JP7119576B2 - Application program and printer control module - Google Patents

Description

The technical field disclosed in this specification relates to a computer-executable application program and a printer control module for an information processing device that can communicate with a printer.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, techniques related to application programs for editing image data to be printed by a printer are known. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a technique in which an operation terminal receives an editing operation for a template composed of objects such as text and images to be printed by a label printer.

JP 2014-71584 A

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, print functions have diversified, and the uses of printers have also diversified. Therefore, it is desired that an application program be provided with a function of editing an image suitable for the purpose and a user interface suitable for the purpose. Under such circumstances, the application program not only accepts the operation for performing image editing suitable for the purpose from the user via the screen suitable for the purpose, but also provides data for printing various images on the printer. and a function to control printers with various functions.

The technology disclosed in this specification was made to solve the problems of the conventional technology described above. That is, the object is to provide a technique that can easily handle various uses for both the image data editing function and the printer control function in editing the image data to be printed by the printer.

An application program designed to solve this problem is executable by a computer of an information processing apparatus and includes a screen control module and a printer control module, wherein the screen control module a split print editing screen for accepting, via a user interface, an instruction to edit an image to be split print processed, an instruction to set the split print process, and an instruction to execute the split print process, is displayed on the display. and the split printing process is a process for causing a printer to perform split printing for printing split images obtained by dividing one image onto a printing medium, and the target to be subjected to the split printing process. The image is an image in a state before being divided into the split images, and the setting of the split printing process includes the width of the print medium to be the target of the split printing and the division number of the split printing. Further, the screen control module causes the computer to display the split print edit screen on the display, and then receives the execution instruction of the split print process via the user interface. , width setting data, and division number setting data to the printer control module, and the image information is edited by the editing instruction via the user interface. The width setting data is information indicating target image data indicating the target image, and the width setting data is data indicating the setting by the setting instruction via the user interface, and the width setting data is data indicating the setting of the print medium to be the target of the split printing. The division number setting data is data indicative of a width, and the division number setting data is data indicative of the setting according to the setting instruction through the user interface, and is data indicative of the division number, wherein the width setting data and the division number setting. The data are mutually independent data, and when the execution command is input from the screen control module to the computer, the printer control module controls the width setting data and the division number contained in the execution command. splitting the target image data indicated in the image information included in the execution command based on setting data to generate split image data to be used in the split printing; and the split image data indicates the split image obtained by dividing the target image into the number of divisions indicated by the number of divisions setting data with the width indicated by the width setting data. Further, the printer control module causes the computer to transmit the split image data generated by the split image data generation process to the printer via the communication interface of the information processing device. It is characterized by executing a data transmission process.

By incorporating the application program disclosed in this specification, the computer of the information processing apparatus can execute processing by the screen control module and processing by the printer control module. That is, the computer receives an instruction regarding split printing processing in the screen control module, and inputs an execution command including width setting data and division number setting data as mutually independent data to the printer control module. Since the width setting data and the division number setting data are data independent of each other, the screen control module has a high degree of freedom in setting, and can easily handle various uses of split printing. Also, the printer control module can cause the printer to perform split printing corresponding to various uses.

A computer-readable storage medium storing a control method and an application program for realizing the above functions is also novel and useful.

According to the technology disclosed in this specification, in editing image data to be printed by a printer, both the image data editing function and the printer control function can easily accommodate various uses.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a printing system according to an embodiment; FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of software for creating labels; 4 is a flowchart showing the procedure of screen control processing; FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an instruction acceptance screen; FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of preview display; 7 is a flowchart showing the procedure of print job generation processing; 4 is a flow chart showing a procedure of printer control processing; 4 is a flow chart showing a procedure of divided image data generation processing; 10 is a flow chart showing a procedure of over-size error processing; 10 is a flow chart showing a procedure of indivisible error processing;

An embodiment embodying a printing system capable of performing various printings will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. This embodiment discloses a program executed by a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as "PC") connected to a printer that prints on label paper.

As shown in FIG. 1, the printing system of this embodiment has a PC 1 and a printer 2, which are communicably connected to each other. The PC 1 is a device that executes processing for causing the printer 2 to print. The PC 1 is an example of an information processing device. Specifically, the PC 1 generates and edits image data, previews an image being edited, and transmits a print command to the printer 2 . For example, a smart phone or a tablet computer can be used instead of the PC 1 .

The printer 2 of this embodiment is, for example, a label printer that prints on a continuous belt-shaped print medium having a predetermined width and transports the print medium. The size in the width direction of the print medium is referred to as "tape width". The tape width is an example of the width of the print medium. For example, the printer 2 performs printing while unwinding a built-in roll-shaped label tape, and cuts off the printed portion to manufacture a label. The print medium may be a strip-shaped base material to which a label-sized print sheet is attached. Hereinafter, the direction in which the belt-shaped print medium is transported to the printer 2 and advances is referred to as the "longitudinal direction".

The printer 2 includes, for example, a thermal transfer print head. A plurality of printing pins, which are heating elements, are arranged in a line in the print head. The printer 2 selectively heats each print pin to print one dot in the length direction over the entire tape width in the width direction. The printer 2 is compatible with multiple types of tape widths, and determines the range of print pins to be used according to the mounted print medium. The upper limit of the number of print dots that can be printed in the width direction by the printer 2 is determined for each tape width depending on the configuration of the print head.

The PC 1 includes a control board 10 including a CPU 11, a ROM 12, a RAM 13, and a nonvolatile memory 14, as shown in FIG. Furthermore, the PC 1 includes a network interface (hereinafter referred to as "network IF") 16, a USB interface (hereinafter referred to as "USB-IF") 17, and an input interface (hereinafter referred to as "input IF") 18. , and a display 19 , which are electrically connected to the control board 10 . Note that the control board 10 in FIG. 1 is a collective 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. FIG.

The CPU 11 executes various processes according to programs read from the ROM 12 and the nonvolatile memory 14 and based on user's operations. The CPU 11 is an example of a computer. The ROM 12 stores a boot program and the like for booting the PC 1 . The RAM 13 is used as a work area when various processes are executed, or as a storage area for temporarily storing data. The nonvolatile memory 14 is, for example, an HDD or a flash memory, and is used as an area for storing various programs, data such as image data and document data, and various settings. The ROM 12, RAM 13 and non-volatile memory 14 are all examples of memory. Further, if the CPU 11 has a CPU buffer, the CPU buffer is also an example of memory.

Any of the examples of memory may be a computer-readable storage medium. A computer-readable storage medium is a non-transitory medium. In addition to the above examples, non-transitory media include recording media such as CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs. A non-transitory medium is also a tangible medium. On the other hand, an electrical signal that carries a program downloaded from a server on the Internet is a computer-readable signal medium, which is a kind of computer-readable medium, but is a non-transitory computer-readable storage. Not included in media.

The network IF 16 includes hardware for communicating with external devices via a network such as the Internet. The communication method of the network IF 16 may be wireless or wired, and may be of any standard. The USB-IF 17 includes hardware for performing communication based on the USB standard. Communication between the PC 1 and the printer 2 may be performed using the network IF 16 or the USB-IF 17 . Network IF 16 or USB-IF 17 is an example of a communication interface.

The input IF 18 includes hardware such as a keyboard and a mouse that accepts user input operations. The input IF 18 is an example of a user interface. Display 19 includes hardware for displaying information on a screen. Note that the PC 1 may have a touch panel or the like having the functions of both the input IF 18 and the display 19 .

As shown in FIG. 1, the PC 1 of the present embodiment stores a label creation application program (hereinafter referred to as "label creation application") 40 and an operating system (hereinafter referred to as "OS") 41 in the nonvolatile memory 14. and have. The label creation application 40 is a program for editing label images and controlling the printer 2 . The label creation application 40 includes a screen control module 42 and a printer control module 43 . The label creation application 40 is an example of an application program. The screen control module 42 and the printer control module 43 are software modules.

The label creation application 40 of this embodiment generates a print command and transmits it to the printer 2, as shown in FIG. Further, the screen control module 42 of the label creation application 40 causes the display 19 to display a screen for editing the image for the label, and receives a user instruction input via the input IF 18 . Further, the screen control module 42 generates a print job based on the received instruction input, and inputs an execution command for executing the generated print job to the printer control module 43 . The printer control module 43 receives the print job generated by the screen control module 42 , generates a print command, and transmits it to the printer 2 . The print command includes image data to be printed, setting information for controlling the printer 2, and the like.

