is a block setting change process (S11). When the function key of the keys 31 of the keyboard unit 3 is pressed to select the block setting change process (S11: YES), the block setting process is performed (S12). This block setting process (S12) is performed according to a block setting change subroutine shown in FIG. Specifically, first, input processing of the number of blocks is performed (S31). In the block number input process (S31), as shown in FIG. 16, the characters “BLOCK” are displayed on the liquid crystal display device 4 to prompt the input of the number of blocks to be set. FIG. 16 shows an example in which “3” is input. If the set (input) number of blocks is “0”, the block setting process is terminated, the process returns to the tape print control process, and the process returns to S11.

  If the number of blocks set (input) is not 0 (S32: NO), the process proceeds to block setting processing (S33). This block setting process (S33) is performed according to the subroutine of the block setting process shown in FIG. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 17, first, “BLOCK 1” indicating that the first block is being set is displayed on the upper part of the liquid crystal display device 4, and the basic reference length storage area 123 is displayed on the lower part. “17.5 mm” and “× 1”, which are examples of the basic reference length stored in, are displayed (S50). This display of “17.5 mm × 1” indicates that the length of the first first block among the plurality of consecutive blocks is 17.5 mm × 1 = 17.5 mm. At this stage, if a number is directly input using a number key, the input length is displayed with a display of “mm” instead of the basic reference length of 17.5 mm.

  Next, when the up cursor key 81 (see FIG. 1) is pressed once, 0.1 mm is added to 17.5 mm currently displayed on the liquid crystal display device 4 to be 17.6 mm. Further, when the up cursor key 81 (see FIG. 1) is pressed again a plurality of times, it increases by 0.1 mm by the number of times the key is pressed. Conversely, when the down cursor key 82 (see FIG. 1) is pressed once, 0.1 mm is subtracted from 17.5 mm currently displayed on the liquid crystal display device 4 to 17.4 mm. If the down cursor key 82 (see FIG. 1) is pressed again a plurality of times, the number of times of pressing is reduced by 0.1 mm (S51: YES, S52). The first reference length setting value of the first block at this time is stored in the first reference length storage area 251 of the block setting storage area 151 of the RAM 104.

  Next, when the left cursor key 83 is pressed once (S53: YES), when the first first block is currently being set (S54: YES), the process proceeds to S56. If the currently set block is not the first first block (S54: NO), the input focus 40 is moved to the multiple setting of the previous block, and the process proceeds to S58.

  When the first block is currently set (S54: YES), when the right cursor key 84 is pressed (S56: YES), the input focus 40 is moved to a multiple setting (S57). At this time, the initial value of the multiple setting of the first block is “1”, and when the up cursor key 81 is pressed once (S58: YES), “1” is added to the initial value “1”. As shown in FIG. 18, the multiple setting indicated by the input focus 40 of the liquid crystal display device 4 is displayed as “× 2”. Conversely, when the down cursor key 82 is pressed once (S58: YES), if the multiple setting currently displayed on the liquid crystal display device 4 is “2”, “1” is subtracted to “1”, The multiple setting indicated by the input focus 40 of the liquid crystal display device 4 is displayed as “× 1” (S59). The set value of the multiple of the first block at this time is stored in the first multiple storage area 252 of the block setting storage area 151 of the RAM 104. The multiple setting is added or subtracted by moving the cursor key 8 up or down, but does not become “1” or less.

  Next, when the left cursor key 83 is pressed once (S60: YES), as shown in FIG. 17, the input focus 40 is moved to the block length setting (S61), and the process returns to S51. When the right cursor key 84 is pressed (S60: NO, S62: YES), if the last block is currently set (S63: YES), there is no block to be set next. Returning to S33 shown in FIG. 11, the process proceeds to S34. If the last block is not being set (S63: NO), then the next block length setting (S64) is performed.

