KR102517367B1 - System and method for producing small quantity prints on demand - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a POD (Printing on Demand) small-volume production method, comprising the steps of receiving information of a target image printed on sticker paper in an XY plotter; receiving cut line data for the target image from the XY plotter; and cutting a cut line area on the sticker paper based on the cut line data, characterized in that the cut line data is cut line data matched with the target image among a plurality of cut line data.

Description

POD small amount production method and system {SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING SMALL QUANTITY PRINTS ON DEMAND}

The present invention relates to a POD (Printing on Demand) small-volume production method and system, and more particularly, to a method and system for producing various stickers that meet the needs of consumers.

In addition, the present invention relates to a method and system capable of more efficiently producing stickers produced in small quantities using an XY plotter.

Recently, an environment in which various contents desired by consumers can be printed has been established. For example, it has become popular to print images desired by consumers on T-shirts or mugs to make their own goods.

Such a consumer-customized printing method (Printing on Demand; POD) is applied to various objects. It is applied not only to T-shirts and mugs, but also to most printable objects such as mobile phone accessories, notes, calendars, and postcards.

Therefore, POD printing companies are researching the development of an automated system that meets consumer requirements, and various attempts are being made to optimize work time and minimize waste of resources in addition to simply automated algorithms.

In particular, research on minimizing blanks that are wasted when printed materials having different print sizes are printed at once or when different numbers of printed materials are printed has been considerably developed.

A sticker as a type of print is also an item that consumers can easily produce, and its utilization is also quite wide, so the POD demand for sticker printing is increasing. In the case of a sticker, it is often a printout having a different size according to the shape of an image to be printed rather than having a uniform size.

Therefore, in the present invention, a method for efficiently manufacturing a POD sticker using an XY plotter or the like will be disclosed.

The present invention is to solve the problems of the prior art described above, and can efficiently produce POD small order stickers.

In addition, according to the present invention, cut line areas may be automatically generated according to various offset values.

In addition, according to the present invention, according to the type of paper on the XY plotter, the work can be performed with the setting values of the cutting module optimized.

In addition, according to the present invention, working time can be efficiently managed by grouping images having similar working time.

In addition, according to the present invention, setting values for sticker printing may be automatically set on the XY plotter instead of setting all values for sticker printing in the server.

In addition, it is possible to calculate the amount of work for similar tasks by accumulating and storing task information and managing the database.

An embodiment of the present invention is a POD (Printing on Demand) small-volume production method, comprising: receiving information of a target image printed on sticker paper in an XY plotter; receiving cut line data for the target image from the XY plotter; and cutting a cut line area on the sticker paper based on the cut line data, characterized in that the cut line data is cut line data matched with the target image among a plurality of cut line data.

In addition, the setting value for the cut line area is characterized in that it is generated based on an algorithm and a cut line offset value set in the server.

In addition, the set value for the cutting line area is characterized in that the depth of the blade and the pressure value of the blade are matched according to the preset process setting value for the paper.

In addition, the target image is characterized in that it includes information on a plurality of images and a cut line area for each of the plurality of images.

In addition, the plurality of images and the cut line area for each of the plurality of images are characterized in that they are included in the same work time group among the plurality of work time groups classified by the XY plotter.

Another embodiment of the present invention relates to a POD (Printing on Demand) small-volume production system, which receives a target image for output, a workload determination unit; a cut line data matching module that matches the target image among a plurality of cut line data; and a cutting module for cutting a cut line area in an XY plotter based on the size of the target image.

In addition, the setting value for the cut line area is characterized in that it is generated based on an algorithm and a cut line offset value set in the server.

In addition, it may further include a paper management unit for matching the depth of the blade and the pressure value of the blade according to a preset process setting value for the paper.

In addition, the target image is characterized in that it includes a plurality of images and a cut line area for each of the plurality of images.

The plurality of images and the cut line area for each of the plurality of images may further include a work amount determination unit configured to be included in the same work time group among a plurality of work time groups classified by the XY plotter.

The present invention is to solve the problems of the prior art described above, and can efficiently produce POD small order stickers.

In addition, according to the present invention, cut line areas may be automatically generated according to various offset values.

In addition, according to the present invention, according to the type of paper on the XY plotter, the work can be performed with the setting values of the cutting module optimized.