Next, each process performed by the screen control module 42 and the printer control module 43 will be described. It should be noted that the following processing and each processing step in the flow chart basically indicate the processing of the CPU 11 in accordance with the instructions described in each program. That is, the processing such as “judgment”, “selection”, “decision”, “acquisition”, “acceptance”, “control” in the following description represents the processing of the CPU 11 . Processing by the CPU 11 also includes hardware control using the API of the OS 41 of the PC 1 . In this specification, the description of the OS 41 will be omitted and the operation of each program will be described. That is, in the following description, the description to the effect that "the program B controls the hardware C" may refer to "the program B controls the hardware C using the API of the OS 41". Also, the processing of the CPU 11 according to the instructions written in the program may be described with abbreviated words. For example, it may be described as "performed by the CPU 11" or "performed by the screen control module 42".

Note that "acquisition" is used as a concept that does not require a request. That is, the process of receiving data without the CPU 11 requesting it is also included in the concept of "the CPU 11 acquires data." Also, "data" in this specification is represented by a computer-readable bit string. Data having substantially the same meaning and content but different formats are treated as the same data. The same applies to "information" in this specification. Further, "request" and "instruct" are concepts indicating outputting information indicating requesting or instructing to the other party. Also, information indicating a request or information indicating an instruction is simply referred to as a "request" or an "instruction."

Also, the process of judging by the CPU 11 whether or not the information A indicates that the matter B is conceptually described as "judging whether or not the information A is the matter B". There is The processing by the CPU 11 to determine whether information A indicates matter B or matter C is referred to as "judging whether information A is matter B or matter C". It may be described conceptually as

The procedure of screen control processing executed by the screen control module 42 will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This screen control process is executed by the CPU 11 of the PC 1 when the screen control module 42 is activated.

In the screen control process, the CPU 11 first controls the display 19 to display an instruction acceptance screen 50 as shown in FIG. 4 (S101). The instruction acceptance screen 50 is an example of a split print editing screen, and S101 is an example of screen display processing. The instruction reception screen 50 includes, for example, a printer selection field 51 for receiving selection of a device for executing printing, a paper setting field 52 for receiving settings of a printing medium, an object designation field 53 for receiving additional instructions for various objects, and a A print execution button 54 for accepting an instruction is displayed. Then, the CPU 11 receives instruction input to each column via the input IF 18 .

The CPU 11 determines whether or not an instruction input to the printer selection field 51 has been received (S102). For example, the CPU 11 displays selectable printer options from a pull-down menu in the printer selection field 51, and receives an instruction input to the printer selection field 51 by selecting and inputting one of the displayed options.

When determining that an instruction input to the printer selection field 51 has been received (S102: YES), the CPU 11 displays the selected printer in the printer selection field 51 (S103). It should be noted that the CPU 11 may detect the type of print medium currently loaded by communicating with the selected printer, and display the detected type of print medium in the paper setting field 52 as an initial setting. Alternatively, a predetermined print medium type may be set as an initial setting without communicating with the selected printer.

When determining that an instruction input to the printer selection field 51 has not been received (S102: NO), the CPU 11 determines whether or not an instruction input to the paper setting field 52 has been received (S104). The paper setting field 52 accepts, for example, specification of the tape width and number of divisions, specification of the label size in the length direction, and margin setting. The number of divisions is the number of tapes when performing split printing in which one image is divided and each divided portion is printed on a plurality of tapes. Note that the length of the label and the size of the margin may be automatically determined according to the image to be printed.

When determining that an instruction input to the paper setting field 52 has been received (S104: YES), the CPU 11 specifies the tape width and the number of divisions based on the instruction input (S105). In inputting an instruction to the paper setting field 52, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, the CPU 11 displays a plurality of options in the paper setting field 52 and accepts one selection from the displayed options. The multiple options include options indicating only the tape width and options indicating a combination of the tape width and the number of divisions. The CPU 11 specifies the tape width and division number corresponding to the selected option based on the instruction input to the paper setting field 52 .

For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when the option 52a of "24 mm×3" is selected, the CPU 11 specifies "24 mm" as the tape width and "3" as the number of divisions. When the option "24 mm" is selected, the CPU 11 specifies "24 mm" as the tape width and "1" as the number of divisions. That is, it can be said that an option showing only the tape width is an option showing a combination of the tape width and the number of divisions "1". In addition, it can be said that the option for which the number of divisions is 2 or more is an option for instructing split printing of the target image.

Upon receiving an instruction to split print the target image, the CPU 11 generates image data representing a plurality of partial images obtained by splitting the target image in the width direction. A print command for each partial image based on the generated image data is input to the printer 2 . As a result, the printer 2 creates a plurality of labels on which each partial image is printed. The target image is reproduced by arranging the created labels in the width direction. That is, by instructing split printing, the user of the printer 2 can obtain a printed material in which the target image is printed with a width larger than the tape width.

Further, the CPU 11 generates paper frame data for displaying a paper frame 62 indicating the paper set in the instruction reception screen 50, as shown in FIG. 5 (S106). For example, when the option 52a with the division number "3" is selected, the CPU 11 generates paper frame data including the paper frame 62 divided into three. An instruction input to the paper setting field 52 when the number of divisions is 2 or more is an example of a setting instruction for split printing processing.

When determining that an instruction input to the paper setting field 52 has not been received (S104: NO), the CPU 11 determines whether or not an instruction input to the object designation field 53 has been received (S107). When determining that an instruction input to the object designation field 53 has been received (S107: YES), the CPU 11 generates image data for preview display of the target image including the designated object (S108). If the number of divisions is 2 or more, S108 is an example of display image data generation processing, and the image data for preview display generated in S108 is an example of display image data.

Note that when an instruction input to the object designation field 53 is received while the target image including the object is being preview-displayed, the CPU 11 adds the newly specified object to the target image being preview-displayed. is used as a new target image. In S108, the CPU 11 generates image data for preview display of the new target image.

Objects are images to be printed, and include, for example, text, frames, images based on image files, symbols, and graphics. Various buttons for receiving designation of the type of object are displayed in the object designation column 53 . For example, when receiving an instruction to add text as an object, the CPU 11 further receives input of a character string, and sets the image of the input character string as the target image.

Note that when an instruction input to the object designation field 53 is accepted while the print medium is not set, a temporary paper frame 62 may be set, or a display prompting the user to set the print medium may be displayed.

When determining that an instruction input to the object designation field 53 has not been received (S107: NO), the CPU 11 determines whether or not an instruction to edit the object being previewed has been received (S109). The CPU 11 accepts designation of one of the objects being displayed in preview, and receives, for example, instructions to delete, move, change the size of, or change characters as editing instructions for the designated object. When determining that an instruction to edit the object has been received (S109: YES), the CPU 11 updates the image data for preview display based on the instruction to edit (S110).

After any one of S103, S106, S108, and S110, the CPU 11 displays a preview on the instruction acceptance screen 50 based on the generated or updated image data for preview display (S111). S111 is an example of preview processing. The preview display is a display showing a state in which the object specified in S107 or S109 is printed on the paper set in S102 or S104 by the printer selected in S102. As shown in FIG. 5, the CPU 11 displays the target image 61 including the paper frame 62 and the designated object in the instruction reception screen 50 .

FIG. 5 is an example of preview display in which a target image 61, which is an object containing the character string “TEXT”, is arranged in a paper frame 62. FIG. In the example of FIG. 5, a target image 61, which is an image whose size in the width direction is larger than the width of the tape, is divided in the width direction into three partial images 61a, 61b, and 61c. The partial images 61a, 61b, and 61c are examples of split images. Note that only the paper frame 62 may be displayed when no object to be printed is specified. Also, if the setting of the paper frame 62 has not been accepted, S111 may be skipped.

When determining that an instruction to edit the object has not been received (S109: NO), the CPU 11 determines whether or not an instruction input to the print execution button 54 has been received (S112). When determining that an instruction input to the print execution button 54 has been received (S112: YES), the CPU 11 executes print job generation processing (S113). The print job generation process is a process of generating a print job and inputting an execution command for executing the generated print job to the printer control module 43 . An instruction input to the print execution button 54 when the number of divisions is two or more is an example of an instruction to execute split printing processing.