  More specifically, the next block length setting (S64) is performed in accordance with a next block length setting subroutine shown in FIG. In the next block length setting, it is determined whether or not the next block (second block as an example) that is the next block after the set block (as an example, the first block) is the first block setting (S71). ). This determination is made based on whether a numerical value is stored in the reference length storage area of the next block (second block) in the block setting storage area 151 of the RAM 104. For example, if no numerical value is stored in the second reference length storage area 253 of the second block, it is determined that the block setting is the first time (S71: YES). On the contrary, if a numerical value is stored in the second reference length storage area 253 of the second block, it is determined that the block setting is not the first time (S71: NO). If it is determined that the next block setting is the first time (S71: YES), the block length setting and multiple setting of the current block (first block) are changed to the block length setting and multiple setting of the next block (second block). Set as a setting (S72). Specifically, the numerical value stored in the first reference length storage area 251 is copied to the second reference length storage area 253, and the numerical value stored in the first multiple storage area 252 is Copy to the double storage area 254 (S72).

  Next, as shown in FIG. 19, the input focus 40 is moved to the block length setting of the second block, which is the next block (S73). At this time, if the second block is set for the first time, as shown in FIG. 19, the block length of the second block is the reference length of the first block stored in the second reference length storage area 253. A certain “17.5 mm” is displayed, and “2” that is a multiple of the first block stored in the second multiple storage area 254 is displayed as a multiple of the second block. Thereafter, the process returns to the process of S64 shown in FIG. 12, and the process returns to the process of S51.

  When the up cursor key 81 is pressed in the state shown in FIG. 19, the number of times “17.5 mm” currently displayed as the reference length of the second block on the liquid crystal display device 4 is pressed by 0.1 mm. To increase. On the contrary, when the down cursor key 82 is pressed, 0.1 mm is subtracted from the currently displayed “17.5 mm” on the liquid crystal display device 4 by 0.1 mm (S51: YES, S52). Note that the second reference length setting value of the second block at this time is stored in the second reference length storage area 253 of the block setting storage area 151 of the RAM 104.

  Next, when the left cursor key 83 is pressed once (S53: YES), the currently set block is the second block, not the first first block (S54: NO). 40 is shifted to the multiple setting of the previous block shown in FIG. 18, and the process proceeds to S58.

  When the left cursor key 83 is not pressed (S53: NO) and the right cursor key 84 is pressed (S56: YES), the input focus 40 is set to a multiple of the second block as shown in FIG. Move (S57). At this time, if the value set to the multiple of the first block is “1”, the initial value of the multiple setting of the second block is “×” as shown in FIG. 1 "is displayed.

  In this state, when the up cursor key 81 is pressed once (S58: YES), “1” is added to the initial value “1” to become “2”. Conversely, when the down cursor key 82 is pressed once (S58: YES), if the multiple setting currently displayed on the liquid crystal display device 4 is “2”, “1” is subtracted to “1”, The multiple setting indicated by the input focus 40 of the liquid crystal display device 4 is displayed as “× 1” (S59). Note that the set value of the multiple of the second block at this time is stored in the second multiple storage area 254 of the block setting storage area 151 of the RAM 104. The multiple setting is added or subtracted by moving the cursor key 8 up or down, but does not become “1” or less.

  Next, when the left cursor key 83 is pressed once (S60: YES), as shown in FIG. 19, the input focus 40 is moved to the block length setting (S61), and the process returns to S51. When the right cursor key 84 is pressed (S60: NO, S62: YES), if the last block is currently set (S63: YES), there is no block to be set next. Returning to S33 shown in FIG. 11, the process proceeds to S34. If the last block is not being set (S63: NO), then the next block length setting (S64) is performed.

