JPH11105370A - Print controller, print control method and memory medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To print a data as it is without delivering any alarm when the data to be printed deviates only slightly from a printable area. SOLUTION: A temporary printable area is set slightly larger than the printable area of a printer 8 and compared with the area of a data to be printed stored in an RAM 3. An alarm is delivered if the latter is larger, and the data is printed without delivering any alarm if the former is larger.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a print control method, a device, and a storage medium for printing characters, figures, images, and the like on a memory and printing the data.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when printing data such as characters, figures, and images, if the data slightly protrudes from a printable area of a printer, a warning to that effect is issued, and printing is performed as it is (the protruding portion is printed). Not done)
The user has to select whether to cancel printing or not. However, a warning was issued even if the amount of protrusion was so small that it was impossible to tell whether there was any part that really protruded from the printed result, so the user was asked whether to continue processing or to cancel this warning. There were many things.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, and is intended for a case where data to be printed slightly protrudes from a printable area of a printer to such an extent that a print result is not affected. It is another object of the present invention to provide a print control method, apparatus, and storage medium for performing control so that printing is performed as it is without issuing a warning indicating that.

[0004]

In order to solve the above problems, a print control method according to the present invention comprises a setting step of setting a temporary printable area slightly larger than a printable area of a printing means; A comparison step of comparing the provisional printable area set in the step with the area of the print target data stored in the storage unit; and, as a result of the comparison in the comparison step, the area of the print target data has the temporary print. If the area of the print target data is smaller than the temporary printable area as a result of the comparison in the warning step and the comparison step, the print target data is printed. Printing process.

Preferably, in the setting step,
The provisional printable area is set based on a value added to the height and width values of the printable area.

Preferably, in the setting step,
The provisional printable area is set based on the rate of increase in the height and width values of the printable area.

Preferably, in the printing step,
When the area of the print target data is smaller than the printable area, the entire print target data is printed, and when the area of the print target data is larger than the printable area and smaller than the temporary printable area. Then, a portion in the printable area in the print target data is printed.

Preferably, the method further includes a positional relationship setting step of setting a positional relationship between the area of the print target data and the printable area.

Preferably, the first print mode and the second print mode
Setting process in the setting step,
The comparison process in the comparison process, the warning process in the warning process, and the printing process in the printing process are executed in one of the first printing mode and the second printing mode.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a print control apparatus comprising: a storage unit for storing print target data; a print unit for printing the print target data stored in the storage unit; Setting means for setting a temporary printable area slightly larger than the printable area of the printing means; a temporary printable area set by the setting means; and an area of print target data stored in the storage means. A comparison unit to compare, as a result of the comparison by the comparison unit, when the area of the print target data is larger than the temporary printable area, a warning unit to warn the user, and a result of the comparison by the comparison step, When the area of the print target data is smaller than the provisional printable area, a print control unit that controls to print the print target data is provided.

Preferably, the apparatus further comprises storage means for storing an added value to the height and width values of the printable area,
The setting unit sets the temporary printable area based on an added value to the height and width values of the printable area.

Preferably, the apparatus further comprises storage means for storing an increase rate of the height and width values of the printable area, and the setting means stores the increase rate of the height and width values of the printable area. The temporary printable area is set based on the temporary printable area.

Preferably, the print control means prints the entire print target data when the print target data area is smaller than the printable area, and sets the print target data area to the printable area. If it is larger than the temporary printable area and smaller than the temporary printable area, control is performed so that a portion of the print target data that is within the printable area is printed.

[0014] Preferably, the apparatus further comprises a positional relationship setting means for setting a positional relationship between the print target data area and the printable area.

Preferably, the first print mode and the second print mode
Wherein the setting process by the setting unit, the comparing process by the comparing unit, the warning process by the warning unit, and the printing process by the printing unit include the first print mode and the second print mode. Is executed in one of the print modes.

In order to solve the above problem, a storage medium according to the present invention comprises a setting module for setting a temporary printable area slightly larger than a printable area of a printing unit;
A comparison module for comparing the set temporary printable area with an area of the print target data stored in the storage unit; and, as a result of the comparison, the print target data area is the temporary printable area. A warning module to warn of the fact when it is larger than the above, and as a result of the comparison, when the area of the print target data is smaller than the temporary printable area, the warning module for printing the print target data It is a computer-readable one that stores a computer program including a print module.