Note that if an instruction input to the print execution button 54 is accepted in a state where no object to be printed is specified and the preview is not being displayed, a message indicating that the image to be printed has not been set is displayed. may be displayed and the print job generation process may not be executed. Further, it may be configured such that an instruction input to the print execution button 54 is not accepted unless the preview is being displayed.

The procedure of print job generation processing will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In the print job generation process, the CPU 11 generates information indicating image data of an image to be printed, and stores the information in the memory (S202). The RAM 13 is an example of memory used by the CPU 11 to store data. The image data to be saved is not the image data representing the divided partial images, but the image data representing the target image before division.

Note that the information saved in S202 may not be the image data itself. For example, it may be information indicating a storage area for storing image data. If the image data is on the Internet, it may be a URL indicating the storage destination. Any information that allows the printer control module 43 to identify the image data based on the information may be used.

Then, the CPU 11 adds information about the printer 2 selected on the instruction acceptance screen 50, information about the set paper, information indicating various print settings, etc. to the information indicating the image data, and generates a print job. (S203). The paper information includes tape type information including tape width and division number information. Note that the tape width information and the division number information included in the print job are information independent of each other.

Further, the CPU 11 inputs an execution command for executing the generated print job to the printer control module 43 (S204). S204 when the number of divisions is 2 or more is an example of execution command input processing. Information indicating image data included in a print job is an example of image information, and image data indicated by the information is an example of target image data. The tape type information included in the print job is an example of width setting data, and the division number information included in the print job is an example of division number setting data.

After S204, the CPU 11 determines whether an error command has been received from the printer control module 43 (S205). When determining that an error command has been received (S205: YES), the CPU 11 determines whether or not the error information included in the received error command is information indicating a division error (S206). If it is determined that the information indicates a division error (S206: YES), the CPU 11 determines a coping command indicating a coping method for the division error (S207), and inputs the determined coping command to the printer control module 43. (S208).

The printer control module 43 generates print data based on the print job input in S<b>204 and transmits the print data to the printer 2 . An error may occur in the process of generating print data by the printer control module 43 or in the process of executing printing by the printer 2 . Errors include, for example, split printing division error, printer 2 running out of tape, and tape type mismatch between the print job and the printer 2 .

A division error is an error indicating that the relationship between the size of image data and the number of divisions in split printing is such that proper division is difficult. The printer control module 43 returns an error command including split error information to the screen control module 42 when split printing is included in the received print job and the division error is determined. Processing of the printer control module 43 will be described later.

Note that there are multiple types of division errors, and multiple coping commands for each division error. The coping commands include, for example, canceling printing, deleting a part of the image, and scaling the image. The CPU 11 may determine a handling command for each print job based on, for example, the user name of the user who is editing the image, the number of images to be printed, and the like. Alternatively, countermeasure commands determined in advance for each type of division error may be stored in the nonvolatile memory 14, and in S207, the CPU 11 may read out the stored countermeasure commands. Alternatively, when a division error occurs, a user's selection of a coping method may be accepted, and a coping command may be determined based on the user's selection. Details of division errors and coping commands will be described later.

On the other hand, when determining that it is not a division error (S206: NO), the CPU 11 controls the display 19 to display an error message according to the content of the error (S209). Errors other than the division error may be processed in the same manner as in the conventional art, and description thereof will be omitted here.

After S208 or S209, the CPU 11 determines whether or not information to stop processing has been input from the printer control module 43 (S210). When a command to stop the printing process is sent as the countermeasure command, the printer control module 43 stops the process. Further, if the error is not resolved or if the printer 2 receives an instruction to cancel printing from the user, the printer control module 43 may stop processing. When the printer control module 43 cancels the process, the printer control module 43 inputs cancellation information to the screen control module 42 .

If it is determined that information for canceling has been input from the printer control module 43 (S210: YES), the CPU 11 ends the print job generation process and returns to the screen control process. If it is determined that an error has not been received (S205: NO), or if it is determined that information for canceling has not been input (S210: NO), the CPU 11 receives information for printing end from the printer control module 43. It is determined whether or not (S211). If it is determined that the print end has not been received (S211: NO), the CPU 11 returns to S205 and waits until an error or print end is received. When determining that the print end has been received (S211: YES), the CPU 11 ends the print job generation process and returns to the screen control process.

Returning to the description of the screen control process in FIG. 3, when determining that an instruction input to the print execution button 54 has not been received (S112: NO), the CPU 11 determines whether or not an end instruction has been received (S114). If it is determined that the end instruction has not been received (S114: NO), or after the print job generation process of S113 or after the preview display of S111, the CPU 11 returns to S102 and receives various instruction inputs. When determining that the end instruction has been received (S114: YES), the CPU 11 ends the screen control process.

Next, the procedure of printer control processing executed by the printer control module 43 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This printer control process is executed by the CPU 11 of the PC 1 when, for example, an execution command input in S204 of the print job generation process described above is received. Note that the execution command that triggers execution of the printer control process is not limited to that input from the screen control module 42 of the label creation application 40 . The printer control module 43 receives execution commands including print jobs from various programs that cause the printer 2 to execute printing, and executes printer control processing based on the received print jobs.

The execution command input to the printer control module 43 includes, for example, a print job for split printing. The process of receiving an execution command including a print job of split printing in the printer control module 43 is an example of the command receiving process. A print job for split printing includes information indicating image data to be printed, information indicating the width of the print medium, and information indicating the number of divisions for split printing. When the execution command includes a print job for split printing, among the information included in the print job, the information indicating the image data to be printed is an example of image information, and the information indicating the width of the print medium is the width setting. Information indicating the division number of split printing is an example of data, and an example of division number setting data.

The information indicating the image data to be printed may be the top address of the storage area in the memory in which the image data is saved, or may be identification information indicating the file containing the image data. The image data may be vector data or raster data. The information indicating the width of the print medium may be information indicating the numerical value of the tape width, or may be identification information indicating the type of tape. The information indicating the division number of split printing is, for example, a numerical value of 1 or more. The printer control module 43 receives information indicating the width of the print medium and information indicating the number of divisions for split printing as independent data.

In the printer control process, the CPU 11 stores image data to be printed in the memory (S302). For example, when receiving an execution command from the screen control module 42, the CPU 11 saves in the memory image data included in the print job input in S204 of the print job generation process.

Next, the CPU 11 reads the image data from the memory and generates print data. The CPU 11 determines whether image data necessary for generating print data is cached in a predetermined storage area (S303). A buffer (not shown) provided in the CPU 11 is an example of a storage area used for cache. When determining that the image data is not cached (S303: NO), the CPU 11 reads the image data saved in S302 from the memory and caches it (S304). When determining that the image data is cached (S303: YES), the CPU 11 reads out the cached image data from the predetermined storage area (S305). By caching the image data, it is possible to reduce the time required to read the image data when the same image data is used repeatedly, such as in a print job of split printing.

After S304 or S305, the CPU 11 determines whether the number of divisions of the print job being executed is less than 2 (S306). If the number of divisions is smaller than 2, it is not split printing, so the image is not divided and the entire image is printed on one label. That is, when determining that the number of divisions is smaller than 2 (S306: YES), the CPU 11 binarizes the read image data to obtain binary image data (S307), and further rasterizes the binary image data. to generate print data (S308). If the printer 2 can print multiple gradations, the CPU 11 may generate print data based on gradation image data instead of binary image data.

Further, the CPU 11 adds information about the print medium, print settings, etc. to the generated print data to generate a print command (S309). Then, the CPU 11 controls the network IF 16 or USB-IF 17 of the PC 1 to transmit the generated print command to the printer 2 (S310) as shown in FIG. 2, and terminates the printer control process.

The transmission of the print command from the printer control module 43 to the printer 2 is not limited to direct transmission from the PC 1 to the printer 2, but may be via a relay device. For example, the printer 2 may be connected to a print server or the like and receive signals via the print server. In that case, the PC 1 transmits a print command to the print server and requests the print server to transmit the print command to the printer 2 .