  Here, since the second block is currently being set, the next block (third block) which is the next block of the current block (second block) in S71 of FIG. 13 of the subroutine for setting the next block length shown in FIG. ) Determines whether or not block setting is the first time (S71). This determination is made based on whether or not a numerical value is stored in the reference length storage area of the next block (third block) of the block setting storage area 151 of the RAM 104. For example, if there is no numerical value stored in the third reference length storage area 255 of the third block, it is determined that the block setting is the first time (S71: YES). Conversely, if a numerical value is stored in the third reference length storage area 255 of the third block, it is determined that the block setting is not the first time (S71: NO). If it is determined that the next block setting is the first time (S71: YES), the block length setting and multiple setting of the current block (second block) are changed to the block length setting and multiple setting of the next block (third block). Set as a setting (S72). Specifically, the numerical value stored in the second reference length storage area 253 is copied to the third reference length storage area 255, and the numerical value stored in the second multiple storage area 254 is Copying to the triple storage area 256 (S72).

  Next, as shown in FIG. 21, the input focus 40 is moved to the block length setting of the third block, which is the next block (S73). At this time, if the third block is set for the first time, the reference length set for the second block is set as the block length of the third block, and is set for the second block as a multiple of the third block. Multiples are displayed. Thereafter, the process returns to the process of S64 shown in FIG. 12, and the process returns to the process of S51.

  In the case of setting the third block, when the up cursor key 81 is pressed, the number of times that “17.5 mm” currently displayed as the reference length of the second block on the liquid crystal display device 4 is pressed is set to 0. Increase by 1 mm. For example, when the up cursor key 81 is pressed 25 times, “17.5 mm” is displayed as “20.0 mm” as shown in FIG. Conversely, when the down cursor key 82 is pressed, 0.1 mm is subtracted from the currently displayed “20.0 mm” displayed on the liquid crystal display device 4 by 0.1 mm (S51: YES, S52). . Note that the third reference length setting value of the third block at this time is stored in the third reference length storage area 255 of the block setting storage area 151 of the RAM 104.

  Next, when the left cursor key 83 is pressed once (S53: YES), the currently set block is the third block and not the first first block (S54: NO). 40 is shifted to the multiple setting of the previous block shown in FIG. 20, and the process proceeds to S58.

  If the left cursor key 83 is not pressed (S53: NO) and the right cursor key 84 is pressed (S56: YES), the input focus 40 is set to a multiple of the third block as shown in FIG. Move (S57). At this time, if the value set for the multiple of the third block is “1”, the initial value for the multiple setting of the second block is “×” as shown in FIG. 1 "is displayed.

  In this state, when the up cursor key 81 is pressed once (S58: YES), “1” is added to the initial value “1” to become “2”. Conversely, when the down cursor key 82 is pressed once (S58: YES), if the multiple setting currently displayed on the liquid crystal display device 4 is “2”, “1” is subtracted to “1”, The multiple setting indicated by the input focus 40 of the liquid crystal display device 4 is displayed as “× 1” (S59). Note that the setting value of the multiple of the third block at this time is stored in the third multiple storage area 256 of the block setting storage area 151 of the RAM 104. The multiple setting is added or subtracted by moving the cursor key 8 up or down, but does not become “1” or less. It should be noted that when the input focus 40 is on the reference length, a numeric value can be directly input by pressing the numeric key 32. In addition, even when the input focus 40 is on a multiple setting, a number can be directly input by pressing the numeric key 32.

  Next, when the left cursor key 83 is not pressed (S60: NO) and the right cursor key 84 is pressed (S62: YES), if the last block is currently set (S63: YES), the next Since there is no block to be set, the process returns to S33 shown in FIG. If the number of blocks to be set is N, the above process is repeated N times. In the process of S34 shown in FIG. 11, the modified block code in the text buffer 141 (see FIG. 15) of the RAM 104 (see FIG. 15) is added or deleted so that the number is equal to the number of block line break blocks minus 1. S34). Next, the process returns to the process of S12 shown in FIG. 10 and returns to the process of S11. If an operation for inputting text to each block is performed (S13: YES), the text is input by the operation of the key 31 and the text input to the text buffer 141 of the RAM 104 is stored (S14). For example, as shown in FIG. 24, “A, B, C, modified block code, D, E, F, line feed code, G, H, I, modified block code, 1, 2, 3, 4 are stored in the text buffer 141. , 5, line feed code, 6, 7, line feed code, 8, 9, 0 ".