[0017]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a data processing device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

The data processing device according to this embodiment has a CPU
(Central Processing Unit) 1, ROM (Read Only Memory)
2, a RAM (random access memory) 3, a keyboard 4, a mouse 5, a display 6, an external storage device 7, and a printer 8. These components are connected to each other by a bus line 9. Note that, depending on the system configuration, system programs and application programs described later may be stored in an external storage device such as a hard disk instead of the ROM 2.

The CPU 1 is, for example, in the form of a microprocessor, and controls the operation of each section of the apparatus. ROM2 is
The application program 2b for performing various processes, including the system program 2a and the print control processing program according to the present invention, is stored.

The RAM 3 stores print target data composed of characters, figures, images, and the like. A print target data area 3a, a printable area on the paper to be printed by the printer 8 (an area excluding a blank portion). Printable range area 3b, which stores information on a range in which print data can be printed as it is even if it goes outside the printable range, and a print range temporarily assumed to be printable Area 3c, and other management / management for data management and use for work.
It consists of a work area 3f.

The data stored in the print target data area 3a is represented by a two-dimensional bit map if the data is, for example, image data. For bitmap data, the width and height of the data can be obtained from the number of dots and the resolution. In the present embodiment, the target data to be printed is described as image data. However, the target data may be character data or graphic data other than image data, or may be data in which both are mixed. In that case, it is assumed that the width and height of the data can be obtained by a method corresponding to each data.

In the printer printable area 3b, printable width and height values are stored in advance. Of course, even if you do not store the value in advance, when starting the application or when the print function is selected,
The corresponding data stored in another area of the RAM 3 or the external storage device 7 may be called or referred to. When the area differs depending on the type of the printer 8 and the type of paper, a table covering the area may be used.

The value of the print range area 3c temporarily assumed to be applicable is, for example, a value obtained by adding a fixed value to the value of the printer printable range area 3b, or a value obtained by adding a fixed percentage. is there. If the values of the printer printable range area 3b are defined as a table for each type of printer or paper type, the values of the print range 3c that is temporarily assumed to be printable for each value are stored in the table. As another method, a fixed addition value or a fixed percentage with respect to the value of the printer printable range 3b is stored in the print range 3c temporarily assumed to be printable, and the actual process flow is performed. The value may be calculated each time the value is needed.

The keyboard 4 is for the user to input data such as characters, numbers, and symbols, and to give various instructions to the CPU 1. The mouse 5 is used to indicate various types of information displayed on the display unit 6 so that the CPU 1
To give various instructions. A method such as a trackball, a pen, or a touch panel may be used instead of the mouse. The display 6 is composed of an LCD or the like, and has a CPU 1
Various data are displayed under the control of. The external storage device 7 is composed of a medium such as a floppy disk or a hard disk, and various data read from the external storage device 7 under the control of the CPU 1 are developed on the RAM 3 via the bus line 8.

Based on the above configuration, the operation of the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 3 and examples of print target data and printable area of FIG.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing print target data and a printable area in the present embodiment.

As shown on the left side of FIG. mm × 14
If the printable area of the printer that performs printing on 8.0 mm paper is 90.0 mm x 128.0 mm, the printable data is completely contained in the printable area as shown in the printable data 1 shown on the right side of FIG. If it does, printing can be performed as desired without any problem, and the printing process is executed as it is. If the width of the data greatly exceeds the width of the printable area, such as the print target data 3, a desired print result cannot be obtained because the range of the portion that cannot be printed if printed as it is is wide. For this reason, if the area greatly exceeds the printable area, a warning alert such as "There is a part that cannot be printed because the image is beyond the printable area. Can I print as it is?" Is displayed and the user is allowed to select whether to execute printing. On the other hand, although the width of the print target data 2 exceeds the width of the printable area by 0.4 mm, even if the printing is performed as it is, even if the printing is actually performed as it is, the portion that cannot be printed. Something is barely visible to the naked eye. In such a case, the printing process is immediately executed without displaying the warning alert in the present embodiment.

Hereinafter, the detailed flow of the print control process mentioned in the description of FIG. 2 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. However, a flowchart for starting the application and performing various initial processes, a flowchart for processing for calling data, and the like are omitted in the flowchart of FIG.