On the other hand, when determining that the number of divisions is 2 or more (S306: NO), the CPU 11 executes division image data generation processing (S312). If the number of divisions is 2 or more, the CPU 11 performs split printing. The split image data generation process is a process for generating image data to be printed by cutting out a portion of the image data to be split printed. Split image data generation processing is an example of split image data generation processing. The procedure of the divided image data generation process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In the divided image data generation process, the CPU 11 first determines whether or not the number of divisions exceeds the upper limit (S401). The printer control module 43 sets an upper limit on the number of divisions so that an unrealistically large number of divisions is not performed. The upper limit of the number of divisions may be added to the execution command and received from the screen control module 42, or may be preset in the printer control module 43, for example. The printer control module 43 of this embodiment sets the upper limit to 1000, for example.

When determining that the number of divisions does not exceed the upper limit (S401: NO), the CPU 11 acquires the size of the image data in the width direction (S402). In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, image data is divided in the width direction. The size of the image data in the width direction when the image data is divided in the width direction is an example of the size of the image data in the division direction. Note that the size of the image data corresponds to the number of dots of print data based on the image data. If the image data is raster data, the CPU 11 acquires the size of the image data based on the number of dots in the image data. get the size.

Then, the CPU 11 divides the size of the image data in the width direction by the number of divisions set in the print job (S403). The CPU 11 determines whether the quotient obtained by dividing the size of the image data by the number of divisions is 1 or more (S404).

If it is determined that the quotient is not equal to or greater than 1 (S404: NO), the CPU 11 executes oversize error processing (S405). A quotient of less than 1 means that the size of the image data in the width direction is smaller than the number of divisions. In this case, even if an image for one dot in the width direction is printed on one tape, the number of tapes for the entire image is smaller than the number of divisions, and appropriate division is not achieved. Judge it as an error. For example, the size of the image data in the width direction is 200, and the number of divisions is 300. In this embodiment, the maximum number of divisions into which one piece of image data can be divided is the size of the image data in the width direction. The maximum divisible number of divisions is an example of the maximum divisible number.

The procedure of the size exceeded error processing will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The CPU 11 inputs an over-size error command, which is information indicating that an over-size error has occurred, to the program that output the execution command that triggered execution of the current printer control process (S501).

If the execution trigger this time is the screen control module 42 , the CPU 11 inputs an oversize error command to the screen control module 42 . S501 is an example of over-size error input processing. As a result, the screen control module 42 determines that an over-size error, which is one of division errors, has occurred in S206 of the print job generation process of FIG. input. In this case, the countermeasure command to be input is an example of an oversize error countermeasure command, and S209 is an example of an oversize error countermeasure command input process.

In the oversize error process of FIG. 9, the CPU 11 receives a countermeasure command indicating countermeasures for the error command input in S501 (S502). The printer control module 43 of the present embodiment has two types of countermeasures against an oversize error: stopping printing and enlarging an image. The CPU 11 determines which countermeasure process to execute based on the countermeasure command received in S502.

The CPU 11 determines whether the received coping command is a command to stop printing (S503). If it is determined that the command indicates to stop printing (S503: YES), the CPU 11 terminates the oversize error process and returns to the divided image data generation process.

On the other hand, if the CPU 11 determines that the command is not a command to stop printing (S503: NO), the CPU 11 controls the display 19 to display a warning message (S504). For example, since the size of the image data in the width direction is less than the number of divisions, the CPU 11 displays a message warning that an enlarged image will be printed.

Further, the CPU 11 generates image data by enlarging the size of the original image data in the width direction (S505). S505 is an example of expansion processing. The CPU 11 stretches the image data in the width direction until it reaches a size that can be divided by the number of divisions. For example, the CPU 11 expands the image data to the minimum size in which the maximum number of divisions that can be divided in the width direction of the image data becomes the number of divisions included in the execution command. As the stretching process, the CPU 11 executes, for example, addition of blank data and enlargement of the entire image. The CPU 11 may also stretch the image data in the length direction. The image data generated in S505 is an example of extended image data. Then, the CPU 11 terminates the oversize error process and returns to the divided image data generation process.

Returning to the description of the divided image data generation process in FIG. 8, when determining that the quotient obtained by dividing the size of the image data by the number of divisions is 1 or more (S404: YES), the CPU 11 determines whether there is a remainder. It judges (S406). If it is determined that there is a remainder (S406: YES), the CPU 11 executes indivisible error processing (S407). The remainder means that the size of the image data in the width direction is not a multiple of the number of divisions and cannot be divided evenly. In this case, since it cannot be divided equally as it is, the CPU 11 determines that there is a division error when there is a remainder. For example, the size of the image data in the width direction is 100, and the number of divisions is 3. In this case, the image data corresponding to one dot, which is the remainder obtained by dividing 100 by 3, is the image data for the surplus amount.

The procedure of the indivisibility error processing will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The CPU 11 inputs an indivisible error command, which is information indicating that an indivisible error has occurred, to the program that output the execution command that triggered the execution of the current printer control process (S601).

If the current execution trigger is the screen control module 42 , the CPU 11 inputs an undividable error command to the screen control module 42 . S601 is an example of an indivisible error input process. As a result, the screen control module 42 determines that an undividable error, which is one of the division errors, has occurred in S206 of the print job generation process of FIG. input. In this case, the countermeasure command to be input is an example of an undividable error countermeasure command, and S209 is an example of an indivisible error countermeasure command input process.

In the indivisible error process of FIG. 10, the CPU 11 receives a countermeasure command indicating countermeasures for the error command input in S601 (S602). The printer control module 43 of the present embodiment has three kinds of countermeasures against an indivisible error, that is, stopping printing, deleting a part of an image, and enlarging an image. The CPU 11 determines which countermeasure process to execute based on the countermeasure command received in S602.

The CPU 11 determines whether the received command is a command to stop printing (S603). If it is determined that the command indicates to stop printing (S603: YES), the CPU 11 terminates the undividable error process and returns to the divided image data generation process.

On the other hand, if the CPU 11 determines that the received command is not a command to stop printing (S603: NO), the CPU 11 determines whether the received command is a command to partially delete the image (S604). If it is determined that the command indicates partial deletion of the image (S604: YES), the CPU 11 controls the display 19 to display a warning message (S605). For example, since the size of the image data in the width direction cannot be evenly divided by the number of divisions, the CPU 11 displays a warning message to delete the remainder before printing.

Further, the CPU 11 deletes the image data corresponding to the excess (S606). S606 is an example of deletion processing. As part of the image deletion process, the CPU 11, for example, generates image data in which a portion excessively corresponding to the upper end or the lower end of the image is deleted. The image data generated in S606 is an example of partially deleted image data.

If it is determined that the command does not indicate partial deletion of the image (S604: NO), the CPU 11 controls the display 19 to display a warning message (S607). For example, the CPU 11 displays a message warning that an enlarged image will be printed because the size of the image data in the width direction cannot be evenly divided by the number of divisions.

Further, the CPU 11 generates image data by enlarging the size of the original image data in the width direction (S608). S608 is an example of surplus extension processing. The CPU 11 stretches the image data in the width direction until the size is such that there is no remainder. For example, the CPU 11 expands the size of the image data in the width direction to the minimum size that can be divided equally. As the stretching process, the CPU 11 executes, for example, addition of blank data and enlargement of the entire image. The CPU 11 may also stretch the image data in the length direction. The image data generated in S607 is an example of surplus extended image data. After S606 or S608, the CPU 11 ends the division impossible error processing and returns to the divided image data generation processing.

After the warning message is displayed in S504 for the oversize error process and S605 and S607 for the undividable error process, the user may be asked whether to continue the process. Then, image data may be generated when an instruction to continue is received.

Returning to the description of the divided image data generation processing in FIG. 8, it is determined whether or not it is decided to stop printing in the over-size error processing in S405 and the undividable error processing in S407 (S408). If it is determined that printing is to be stopped (S408: YES), or if it is determined that the number of divisions exceeds the upper limit (S401: YES), the CPU 11 transfers the printing stop information to the current printer control process. The execution command that triggered the execution is input to the output program (S409), the divided image data generation process is terminated, and the process returns to the printer control process.

If the execution trigger of this time is the screen control module 42 , the CPU 11 inputs to the screen control module 42 the information to stop printing. When the screen control module 42 receives the print cancellation information from the printer control module 43, the screen control module 42 determines YES in S210 of the print job generation process in FIG.