  Next, when the print key 9 is pressed and a print start is instructed (S15: YES), print data is created by a known method and stored in the print buffer 142 of the RAM 104 (S16). Next, under the control of the CPU 101, the drive circuit 107 causes the thermal head 11 to generate heat, and the drive circuit 108 controls the tape feed motor 37 so that the print tape 67 is conveyed and conveyed, and the tape shown in FIG. Printing is performed (S17). In the example shown in FIG. 9, the first block 671 has a reference length of “17.5 mm” and a multiple of “2”. The second block 672 has a reference length of “17.5 mm” and a multiple of “1”. The third block 673 has a reference length of “20.0 mm” and a multiple of “1”. Accordingly, if the front margin provided on the printed tape is 2.0 mm, the rear margin is 2.0 mm, and the inter-block margin is 0.0 mm, the length of the printed tape is 76.5 mm. At this time, when the number of printed sheets is one, “COPIES 1/1 76.5” is displayed on the liquid crystal display device 4 as shown in FIG.

  When a reset key (not shown) is pressed and a reset instruction is input (S18: YES), a reset process is performed (S19). Specifically, this reset process is performed according to the flowchart of the reset process shown in FIG. First, in this reset process, the reference length and multiple setting set for each block are cleared. Specifically, the stored contents of the block setting storage area 151 of the RAM 104 are erased (S81). Further, the stored contents of the text buffer 141 of the RAM 104 are deleted (S82). When this reset process is performed, the stored contents of the block setting storage area 151 of the RAM 104 are erased, so that the setting of the previous block is succeeded by the setting of the reference length and multiple of each block. Will be able to.

  The CPU 101 that executes the block number input process S31 of the block setting change process in FIG. 11 corresponds to the “block number input unit” of the present invention. The CPU 101 that executes the processes of S51 to S52 of the block setting process of FIG. 12 corresponds to the “reference length setting means” of the present invention. The CPU 101 that executes the processes of S57 to S59 of the block setting process of FIG. 12 corresponds to the “multiplier setting unit” of the present invention. The CPU 101 that executes the processes of S53 to S55 and S60 to 61 of the block setting process of FIG. 12 corresponds to “setting target block moving means” of the present invention. The CPU 101 that executes the processes of S13 and S14 of the block setting process of FIG. 10 corresponds to the “character input means” of the present invention. The CPU 101 that executes the process of S16 of the block setting process of FIG. 10 corresponds to the “print data creating unit” of the present invention. The CPU 101 that executes the processing of S72 in FIG. 13 corresponds to “reference length initial value setting means” and “multiple initial value setting means”.

  As described above, in the tape printer 1 according to the present embodiment, the reference length that determines the length of each block continuously arranged in the longitudinal direction of the printing tape 67 can be set for each block. . The length of each block can be set as a multiple of the reference length, and can be easily set by operating the cursor key 8. In addition, the reference length and multiple of each block are easily set since the initial values set in the previous block are inherited. Therefore, the reference length of each block can be changed for each block while maintaining the simplicity of determining the length of each block as a multiple, so that the length of each block can be set freely.

  In addition, after entering the reference length and multiple in order from the first block to the Nth block, you can return to the first block with the left and right cursors, but then correct the reference length and multiple of the first block Even so, the contents are not carried over to the second block and beyond. That is, the reference length and multiple are succeeded to the next block only once for the first time when the reference length and multiple of the block are not set. Note that, by performing the above reset processing, the reference length and multiple of each block are set, so that the state set in the previous block can be transferred to the next block.

  The configuration of the tape printer 1 shown in the above-described embodiment is an exemplification, and it goes without saying that the present invention can be variously modified.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the setting of blocks from the first block to the third block has been described. However, the number of blocks can be arbitrarily set, and 2, 3, 4, 5,... 10 Any number such as can be set. In the above embodiment, the detection switch 6 provided in the tape printer 1 and the identification hole 66A provided in the tape cassette 51 are used to detect the tape width of the printing tape 67. Any configuration that can form an off combination is acceptable. For example, instead of the identification hole 66 </ b> A, a concave portion formed so as to be dented toward the center in the width direction of the tape cassette 51 may be adopted.