In addition, according to the present invention, working time can be efficiently managed by grouping images having similar working time.

In addition, according to the present invention, setting values for sticker printing may be automatically set on the XY plotter instead of setting all values for sticker printing in the server.

In addition, it is possible to calculate the amount of work for similar tasks by accumulating and storing task information and managing the database.

1 is a view for explaining a sticker production method using an XY plotter according to an example of the present invention.
2 is a diagram for explaining a cut line area of a sticker according to an example of the present invention.
3 is a flowchart illustrating a process for producing a small amount of POD according to an example of the present invention.
4 is a block diagram conceptually showing the structure of a server according to an example of the present invention.
5 is a block diagram conceptually showing the structure of an XY plotter according to an example of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail so that those skilled in the art can easily practice the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention may be embodied in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. And in order to clearly explain the present invention in the drawings, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted, and similar reference numerals are attached to similar parts throughout the specification.

Throughout the specification, when a part is said to be "connected" to another part, this includes not only the case where it is "directly connected" but also the case where it is "electrically connected" with another element interposed therebetween. . In addition, when a certain component is said to "include", this means that it may further include other components without excluding other components unless otherwise stated.

In this specification, a "unit" includes a unit realized by hardware, a unit realized by software, and a unit realized using both. Further, one unit may be realized using two or more hardware, and two or more units may be realized by one hardware. On the other hand, '~ unit' is not limited to software or hardware, and '~ unit' may be configured to be in an addressable storage medium or configured to reproduce one or more processors. Therefore, as an example, '~unit' refers to components such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components, and task components, processes, functions, properties, and procedures. , subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuitry, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays and variables. Functions provided within components and '~units' may be combined into smaller numbers of components and '~units' or further separated into additional components and '~units'. In addition, components and '~units' may be implemented to play one or more CPUs in a device or a secure multimedia card.

A “user terminal” referred to below may be implemented as a computer or portable terminal capable of accessing a server or other terminals through a network. Here, the computer includes, for example, a laptop, desktop, laptop, etc. equipped with a web browser, and the portable terminal is, for example, a wireless communication device that ensures portability and mobility. , IMT (International Mobile Telecommunication)-2000, CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access)-2000, W-CDMA (W-Code Division Multiple Access), Wibro (Wireless Broadband Internet), LTE (Long Term Evolution) communication-based terminal, smart All types of handheld-based wireless communication devices such as phones and tablet PCs may be included. In addition, “network” means a wired network such as a Local Area Network (LAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN) or a Value Added Network (VAN), a mobile radio communication network, or a satellite It can be implemented in all kinds of wireless networks such as communication networks.

In the present invention, an “XY plotter” is a device that displays computer processing results as text or images, and works by moving the relative positions of paper and a pen/knife in the X and Y directions, respectively. The XY plotter in the present invention may be characterized in that it moves according to a vector value.

In the present invention, a “sticker” is a piece of paper on which content such as an image desired by a user is printed, and an adhesive is applied to the back thereof, so that it can be attached to various positions.

In the present invention, a "cut line" is a line created by a user to easily cut using a knife or scissors so that content such as an image printed on paper can be easily separated from the paper. In the present invention, the cutting line will focus on cutting along the cutting line on the XY plotter instead of the user cutting with a knife or scissors.

1 is a view for explaining a sticker production method using an XY plotter according to an example of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1 , a user may place an order with a sticker manufacturer to produce a sticker he or she wants, and the user may transmit a target image to the server 200 of the sticker manufacturer through the user terminal 100. .

The user may determine the target image by directly drawing or taking a picture of the sticker production target image, or recombining/editing an existing image. The user may transmit request information for sticker production to the server 200 in consideration of the size, material, color, and the like of the object to which the sticker is to be attached.

In addition, the user can complete the order by inputting a desired delivery date and delivery address, as well as selecting the quantity, material, etc. of stickers produced through the user terminal 100 .

The server 200 of the sticker maker confirms that the order has been received from the user (consumer), and generates data for producing a sticker corresponding to the order. The generated data is transmitted to a printing device such as the XY plotter 300, and the XY plotter produces a sticker based on the received data.

The conventional XY plotter 300 only prints or cuts according to the values transmitted from the server 200, etc., and operations such as changing the setting values for printing are performed according to the experience and know-how of experts in sticker manufacturers It was real.