On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no remainder (S406: NO), or if it is determined that printing is not to be canceled (S408: NO), the CPU 11 extracts image data corresponding to each print area from the original image data. is cut out (S410). The CPU 11 cuts out the image data of the area to be printed from the original image data or the image data generated by the oversize error process or the undividable error process, and generates the image data of each partial image. Image data of each partial image is stored in memory. The image data of the partial image generated in S410 is an example of split image data. Further, the CPU 11 ends the divided image data generation process and returns to the printer control process.

Returning to the description of the printer control process in FIG. 7, after the divided image data generation process of S312, it is determined whether printing has been stopped (S313). If it is determined not to stop printing (S313: NO), the CPU 11 sequentially executes the same processes as S307 to S310 for each image data cut out in S410 of the divided image data generation process. That is, the CPU 11 binarizes the image data (S314), rasterizes it (S315), generates print data (S316), and transmits a print command including the generated print data to the printer 2 (S317). S317 is an example of split image data transmission processing.

Then, the CPU 11 determines whether all the image data cut out in the divided image data generation process have been processed (S318). When determining that the processing has not ended (S318: NO), the CPU 11 executes S314 to S317 for the next image data. If the CPU 11 determines that the printing has ended (S318: YES), or if it determines that the printing has been stopped (S313: YES), the CPU 11 ends the printer control process.

As described above, the printer control module 43 of this embodiment has a plurality of countermeasure processes for each division error, and receives a countermeasure command from the screen control module 42 when it is determined that there is a division error. Therefore, there is a wide range of options for error countermeasures in the screen control module 42 . The screen control module 42 may automatically determine the countermeasure process to be adopted, or may accept the user's selection when an error occurs.

Further, the screen control module 42 may allow the user to select in advance the countermeasure process to be adopted, and store the selected information. For example, a countermeasure selection object may be provided in the instruction reception screen 50 for selecting a division error countermeasure process for each division error type. In this case, the process of receiving settings in the countermeasure selection object is an example of the oversize countermeasure setting process, and the process of receiving settings in the countermeasure selection object is an example of the undividable countermeasure setting process. Further, the plurality of types of countermeasure processing that can be selected by the countermeasure selection object is an example of oversize countermeasure processing, and the plurality of types of countermeasure processing that can be selected by the countermeasure selection object is an example of indivisible countermeasure processing.

Then, the screen control module 42 stores, in a predetermined area of the non-volatile memory 14, information indicating the countermeasure processing received in the countermeasure selection object for each division error type. The predetermined area is an area accessible by both the screen control module 42 and the printer control module 43 . The screen control module 42 can write information to this area, and the printer control module 43 can read information from this area. The information indicating the selected countermeasure is an example of the oversize countermeasure information or the undividable countermeasure information, and the process of storing the information indicating the selected countermeasure is the oversized countermeasure information storage process or the undividable countermeasure information storage process. An example.

In this case, when the printer control module 43 determines that there is a division error in the divided image data generation process, instead of transmitting an error command to the screen control module 42 and receiving a countermeasure command from the screen control module 42, Information indicating countermeasures is read out from the security memory 14 . Specifically, in place of S501 and S502 of the oversize error processing and S601 and S602 of the undivisible error processing, a step of reading out information indicating the countermeasure selected from each predetermined area is provided. In this way, the printer control module 43 does not need to exchange information with the screen control module 42 when an error occurs, and can select and execute the countermeasure selected by the user.

Note that the printer control module 43 may determine countermeasure processing by itself, for example, based on the size of the print job or the size of the number of divisions. Alternatively, the printer control module 43 may have only one process as a division error countermeasure process. In these cases, the printer control module 43 does not need to input an error command to the screen control module 42 or receive a countermeasure command, and executes the determined countermeasure processing.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the screen control module 42 displays a plurality of options for combinations of tape widths and division numbers in the paper setting field 52, as shown in FIG. The instruction acceptance screen 50 that displays the combination of the tape width and the number of divisions as the paper setting field 52 is an example of the first split print editing screen. The screen control module 42 that displays the instruction acceptance screen 50 is an example of a first screen control module. An execution command input from the screen control module 42 that accepts paper settings from a plurality of options for combinations of tape widths and division numbers is an example of a first execution command.

On the other hand, the screen control module 42 may display an input object for inputting the tape width and the number of divisions, instead of displaying a plurality of options for combinations of the tape width and the number of divisions. For example, the paper setting field 52 of the instruction acceptance screen 50 may display a width input object for accepting numerical input of the tape width and a division number input object for accepting numerical input of the number of divisions. Alternatively, a plurality of options may be displayed on each input object to accept selection. By inputting the tape width and the number of divisions, combinations other than those prepared in advance can be handled.

For example, the instruction acceptance screen 50 that displays an input object for inputting the tape width and the number of divisions as the paper setting field 52 is an example of the second split print editing screen. The screen control module 42 that displays the instruction acceptance screen 50 is an example of a second screen control module. The execution command input from the screen control module 42, which accepts input with an input object capable of inputting the tape width and the number of divisions, is an example of the second execution command.

The printer control module 43 of this embodiment is an input object capable of inputting the tape width and the number of divisions as well as the execution command input from the program that accepts paper settings from a plurality of options for the combination of the tape width and the number of divisions. It is also possible to accept an execution command input from a program that accepts paper settings in . The printer control module 43 also accepts execution commands not only from the screen control module 42 but also from other programs that use different methods of setting the tape width and division number. An execution command received from any program includes the tape width and the number of divisions as independent information.

Note that the printer control module may, for example, receive input of information indicating a combination selected from a plurality of options for combinations of tape width and number of divisions. In this way, while the amount of information to be input can be reduced, it is necessary to share the tape width and division number information corresponding to the combination information between the calling program and the printer control module. Therefore, for example, to increase the number of combination options, it is necessary to modify both the calling program and the printer control module, and the versatility of the printer control module is low. Since the printer control module 43 of this embodiment accepts an execution command that includes the tape width and the number of divisions as independent information, only the program on the calling side needs to be modified to increase the number of options, and versatility is high.

As described in detail above, according to the printing system described in this specification, the screen control module 42 inputs the width of the print medium and the number of divisions in split printing to the printer control module 43 as independent data. . The printer control module 43 divides the image data based on each input data and performs split printing. Therefore, for example, even if the screen control module 42 accepts more options for the width of the print medium and the number of divisions, the printer control module 43 can cope without modification, and the split printing process can be executed appropriately. That is, in editing image data for causing the printer 2 to perform split printing, both the screen control module 42 and the printer control module 43 have a high degree of freedom in selecting the width of the print medium and the number of divisions, and can be used for various purposes. can also handle

Furthermore, the screen control module 42 generates image data for preview display, previews it on the instruction reception screen 50, and updates the preview display by reflecting the editing results. A paper setting instruction or an image editing instruction can be given. In addition, by controlling the screen control module 42 to input the information displayed in preview to the printer control module 43, the possibility of obtaining printed matter with the same image as the image preview-displayed by the screen control module 42 increases. .

Further, the order in which the screen control module 42 determines whether or not an instruction has been received on the instruction reception screen 50 is not limited to the order of the screen control processing described above. That is, in the screen control process shown in FIG. 3, the determinations of S102, S104, S107, S109, and S112 are not limited to the order shown in the figure, and it is preferable to execute the process from the instruction input by the user. Regardless of the order, the screen control module 42 inputs the preview-displayed information to the printer control module 43 when the execution instruction is received. This increases the possibility of obtaining a printed matter having the same image as the image preview-displayed by the screen control module 42 .

Also, in this specification, the width direction of the tape-shaped print medium is used as the dividing direction for split printing. Limiting the division direction to one direction simplifies control. In addition, split printing is suitable for label printers because a larger image can be expressed by arranging a plurality of labels. However, the division direction is not limited to the width direction, and the division may be performed in the length direction. Even when dividing in the length direction, split printing can be performed on a plurality of print media by the same processing as the label creation application 40 of the present embodiment.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, in the paper setting field 52 of the instruction reception screen 50, options that combine the tape width and the number of divisions are displayed, and the user is allowed to select options prepared in advance. You can avoid entering unnecessary information. Alternatively, if numerical inputs for the tape width and the number of divisions are accepted, the width of the print medium and the number of divisions that can be set are increased, so that a wider variety of applications can be accommodated.