  In the present embodiment, the CPU 101 of the control circuit unit 100 of the tape printer 1 executes the processes of the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 10 to 14. As shown in FIG. 25, the CPU 101 communicates with the tape printer 1 for communication. An I / F 106 is provided, connected to the external computer device 20, and the processing of the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 10 to 14 is performed by the external computer device 20, and the computer device 20 controls the tape printer 1, You may make it perform a printing process.

1 is a plan view of a tape printer 1. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a tape cassette 51. FIG. FIG. 6 is a plan view of the lower case 53 with the upper case 52 removed. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between the detection switch 6 of the cassette detection part 5, and the identification hole 66A of the identification part 66. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the tape printer 1. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a ROM 102. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a RAM 104. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a block setting storage area 151. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a result of printing on a print tape 67. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a tape printing control process of the tape printer 1. It is a flowchart of a subroutine for block setting change. It is a flowchart of a subroutine for block setting. It is a flowchart of a subroutine for setting the next block length. 10 is a flowchart of a reset subroutine. 4 is a schematic diagram of storage contents of a text buffer 141. FIG. It is a top view which shows the display state of the liquid crystal display device 4 at the time of block number input. It is a top view which shows the display state of the liquid crystal display device 4 at the time of the setting of the reference length of a 1st block. It is a top view which shows the display state of the liquid crystal display device 4 at the time of the setting of the multiple of a 1st block. It is a top view which shows the display state of the liquid crystal display device 4 at the time of the setting of the reference length of a 2nd block. It is a top view which shows the display state of the liquid crystal display device 4 at the time of the setting of the multiple of a 2nd block. It is a top view which shows the display state of the liquid crystal display device 4 at the time of the setting of the reference length of a 3rd block. It is a top view which shows the display state of the liquid crystal display device 4 at the time of the setting of the multiple of a 3rd block. It is a top view which shows the display state of the liquid crystal display device 4 at the time of a printing process. It is a schematic diagram of the content stored in the text buffer 141 in the final state. It is a block diagram which shows the electric structure of the modification of the tape printer.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Tape printer 3 Keyboard part 4 Liquid crystal display device 8 Cursor key 9 Print key 20 Computer apparatus 31 Key 32 Numeric keypad 40 Input focus 81 Up cursor key 82 Down cursor key 82 Down cursor key 83 Left cursor key 84 Right cursor key 100 Control circuit Unit 101 CPU
102 ROM
104 RAM
121 CG data storage area 122 Program storage area 141 Text buffer 142 Print buffer 143 Print format storage area 149 Block number storage area 151 Block setting storage area

Claims (11)