However, recently, as orders for various types of stickers and paper of various materials have increased, setting according to an accurate value is required rather than relying on the experience and know-how of experts.

The XY plotter 300 in the present invention cuts the target image printed through the cutting module according to the generated cut line area. By going through the cutting operation on the cut line area, consumers can easily peel off the sticker.

The XY plotter 300 in the present invention is a form in which a SW module capable of processing data is combined with an existing XY plotter, and can not only process a given work command, but also set an optimized work value. It will be described in more detail below.

2 is a diagram for explaining a cut line area of a sticker according to an example of the present invention.

A user who is a consumer may decide to directly draw or photograph an image to be a target of sticker production, or recombine/edit existing content. A user may request a plurality of target images to be made into stickers, and the plurality of target images may have different shapes/shapes. Alternatively, they may be of different sizes even though they have the same shape/shape.

In FIG. 2, a simple figure (heart, star) is exemplified for convenience of description, but it is preferable to understand that it is not limited thereto.

As shown in FIG. 2 (a), the user may desire to make a heart image into a sticker, and the boundary of the heart image 10 may be set as a cut line area 20. In this case, since the cut line area 20 is the same as the boundary of the heart image 10, which is the target image, a sticker with no blank space can be produced.

As shown in FIG. 2( b ), the user can set an area separated from the heart image 10 by a certain range as the cut line area. At this time, the user may set a distance value between the target image and the cut line area as an offset value.

The offset value can be set automatically by the server. An offset value determined according to a preset algorithm based on information on the size of the target image and the type of figure may be applied to generate the cut area.

Alternatively, the offset value can be set automatically in the XY plotter. When the server transmits information about the target image to the XY plotter, the XY plotter can determine the offset value according to a preset algorithm based on the size of the target image, the type of figure, paper information, etc., and apply the determined offset value By doing so, a cut line area can be created.

In other words, the XY plotter can automatically generate the cut line area by scanning the target image to be printed. When a plurality of target images are printed at once on the XY plotter, the XY plotter may automatically generate cut lines by scanning a distance between the target images to be printed.

As shown in FIG. 2(c), a cut line area to which an offset value is applied may be created in a manner different from that of FIG. 2(b). In FIG. 2(b), the cut line area to which the same offset value is applied from the boundary of the target image has been described, but FIG. 2(c) shows the cut line area to which different offsets are applied depending on parts of the target image. Creating the cut line area as shown in FIG. 2(c) is to apply a curvature equal to or greater than a certain value to the cut line area of the target image.

As shown in FIG. 2(d), the target image may be a polygonal shape such as a star. In the case of a polygon, a cut line area may be created according to its boundary value. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 2(e), a cut line area to which the same offset value is applied may be created, or a cut line area to which an offset value is applied in a different way may be created, as shown in FIG. 2(f).

A blank space may exist inside the target image. Although not shown, when a donut is used as a target image, it is possible to determine whether to create a cut line area for a blank space inside the donut. At this time, the server or the XY plotter may determine whether to generate the cut line area according to the size of the empty space inside the donut.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a process for producing a small amount of POD according to an example of the present invention.

A user who is a consumer can transmit a sticker image he wants to produce to a server, and the server converts data into a printable format and transmits the data to a printer.

The printer may typeset sticker images on one virtual page, and a plurality of sticker images may be typeset on one paper in a form that minimizes blank space or is easy to cut.

The printer prints the target image on the sticker paper (S310). The printer can print with a single color pen in the case of black and white, or with colors such as CMYK or RGB in the case of color, and can determine a print setting value in consideration of the material of the paper.

The target image information printed on the sticker paper is received from the XY plotter (S320). The target image printed on the sticker paper may have various shapes, and image information about these shapes may be received by the XY plotter.

Alternatively, the XY plotter may obtain printed target image information by scanning the printed image.

The XY plotter receives cut line data for the target image (S330). As described above with reference to FIG. 2 , cut line data may be stored in various forms according to an offset value.

The server may match cutting data suitable for a target image from among a plurality of cutting data based on the user's sticker production order information. The cut line data is generated to have various cut line areas based on an offset value or the like. The server may match cut line data among a plurality of cut line data based on a user's input or previous creation history information.