If the number of divisions exceeds the maximum possible number of divisions corresponding to the size of the image data in the direction of division, the division is practically impossible. By doing so, abnormal operations can be suppressed. For example, if the printer control module 43 takes action according to instructions from the screen control module 42 , an appropriate action can be selected by designing the screen control module 42 . Also, for example, if the printer control module 43 automatically expands the target image data and enables printing, it is possible to avoid a situation in which printed matter cannot be obtained. Further, for example, if the printer control module 43 prepares a plurality of countermeasures and allows the user to select the countermeasure, the usability of the application program will be improved.

If the target image data is not divisible by the number of divisions, even division is not possible, and there is a high possibility that the split printing desired by the user cannot be performed. By doing so, it is possible to suppress abnormal operations. For example, if the printer control module 43 takes action according to instructions from the screen control module 42 , an appropriate action can be selected by designing the screen control module 42 . Also, for example, if the printer control module 43 does not print the surplus portion and allows printing of the other portion, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the printed matter cannot be obtained. Also, for example, if the printer control module 43 expands the image data so as not to generate surplus data and enables printing, it is possible to avoid a situation in which printed matter cannot be obtained. Further, for example, if the printer control module 43 prepares a plurality of countermeasures and allows the user to select the countermeasure, the usability of the application program will be improved.

In addition, the screen control module 42 may select an option indicating a combination of the tape width and the number of divisions, or accept numerical input of each of the tape width and the number of divisions. The printer control module 43 described herein accepts execution commands from any screen control module 42 . Therefore, the screen control module 42 can be designed with a high degree of freedom and can be used for various purposes.

It should be noted that the present embodiment is merely an example, and does not limit the present invention in any way. Therefore, the present invention can naturally be improved and modified in various ways without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the number of PC 1 and printer 2 is not limited to one, and a printing system in which a plurality of units are connected may be used.

Also, the printer 2 is not limited to a label printer. The printing method is not limited to the thermal transfer method, and may be, for example, an inkjet method, an electrophotographic method, or a thermal method. Also, the print medium is not limited to tape, and may be roll paper, plain paper, postcards, or cards, for example. The size and material of the print medium can be anything.

Further, the input IF 18 is not limited to one that directly receives input from the user at the PC 1, and includes one that receives input via communication via a network or the like, for example. For example, data such as a web page that accepts input is sent to another device, the input to the web page is accepted by the other device, and the input data is accepted by receiving the entered web page by the PC 1. It may be a configuration. In that case, the PC 1 may not have at least one of the input IF 18 and the display 19 .

Also, the screen control module 42 may accept editing and printing of a plurality of images. For example, the screen control module 42 may accept an instruction for split printing in printing based on an image file containing multiple images, copy printing in which the same image is printed multiple times, or the like. In that case, the printer control module 43 receives a print job including a plurality of images from the screen control module 42, and repeats the above-described processing by the number of received jobs.

Also, the processing disclosed in the embodiments may be performed 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, a method, and the like.

1 PC
2 Printer 11 CPU
14 non-volatile memory 16 network IF
17 USB-IF
18 input interface
19 display 40 label creation application 42 screen control module 43 printer control module 50 instruction acceptance screen

Claims (12)