Characters such as letters and symbols are printed on a long tape-shaped print medium in an arbitrary number of lines, and the arbitrary number of lines of characters are formed as one block, and a plurality of the blocks are sequentially arranged in the longitudinal direction of the print medium. A tape printer for printing,
A block number input means for inputting the number of blocks to be arranged and printed continuously in the longitudinal direction of the print medium;
A reference length that is a block of the number of blocks input from the block number input means and serves as a reference for a setting target block that sets the length of the block in the longitudinal direction of the print medium is set. A reference length setting means;
A multiple setting means for setting a multiple that specifies how many times the reference length set by the reference length setting means is the length of the setting target block;
Setting target block moving means for moving the setting target block to any one of the blocks input from the block number input means;
Display means for displaying the number of blocks input by the block number input means, the reference length set by the reference length setting means, and a multiple set by the multiple setting means;
Character input means for inputting the character into an arbitrary line of each block;
Character storage means for storing a character input from the character input means;
The blocks are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the print medium at a length determined by the product of the reference length set by the reference length setting means and the multiple set by the multiple setting means, and stored in the character storage means. Print data creating means for creating print data to be arranged and printed in each row of each block;
Printing means for printing on the print medium based on the print data created by the print data creation means,
The printing apparatus is characterized in that an arbitrary reference length can be set by the reference length setting unit even when the setting target block is moved to the second and subsequent blocks by the setting target block moving unit. When the setting target block is moved to the second and subsequent blocks by the setting target block moving means, the reference length set by the reference length setting means is set to the block before the setting target block. A reference length initial value setting means for setting as an initial value of
The reference length setting unit increases or decreases the initial value set by the reference length initial value setting unit, and sets the reference length in the setting target block. Printing device. When the setting target block is moved to the second and subsequent blocks by the setting target block moving means, the multiple set by the multiple setting means in the block before the setting target block is set as the initial value of the setting target block. A multiple initial value setting means for setting is provided.
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the multiple setting unit sets the multiple in the setting target block by increasing or decreasing the initial value set by the multiple initial value setting unit.   When the setting target block is moved to the second and subsequent blocks by the setting target block moving means, and the reference length is already set in the setting target block, the reference length initial value setting means The printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the reference length set by the reference length setting unit in the block preceding the setting target block is not set as an initial value of the setting target block.   When the setting target block is moved to the second and subsequent blocks by the setting target block moving means, if the multiple has already been set in the setting target block, the multiple initial value setting means The printing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the multiple set by the multiple setting unit is not set as an initial value of the setting target block in a block before the target block. Characters such as letters and symbols are printed on a long tape-shaped print medium in an arbitrary number of lines, and the arbitrary number of lines of characters are formed as one block, and a plurality of the blocks are sequentially arranged in the longitudinal direction of the print medium. A print data creation device for a tape printer for printing,
A block number input means for inputting the number of blocks to be arranged and printed continuously in the longitudinal direction of the print medium;
A reference length that is a block of the number of blocks input from the block number input means and serves as a reference for a setting target block that sets the length of the block in the longitudinal direction of the print medium is set. A reference length setting means;
A multiple setting means for setting a multiple that specifies how many times the reference length set by the reference length setting means is the length of the setting target block;
Setting target block moving means for moving the setting target block to any one of the blocks input from the block number input means;
Display means for displaying the number of blocks input by the block number input means, the reference length set by the reference length setting means, and a multiple set by the multiple setting means;
Character input means for inputting the character into an arbitrary line of each block;
Character storage means for storing a character input from the character input means;
The blocks are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the print medium at a length determined by the product of the reference length set by the reference length setting means and the multiple set by the multiple setting means, and stored in the character storage means. Print data creation means for creating print data for printing by arranging the stored characters in each row of each block; and
Print data creation, wherein the reference length setting unit can set an arbitrary reference length even when the setting target block is moved to the second and subsequent blocks by the setting target block moving unit apparatus. When the setting target block is moved to the second and subsequent blocks by the setting target block moving means, the reference length set by the reference length setting means is set to the block before the setting target block. A reference length initial value setting means for setting as an initial value of
The reference length setting unit increases or decreases the initial value set by the reference length initial value setting unit, and sets the reference length in the setting target block. Print data creation device. When the setting target block is moved to the second and subsequent blocks by the setting target block moving means, the multiple set by the multiple setting means in the block before the setting target block is set as the initial value of the setting target block. A multiple initial value setting means for setting is provided.
The print data creation according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the multiple setting unit increases or decreases the initial value set by the multiple initial value setting unit and sets the multiple in the setting target block. apparatus.   When the setting target block is moved to the second and subsequent blocks by the setting target block moving means, and the reference length is already set in the setting target block, the reference length initial value setting means 8. The print data creation apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the reference length set by the reference length setting unit in the block preceding the setting target block is not set as an initial value of the setting target block. .   When the setting target block is moved to the second and subsequent blocks by the setting target block moving means, if the multiple has already been set in the setting target block, the multiple initial value setting means The print data creation apparatus according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the multiple set by the multiple setting unit is not set as an initial value of the setting target block in a block before the target block.   A computer program that causes a computer to function as each control unit of the print data creation apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 10.

Images