First, when the application is started,
The application program 2b including the processing according to the present embodiment is read from the ROM 2. Various information and areas required in the processing of the present embodiment are secured on the RAM 3. However, if they are secured on the RAM 3 when they are needed, unnecessary areas are not used. R
This is effective when performing other processing using the area of AM3. Of course, other management / work area 3f
May be secured in advance before the application is started, or may be secured when needed.

The process of calling or editing data to be printed is performed by the application program 2b or the system program 2b based on an instruction from the user.
The control is performed by a. Upon receiving a print instruction from the user, the application program 2b
The process proceeds to the process shown in the flowchart of FIG. First, in step S1, a variable m in the other management / work area 3f is set.
Then, the maximum value (width) to be printed without warning is acquired from the print range area 3c temporarily assumed to be printable and set. However, instead of setting the variable here, the value may be directly read from the print range area 3c temporarily assumed to be printable in the comparison processing in step S2 described below.
In addition, as described above, when the print range area 3c temporarily assumed to be printable stores not the actual width and height but a fixed width / height value or percentage to be added to the printable range, such a value is stored. Using the value and the value of the printer printable area 3b, calculate the maximum value to be printed without warning,
m. For example, if the print range temporarily assumed to be printable is stored as the printable area +1.0 mm in the print range area 3c temporarily assumed to be printable, the maximum value to be printed without warning is (printable area + 1.
0) mm, and if the print range temporarily assumed to be printable is set as a range 1% wider than the printable area and stored in the print range area 3c temporarily assumed to be printable, the maximum value to be printed without warning Is (printable area x 1.01) m
m.

Next, in step S2, the value set for m in step S1 is compared with the width of the print target data. As described above, for example, if the data is an image, the width of the print target data can be obtained from the number of dots and the resolution. Even for data other than image data, the width can be obtained by a method corresponding to each data. Here, if the data width is larger than m, it means that the width of the print target data is considerably larger than the width of the printable area, and a warning to that effect is issued in step S3. For example, as described in the description of FIG. 2, an alert is displayed, and the process waits for a user instruction in step S4. In step S4, when an instruction to print is received from the user, the process proceeds to the printing process in step S7, and when an instruction to not print is received, the process ends.

If the data width is equal to or less than m in step S2, even if the width of the print handling data is equal to or less than the width of the printable area or exceeds the width of the printable area, printing is performed as it is. Since the influence is hardly recognized, the process for performing printing after step S5 is continued.

Next, in steps S5 and S6,
The same processing as in steps S1 and S2 is performed on the data height. Similarly, even if the height of the print target data is equal to or less than the height of the printable area, or exceeds the height of the printable area, it is almost insignificant if printed as it is, In step S7, the process proceeds to the actual printing process, and other processes necessary for printing or actual printing are performed.

In the actual printing process, when the print target data is completely included in the printable area, the entire print target data is printed as it is, but when the print target data slightly protrudes from the printable area. Means that the protruding part is not printed, and only the part included in the printable area is printed. Of course, the print target data can be reduced in accordance with the printable area. However, in such a case, although slight, the data to be printed may be degraded, for example, by thinning out parts.

Further, a reference point for arranging the print target data (for example, when the width in the horizontal direction exceeds the printable area, the print target data is arranged at the left and right centers of the printable area.
That is, the protruding area is distributed to the left and right, or printing is performed with the left end of the print target data aligned with the left end of the printable area, that is, the protruding area is limited to the right side of the print target data. Alternatively, the print data may be changed depending on the position of the print target data on the paper.

In this manner, when the print data is out of the printable area where the print result is hardly affected, the flow of displaying a warning and waiting for the next process by the user is omitted, and efficient operability is achieved. Can be obtained. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the printable area is 90.0 mm
× 128.0 mm paper, image data taken from a digital camera (320 dpi in standard mode 90 dpi)
× 240 dots, 640 at 180 dpi in fine mode
X480 dots; 90.4 mm x 67.8 mm).