An application program executable by a computer of an information processing device and comprising a screen control module and a printer control module,
The screen control module causes the computer to:
A screen for displaying, on a display, a split print edit screen for accepting, via a user interface, an instruction to edit an image to be split print processed, an instruction to set the split print process, and an instruction to execute the split print process. Display processing is executed, and the split printing processing is processing for causing a printer to perform split printing in which split images obtained by dividing one image are printed on a printing medium, and the target image to be subjected to the split printing processing is , an image in a state before being divided into the split images, and the setting of the split printing process includes the width of the print medium to be the target of the split printing and the number of divisions of the split printing,
Further, the screen control module causes the computer to:
After the split print edit screen is displayed on the display, when the execution instruction for the split print process is accepted via the user interface, image information, width setting data, and division number setting data are transferred to each other. execution command input processing for inputting an execution command including an execution command to the printer control module, and the image information is information indicating target image data indicating the target image edited by the editing instruction via the user interface. The width setting data is data indicating the setting according to the setting instruction via the user interface, and is data indicating the width of the printing medium to be subjected to the split printing, and the division number setting data is , the data indicating the setting by the setting instruction through the user interface, the data indicating the division number, the width setting data and the division number setting data being independent data;
The printer control module causes the computer to:
When the execution command is input from the screen control module, the object indicated in the image information included in the execution command is determined based on the width setting data and the division number setting data included in the execution command. Split image data generation processing is executed for dividing image data and generating split image data to be used for the split printing, wherein the split image data divides the target image into the width indicated by the width setting data, and the number of divisions is set. image data representing the split image, which is an image divided into the number of divisions indicated by the data;
Further, the printer control module causes the computer to:
split image data transmission processing for transmitting the split image data generated by the split image data generation processing to the printer via a communication interface of the information processing device;
and
Further, the screen control module causes the computer to:
In the screen display process,
displaying on the split print edit screen a width input object for accepting a numerical input for the width of the print medium to be split printed and a division number input object for accepting a numerical input for the number of divisions for split printing;
In the execution command input process,
When the execution instruction is received via the user interface in a state in which numerical values are input to the width input object and the division number input object displayed on the split print editing screen, the width input object causing the printer control module to input the execution command including the width setting data indicating the numerical value input to the division number input object and the division number setting data indicating the numerical value input to the division number input object;
Further, the printer control module
The number of divisions indicated by the number of divisions setting data included in the execution command exceeds the maximum number of possible divisions corresponding to the size of the target image data in the direction of division indicated by the image information included in the execution command. case,
causing the computer to execute an over-size error input process of inputting an over-size error command indicating that the number of divisions exceeds the size of the image data to the screen control module;
The screen control module is
causing the computer to execute an over-size error handling command input process of inputting an over-size error handling command for handling the over-size error command into the printer control module when the over-size error command is input;
The printer control module includes:
causing the computer to execute a process corresponding to the over-size error handling command when the over-size error handling command is input ;
An application program characterized by: An application program executable by a computer of an information processing device and comprising a screen control module and a printer control module,
The screen control module causes the computer to:
A screen for displaying, on a display, a split print edit screen for accepting, via a user interface, an instruction to edit an image to be split print processed, an instruction to set the split print process, and an instruction to execute the split print process. Display processing is executed, and the split printing processing is processing for causing a printer to perform split printing in which split images obtained by dividing one image are printed on a printing medium, and the target image to be subjected to the split printing processing is , an image in a state before being divided into the split images, and the setting of the split printing process includes the width of the print medium to be the target of the split printing and the number of divisions of the split printing,
Further, the screen control module causes the computer to:
After the split print edit screen is displayed on the display, when the execution instruction for the split print process is accepted via the user interface, image information, width setting data, and division number setting data are transferred to each other. execution command input processing for inputting an execution command including an execution command to the printer control module, and the image information is information indicating target image data indicating the target image edited by the editing instruction via the user interface. The width setting data is data indicating the setting according to the setting instruction via the user interface, and is data indicating the width of the printing medium to be subjected to the split printing, and the division number setting data is , the data indicating the setting by the setting instruction through the user interface, the data indicating the division number, the width setting data and the division number setting data being independent data;
The printer control module causes the computer to:
When the execution command is input from the screen control module, the object indicated in the image information included in the execution command is determined based on the width setting data and the division number setting data included in the execution command. Split image data generation processing is executed for dividing image data and generating split image data to be used for the split printing, wherein the split image data divides the target image into the width indicated by the width setting data, and the number of divisions is set. image data representing the split image, which is an image divided into the number of divisions indicated by the data;
Further, the printer control module causes the computer to:
split image data transmission processing for transmitting the split image data generated by the split image data generation processing to the printer via a communication interface of the information processing device;
and
Further, the screen control module causes the computer to:
In the screen display process,
displaying on the split print edit screen a width input object for accepting a numerical input for the width of the print medium to be split printed and a division number input object for accepting a numerical input for the number of divisions for split printing;
In the execution command input process,
When the execution instruction is received via the user interface in a state in which numerical values are input to the width input object and the division number input object displayed on the split print editing screen, the width input object causing the printer control module to input the execution command including the width setting data indicating the numerical value input to the division number input object and the division number setting data indicating the numerical value input to the division number input object;
Further, the printer control module
The number of divisions indicated by the number of divisions setting data included in the execution command exceeds the maximum number of possible divisions corresponding to the size of the target image data in the direction of division indicated by the image information included in the execution command. a plurality of types of over-size countermeasure processing can be executed as the over-size countermeasure processing executed when
The screen control module causes the computer to:
an over-size countermeasure setting process for receiving a setting of the over-size countermeasure process to be executed among the plurality of types of over-size countermeasure processes;
an over-size countermeasure information storage process for storing, in a memory of the information processing apparatus, over-size countermeasure information indicating the over-size countermeasure process set in the over-size countermeasure setting process;
and
The printer control module causes the computer to:
The division number indicated by the division number setting data included in the execution command is the maximum divisible number corresponding to the size in the division direction of the target image data indicated in the image information included in the execution command. if the size exceeds, reading the over-size countermeasure information from the memory and executing the over-size countermeasure processing indicated by the read over-size countermeasure information ;
An application program characterized by: The application program according to claim 1 or claim 2 ,
The printer control module includes:
When the target image data indicated by the image information included in the execution command cannot be evenly divided by the division number indicated by the division number setting data included in the execution command,
The division direction size of the target image data indicated by the image information included in the execution command is determined based on the width setting data and the division number setting data included in the execution command. surplus expansion processing for expanding the target image data indicated by the image information to a size that does not generate a surplus when the target image data indicated by the image information is evenly divided by the division number indicated by the division number setting data included in the execution command; let the computer run
In the split image data generating process, the surplus extended image data, which is image data extended from the target image data by the surplus extension process, is divided to generate the split image data;
In the split image data transmission process, the split image data generated by dividing the surplus extended image data is transmitted to the printer.
An application program characterized by: An application program executable by a computer of an information processing device and comprising a screen control module and a printer control module,
The screen control module causes the computer to:
A screen for displaying, on a display, a split print edit screen for accepting, via a user interface, an instruction to edit an image to be split print processed, an instruction to set the split print process, and an instruction to execute the split print process. Display processing is executed, and the split printing processing is processing for causing a printer to perform split printing in which split images obtained by dividing one image are printed on a printing medium, and the target image to be subjected to the split printing processing is , an image in a state before being divided into the split images, and the setting of the split printing process includes the width of the print medium to be the target of the split printing and the number of divisions of the split printing,
Further, the screen control module causes the computer to:
After the split print edit screen is displayed on the display, when the execution instruction for the split print process is accepted via the user interface, image information, width setting data, and division number setting data are transferred to each other. execution command input processing for inputting an execution command including an execution command to the printer control module, and the image information is information indicating target image data indicating the target image edited by the editing instruction via the user interface. The width setting data is data indicating the setting according to the setting instruction via the user interface, and is data indicating the width of the printing medium to be subjected to the split printing, and the division number setting data is , the data indicating the setting by the setting instruction through the user interface, the data indicating the division number, the width setting data and the division number setting data being independent data;
The printer control module causes the computer to:
When the execution command is input from the screen control module, the object indicated in the image information included in the execution command is determined based on the width setting data and the division number setting data included in the execution command. Split image data generation processing is executed for dividing image data and generating split image data to be used for the split printing, wherein the split image data divides the target image into the width indicated by the width setting data, and the number of divisions is set. image data representing the split image, which is an image divided into the number of divisions indicated by the data;
Further, the printer control module causes the computer to:
split image data transmission processing for transmitting the split image data generated by the split image data generation processing to the printer via a communication interface of the information processing device;
and
Further, the screen control module causes the computer to:
In the screen display process,
displaying on the split print edit screen a width input object for accepting a numerical input for the width of the print medium to be split printed and a division number input object for accepting a numerical input for the number of divisions for split printing;
In the execution command input process,
When the execution instruction is received via the user interface in a state in which numerical values are input to the width input object and the division number input object displayed on the split print editing screen, the width input object causing the printer control module to input the execution command including the width setting data indicating the numerical value input to the division number input object and the division number setting data indicating the numerical value input to the division number input object;
Further, the printer control module
When the target image data indicated by the image information included in the execution command cannot be evenly divided by the division number indicated by the division number setting data included in the execution command,
causing the computer to execute an undividable error input process of inputting an undividable error command indicating undividable into the screen control module;
The screen control module is
causing the computer to execute an indivisible error coping command input process of inputting an indivisible error coping command for coping with the indivisible error command to the printer control module when the indivisible error command is input;
The printer control module includes:
causing the computer to execute a process corresponding to the indivisible error handling command when the indivisible error handling command is input ;
An application program characterized by: An application program executable by a computer of an information processing device and comprising a screen control module and a printer control module,
The screen control module causes the computer to:
A screen for displaying, on a display, a split print edit screen for accepting, via a user interface, an instruction to edit an image to be split print processed, an instruction to set the split print process, and an instruction to execute the split print process. Display processing is executed, and the split printing processing is processing for causing a printer to perform split printing in which split images obtained by dividing one image are printed on a printing medium, and the target image to be subjected to the split printing processing is , an image in a state before being divided into the split images, and the setting of the split printing process includes the width of the print medium to be the target of the split printing and the number of divisions of the split printing,
Further, the screen control module causes the computer to:
After the split print edit screen is displayed on the display, when the execution instruction for the split print process is accepted via the user interface, image information, width setting data, and division number setting data are transferred to each other. execution command input processing for inputting an execution command including an execution command to the printer control module, and the image information is information indicating target image data indicating the target image edited by the editing instruction via the user interface. The width setting data is data indicating the setting according to the setting instruction via the user interface, and is data indicating the width of the printing medium to be subjected to the split printing, and the division number setting data is , the data indicating the setting by the setting instruction through the user interface, the data indicating the division number, the width setting data and the division number setting data being independent data;