The cutting module of the XY plotter cuts the cut line area according to the cut line area generated for the target image (S340). The cut line area can be created automatically in the server or XY plotter.

When the cutting module cuts according to the cut line area, process setting values for various papers can also be automatically generated in the server or XY plotter. Recently, sticker papers to which various thicknesses, materials, etc. are applied are on the market, and process setting values suitable for each paper can be pre-stored on the XY plotter.

The cutting module can store process setting values, such as the depth of the blade and pressure during cutting, as optimized values in a database, and accordingly, the process setting values can be matched according to the paper.

Therefore, there is an advantageous effect of enabling an efficient process optimized for various papers and sizes in addition to fixed and repetitive work without relying on the experience or know-how of a skilled person in order to apply different process setting values according to papers.

4 is a block diagram conceptually showing the structure of a server according to an example of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the server 200 includes a target image management unit 210 , a customer information management unit 220 , a task management unit 230 and a control unit 240 .

The target image management unit 210 according to an example of the present invention manages a sticker target image that a consumer user wants to create, and may store information about shape, color, sticker material, and the like.

The target image management unit 210 may include various coordinate information on the target image and may store an offset value input by a user.

The customer information management unit 220 according to an example of the present invention manages user information. User information is information managed for each user, such as the user's contact information, delivery address, desired delivery date, and past work history, and can be stored in a database from the step where the user requests sticker production to the delivery completion process.

The task management unit 230 according to an example of the present invention matches cut line data suitable for a target image among a plurality of cut line data according to the target image.

A plurality of cut line data is classified according to various offset values, paper information, etc., and suitable cut line data is selected according to the shape of the target image. In some cases, cut line data may be selected according to an offset value previously selected by the user in the target image management unit 210 .

The job management unit 230 performs a process of typesetting target images to be printed and cut through an XY plotter. The task management unit 230 performs a task of grouping target images using the same paper. Since different printing methods and cutting methods must be applied according to the type of paper, a method of grouping and batch production can be used.

The task management unit 230 may subdivide target images using the same paper according to work time. For example, target images that can be easily printed and cut, such as circles and hearts, can be grouped to be included in the same work time group because the work time is relatively short.

Conversely, in the case of complex polygonal target images such as stars and chestnuts, since the working time is relatively long, these target images can be grouped to be included in the same working time group.

The job management unit 230 may perform print typesetting according to the type of paper and working time, and thus create a cut line area for the target image.

The job management unit 230 may automatically generate a cut line area to which an offset value set by a user is applied, taking into consideration the interval between target images, and may print accordingly.

The control unit 240 according to an example of the present invention serves to control the server so that the target image management unit 210, the customer information management unit 220, and the task management unit 230 can operate normally. Although not shown in FIG. 4 , the server 200 may further include a power supply unit, an input/output unit, a communication unit, and a storage unit.

5 is a block diagram conceptually showing the structure of an XY plotter according to an example of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 5 , the XY plotter 300 according to an example of the present invention includes a cutting module 310, a paper management unit 320, a workload determination unit 330, and a control unit 340.

In order to print the target image, the printer of the present invention can print target image information, in which x values and y values are set from any one reference point of the paper, as vector information.

The printer can print with a single color pen in the case of black and white, and with colors such as CMYK and RGB in the case of color, and can determine a print setting value in consideration of the material of the paper.

The cutting module 310 according to an example of the present invention cuts the cut line area according to the cut line area generated with respect to the target image. The cut line area can be created automatically in the server or XY plotter.

When the cutting module 310 cuts according to the cut line area, process setting values for various papers may also be automatically generated by the server or the XY plotter. Recently, sticker papers to which various thicknesses, materials, etc. are applied are on the market, and process setting values suitable for each paper can be pre-stored on the XY plotter 300.

The cutting module 310 can store process setting values, such as the depth of a blade and cutting pressure, as optimized values in a database, and accordingly, the process setting values can be matched according to paper.

The paper management unit 320 according to an example of the present invention stores information according to the type of paper, such as material and size, as well as supply of paper to be printed by the XY plotter. As described above, since the process setting values in the cutting module 310 of the XY plotter are changed according to the type of paper, the paper management unit 320 can create a database of these process setting values and match them according to the paper.

That is, the paper management unit 320 may match the depth of the blade and the pressure of the blade according to the process setting value preset for the paper.