The print control process described in the present embodiment may be always performed when a print process is selected in an application including this process. However, a specific print function (print mode ) Is performed only when) is selected, and when other printing functions are selected, a warning is issued if the width or height of the print target data slightly exceeds the printable area as before. It may be. For example, if the application is an application that specializes in postcard printing such as New Year's cards, the printing functions include "postcard printing" and "other printing", so only when "postcard printing" is selected If the print control processing described in the present embodiment is performed, printing can be performed with fewer procedures. If you want to print on paper other than postcards,
By selecting "other printing", it is possible to obtain an accurate printing result without overlooking even a slight protrusion.

[0039]

As described above, according to the present invention,
If the data to be printed is slightly outside the printable area so as not to affect the printing result, the printing can be performed without warning and the operation is simplified for the user. In addition, it is possible to obtain an effect that the user does not need to be confused as to whether the image actually protrudes from the printed result.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a data processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of print target data and a printable area handled in the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a process according to the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 CPU 2 ROM 3 RAM 4 Keyboard 5 Mouse 6 Display 7 External storage device 8 Printer 9 Bus line

Claims (15)

[Claims] A setting step of setting a temporary printable area slightly larger than a printable area of a printing unit; a temporary printable area set in the setting step;
A comparison step of comparing the area of the print target data stored in the storage means; and, if the result of the comparison in the comparison step is that the area of the print target data is larger than the temporary printable area, a warning is given. And a printing step of printing the print target data when the area of the print target data is smaller than the provisional printable area as a result of the comparison in the comparison step. Print control method. 2. The print control method according to claim 1, wherein in the setting step, the temporary printable area is set based on an added value to a height and a width of the printable area. . 3. The print control method according to claim 1, wherein, in the setting step, the temporary printable area is set based on an increase rate of a height and a width of the printable area. . 4. In the printing step, when the area of the print target data is smaller than the printable area, the entire print target data is printed, and the area of the print target data is larger than the printable area. 2. The print control method according to claim 1, further comprising: printing a portion of the print target data within the printable area when the area is smaller than the temporary printable area. 5. The print control method according to claim 4, further comprising a positional relationship setting step of setting a positional relationship between an area of the print target data and the printable area. 6. A printing apparatus having a first printing mode and a second printing mode, wherein: a setting process in the setting process, a comparing process in the comparing process, a warning process in the warning process, and a printing process in the printing process, The print control method according to claim 1, wherein the print control method is executed in one of the first print mode and the second print mode. 7. The print control method according to claim 1, wherein the print target data is image data captured from a digital camera. 8. A storage unit for storing print target data, a print unit for printing the print target data stored in the storage unit, and a temporary printable area slightly larger than a printable area of the print unit. A comparing unit that compares the provisional printable area set by the setting unit with the area of the print target data stored in the storage unit; A warning unit that warns when the data area is larger than the temporary printable area; and as a result of the comparison in the comparison step, when the print target data area is smaller than the temporary printable area. And a print control unit for controlling the print target data to be printed. 9. A storage unit for storing an added value to a value of a height and a width of the printable area, wherein the setting unit is configured to store, based on the added value to a value of a height and a width of the printable area. 9. The print control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the temporary printable area is set. 10. A storage unit for storing an increase rate of a value of a height and a width of the printable area, wherein the setting unit is configured to store an increase rate of a value of a height and a width of the printable area based on the increase rate. 8. The print control apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the temporary printable area is set. 11. The print control unit prints the entire print target data when the print target data area is smaller than the printable area, and sets the print target data area to be smaller than the printable area. 9. The printing control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein when the size is smaller than the temporary printable area, control is performed so as to print a portion of the print target data within the printable area. 12. The print control apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a positional relationship setting unit that sets a positional relationship between the print target data area and the printable area. 13. A printing apparatus having a first print mode and a second print mode, wherein a setting process by the setting unit, a comparing process by the comparing unit, a warning process by the warning unit, and a printing process by the printing unit, 9. The print control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the print control is executed in one of the first print mode and the second print mode. 14. The print control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the print target data is image data taken from a digital camera. 15. A setting module for setting a temporary printable area that is slightly larger than a printable area of a printing unit, the set temporary printable area, and a print target data stored in a storage unit. A comparison module for comparing the area with the area; a warning module for warning when the area of the print target data is larger than the temporary printable area as a result of the comparison; and a result of the comparison. And a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program including a print module for printing the print target data when an area of the print target data is smaller than the provisional printable area.