The printer control module causes the computer to:
When the execution command is input from the screen control module, the object indicated in the image information included in the execution command is determined based on the width setting data and the division number setting data included in the execution command. Split image data generation processing is executed for dividing image data and generating split image data to be used for the split printing, wherein the split image data divides the target image into the width indicated by the width setting data, and the number of divisions is set. image data representing the split image, which is an image divided into the number of divisions indicated by the data;
Further, the printer control module causes the computer to:
split image data transmission processing for transmitting the split image data generated by the split image data generation processing to the printer via a communication interface of the information processing device;
and
Further, the screen control module causes the computer to:
In the screen display process,
displaying on the split print edit screen a width input object for accepting a numerical input for the width of the print medium to be split printed and a division number input object for accepting a numerical input for the number of divisions for split printing;
In the execution command input process,
When the execution instruction is received via the user interface in a state in which numerical values are input to the width input object and the division number input object displayed on the split print editing screen, the width input object causing the printer control module to input the execution command including the width setting data indicating the numerical value input to the division number input object and the division number setting data indicating the numerical value input to the division number input object;
Further, the printer control module
When the target image data indicated by the image information included in the execution command cannot be evenly divided by the division number indicated by the division number setting data included in the execution command,
Deletion processing for deleting a surplus amount of image data from the target image data indicated by the image information included in the execution command based on the width setting data and the division number setting data included in the execution command. causing the computer to execute
In the split image data generating process, split image data is generated by dividing partially deleted image data, which is image data obtained by deleting a surplus amount of image data from the target image data by the deleting process, and
In the split image data transmission process, the split image data generated by dividing the partially deleted image data is transmitted to the printer .
An application program characterized by: An application program executable by a computer of an information processing device and comprising a screen control module and a printer control module,
The screen control module causes the computer to:
A screen for displaying, on a display, a split print edit screen for accepting, via a user interface, an instruction to edit an image to be split print processed, an instruction to set the split print process, and an instruction to execute the split print process. Display processing is executed, and the split printing processing is processing for causing a printer to perform split printing in which split images obtained by dividing one image are printed on a printing medium, and the target image to be subjected to the split printing processing is , an image in a state before being divided into the split images, and the setting of the split printing process includes the width of the print medium to be the target of the split printing and the number of divisions of the split printing,
Further, the screen control module causes the computer to:
After the split print edit screen is displayed on the display, when the execution instruction for the split print process is accepted via the user interface, image information, width setting data, and division number setting data are transferred to each other. execution command input processing for inputting an execution command including an execution command to the printer control module, and the image information is information indicating target image data indicating the target image edited by the editing instruction via the user interface. The width setting data is data indicating the setting according to the setting instruction via the user interface, and is data indicating the width of the printing medium to be subjected to the split printing, and the division number setting data is , the data indicating the setting by the setting instruction through the user interface, the data indicating the division number, the width setting data and the division number setting data being independent data;
The printer control module causes the computer to:
When the execution command is input from the screen control module, the object indicated in the image information included in the execution command is determined based on the width setting data and the division number setting data included in the execution command. Split image data generation processing is executed for dividing image data and generating split image data to be used for the split printing, wherein the split image data divides the target image into the width indicated by the width setting data, and the number of divisions is set. image data representing the split image, which is an image divided into the number of divisions indicated by the data;
Further, the printer control module causes the computer to:
split image data transmission processing for transmitting the split image data generated by the split image data generation processing to the printer via a communication interface of the information processing device;
and
Further, the screen control module causes the computer to:
In the screen display process,
displaying on the split print edit screen a width input object for accepting a numerical input for the width of the print medium to be split printed and a division number input object for accepting a numerical input for the number of divisions for split printing;
In the execution command input process,
When the execution instruction is received via the user interface in a state in which numerical values are input to the width input object and the division number input object displayed on the split print editing screen, the width input object causing the printer control module to input the execution command including the width setting data indicating the numerical value input to the division number input object and the division number setting data indicating the numerical value input to the division number input object;
Further, the printer control module
Indivisible countermeasure processing executed when the target image data indicated by the image information included in the execution command cannot be evenly divided by the division number indicated by the division number setting data included in the execution command. , a plurality of types of the indivisibility countermeasure processing can be executed,
The screen control module causes the computer to:
an indivisibility countermeasure setting process for receiving a setting of the indivisibility countermeasure process to be executed among the plurality of types of the indivisibility countermeasure process;
an indivisibility countermeasure information storage process for storing, in a memory of the information processing apparatus, indivisibility countermeasure information indicating the indivisibility countermeasure set in the indivisibility countermeasure setting process;
and
The printer control module causes the computer to:
When the target image data indicated by the image information included in the execution command cannot be evenly divided by the number of divisions indicated by the number of divisions setting data included in the execution command, the indivisible countermeasure is taken from the memory. read information and execute the indivisibility countermeasure processing indicated by the read indivisibility countermeasure information ;
An application program characterized by: An application program according to any one of claims 4 to 6 ,
The printer control module includes:
The number of divisions indicated by the number of divisions setting data included in the execution command exceeds the maximum number of possible divisions corresponding to the size of the target image data in the direction of division indicated by the image information included in the execution command. case,
When the size in the division direction of the target image data indicated by the image information included in the execution command is set to the maximum divisible number indicated by the division number setting data included in the execution command. causing the computer to perform an expansion process for expanding the size of the image data corresponding to the division direction or more,
In the split image data generation process, the split image data is generated by dividing extended image data, which is image data extended from the target image data by the extension process, and
In the split image data transmission process, the split image data generated by dividing the extended image data is transmitted to the printer.
An application program characterized by: An application program according to any one of claims 1 to 7 ,
The screen control module causes the computer to:
When the setting instruction is received via the user interface after the split print editing screen is displayed on the display, the print medium to be split printed as instructed by the received setting instruction. for generating display image data, which is image data for preview display, showing the target image formed by arranging the split images of the width in the number of divisions of the split printing instructed by the received setting instruction; image data generation processing;
preview processing for preview-displaying the target image based on the display image data generated in the display image data generation processing on the split print editing screen;
and
In the display image data generating process, when the target image is preview-displayed by the preview process and the editing instruction is received via the user interface, the editing specified by the received editing instruction is performed. newly generating image data representing the target image to which the is applied as the display image data;
In the preview processing, each time the display image data generation processing generates the display image data, the target image based on the newly generated display image data is preview-displayed on the split print editing screen;
In the execution command input process, when the target image is preview-displayed by the preview process and the execution instruction is received via the user interface, the target image in the preview-displayed state is displayed. the width setting data indicating the width of the split image included in the target image being previewed; and the target image being previewed. inputting the execution command including the division number setting data indicating the number of the split images included in the printer control module;
An application program characterized by: An application program according to any one of claims 1 to 7 ,
The screen control module causes the computer to:
After the split print editing screen is displayed on the display, when the editing instruction is received via the user interface, the target image is shown in a state in which the editing indicated by the received editing instruction is performed. display image data generation processing for generating display image data that is image data for preview display;
preview processing for preview-displaying the target image based on the display image data generated in the display image data generation processing on the split print editing screen;
and
In the display image data generating process, when the target image is preview-displayed by the preview process and the setting instruction is accepted via the user interface, the setting instruction is instructed by the accepted setting instruction. The image data indicating the target image formed by arranging the split images of the width of the print medium to be split-printed by the number of divisions of the split-printing specified by the received setting instruction is newly added to the above-described method. Generated as image data for display,
In the preview processing, each time the display image data generation processing generates the display image data, the target image based on the newly generated display image data is preview-displayed on the split print editing screen;
In the execution command input process, when the target image is preview-displayed by the preview process and the execution instruction is received via the user interface, the target image in the preview-displayed state is displayed. the width setting data indicating the width of the split image included in the target image being previewed; and the target image being previewed. inputting the execution command including the division number setting data indicating the number of the split images included in the printer control module;
An application program characterized by: An application program according to any one of claims 1 to 9 ,
The direction of the print medium to be split-printed includes a width direction and a length direction,
The number of divisions in the split printing is the number of divisions in the width direction of the print medium to be the target of the split printing,
An image obtained by arranging the split images in the width direction is the target image.
An application program characterized by: An application program according to claim 10 ,
The printer that performs the split printing is a label printer that performs printing while conveying the tape-shaped print medium,
The width direction of the print medium is a direction that intersects the transport direction in which the print medium is transported by the label printer,
An application program characterized by: A printer control module executable by a computer of an information processing device, comprising:
to the computer;
command reception processing for receiving an execution command for split printing processing is executed, the split printing processing is processing for causing the printer to perform split printing for printing split images obtained by dividing one image on a print medium, and the execution command includes image information, width setting data, and division number setting data. The image information is information indicating target image data indicating a target image to be subjected to the split printing process, and the width The setting data is data indicating the width of the print medium to be subjected to the split printing, the division number setting data is data indicating the division number of the split printing, and the width setting data and the division number are data. Configuration data is data independent of each other,
Furthermore, in said computer,
When the execution command is received in the command reception process, the image data indicated by the image information included in the execution command is generated based on the width setting data and the division number setting data included in the execution command. Split image data generation processing is executed for dividing and generating split image data to be used for split printing, and the split image data is obtained by dividing the target image by the width indicated by the width setting data and by dividing the target image by the division number setting data. image data representing a split image, which is an image divided into a number;
Furthermore, in said computer,
split image data transmission processing for transmitting the split image data generated by the split image data generation processing to the printer via a communication interface of the information processing device;
and
In the command reception process,
the execution command from the first screen control module for displaying a first split print editing screen having a plurality of options indicating a combination of the width of the print medium to be split printed and the number of divisions of the split print; a first execution command;
displaying a second split print edit screen having a width input object for accepting a numerical input of the width of the print medium to be split printed and a division number input object for accepting a numerical input of the division number of the split printing; a second execution command which is the execution command from the two-screen control module;
can accept
When the first execution command is received, the width setting data indicating the width of the print medium and the number of divisions of the split printing corresponding to the option selected on the first split print editing screen are set. receiving the first execution command including the division number setting data indicating
When the second execution command is received, the width setting data indicating the numerical value input to the width input object and the division number input object displayed on the second split print editing screen are displayed. receiving the second execution command including the division number setting data indicating a numerical value ;
When the target image data indicated by the image information included in the second execution command cannot be evenly divided by the division number indicated by the division number setting data included in the second execution command,
Based on the width setting data and the division number setting data included in the second execution command, a surplus amount of image data is extracted from the target image data indicated in the image information included in the second execution command. cause the computer to execute a deletion process to delete,
In the split image data generating process, split image data is generated by dividing partially deleted image data, which is image data obtained by deleting a surplus amount of image data from the target image data by the deleting process, and
In the split image data transmission process, the split image data generated by dividing the partially deleted image data is transmitted to the printer .
A printer control module characterized by:

Images