The workload determination unit 330 according to an example of the present invention serves to monitor and control printing and cutting operations on the XY plotter. When the target image is a plurality of images, the workload determination unit 330 may generate a cut line area for each of the plurality of images. In the previous description, the server generated the cut area, but the server does not create the cut area, and the image printed on the XY plotter is scanned, and the cut area according to the scanned image is automatically determined by the workload determination unit 330. can be created with

In the case of creating the cut line area in the server, there is no room to change the process setting value according to the actual printing situation on the XY plotter, but creating the cut line area by scanning according to the target image to be printed on the XY plotter is more precise sticker production There is a favorable effect of providing the environment.

The work load management unit 340 may calculate the work time by using the cumulative work DB in the cutting module 310 of the XY plotter. Accordingly, the workload management unit 330 may group the images into two or more groups according to work hours, and print and cut the grouped target images.

The control unit 350 according to an example of the present invention serves to control the server so that the cutting module 310, the paper management unit 320, and the workload management unit 330 can operate normally. Although not shown in FIG. 5 , the XY plotter 300 may further include a power supply unit, an input/output unit, a communication unit, and a storage unit.

It is preferable to understand that the XY plotter in the present invention is not simply a device for printing and cutting, but a device capable of setting process setting values for work in the XY plotter by including a module capable of processing software.

An embodiment of the present invention may be implemented in the form of a recording medium including instructions executable by a computer, such as program modules executed by a computer. Computer readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by a computer and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. Also, computer readable media may include both computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage media includes both volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Communication media typically includes computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave, or other transport mechanism, and includes any information delivery media.

Although the methods and systems of the present invention have been described with reference to specific embodiments, some or all of their components or operations may be implemented using a computer system having a general-purpose hardware architecture.

The above description of the present invention is for illustrative purposes, and those skilled in the art can understand that it can be easily modified into other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features of the present invention. will be. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood as illustrative in all respects and not limiting. For example, each component described as a single type may be implemented in a distributed manner, and similarly, components described as distributed may be implemented in a combined form.

The scope of the present invention is indicated by the following claims rather than the detailed description above, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and equivalent concepts should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention. do.

100: user terminal
200: server
300: XY plotter

Claims (10)

In the POD (Printing on Demand) small amount production method,
Receiving information of a target image printed on sticker paper in an XY plotter;
receiving cut line data for the target image from the XY plotter; and
Cutting a cut line area on the sticker paper based on the cut line data;
and
The cut line data,
Among the plurality of cut data, cut data matched with the target image,
The target image,
Includes information about a plurality of images and a cut line area for each of the plurality of images,
The plurality of images and the cut line area for each of the plurality of images,
Among the plurality of work time groups classified in the XY plotter, it is included in a specific work time group subdivided into having a certain work required time,
When there is a blank inside the target image, the XY plotter determines whether to generate a cut line area according to the size of the blank inside the target image. According to claim 1,
The setting value for the cut line area is,
A method for producing small quantities of POD, characterized in that it is generated based on an algorithm set in the server and an automatically determined offset value. According to claim 1,
The setting value for the cut line area is,
A method for producing small quantities of POD, characterized in that the depth of the blade and the pressure value of the blade are matched according to the predetermined process setting value for the paper. delete delete In a POD (Printing on Demand) small volume production system,
a workload determination unit that receives a target image for output;
a cut line data matching module that matches the target image among a plurality of cut line data; and
a cutting module for cutting a cut line area in an XY plotter based on the size of the target image;
including,
The target image,
Includes information about a plurality of images and a cut line area for each of the plurality of images,
The workload determination unit,
The plurality of images and the cut line area for each of the plurality of images,
Set to be included in a specific work time group subdivided into having a certain work required time among a plurality of work time groups classified in the XY plotter,
If there is a blank inside the target image, the POD small-quantity production system determines whether to generate a cut line area according to the size of the blank inside the target image in the XY plotter. According to claim 6,
The setting value for the cut line area is,
Characterized in that it is generated based on the algorithm set in the server and the cut line offset value, POD small volume production system. According to claim 6,
Characterized in that it further comprises a paper management unit for matching the depth of the blade and the pressure value of the blade according to the preset process setting value for the paper, POD small volume production system. delete delete

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