Program, method for generating print data, and apparatus for generating print data

Abstract

To enable printing devices to easily and appropriately perform a variety of mail merge operations. [Solution] A program that causes a computer-controlled device 14 to generate print data, causing the control device 14 to perform input processing, plate generation processing, and print data generation processing, wherein in the data input processing, non-variable data corresponding to common parts and variable data indicating variable parts are input as input data for causing a printing device 12 to perform mail merge, in the plate generation processing, a color layer plate generation processing is performed to generate a color layer plate associated with the color layer, and a monochrome layer plate generation processing is performed to generate a monochrome layer plate associated with the monochrome layer, in the color layer plate generation processing, a color layer plate is generated for each printed material by reflecting the variable parts in the variable data, and in the monochrome layer plate generation processing, a monochrome layer plate is generated for each printed material by reflecting the variable parts in the variable data.

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​The inventors of this invention have diligently researched methods for creating various printed materials using mail merge. They considered layering other inks on top of the color layer, which is the layer of ink used to draw an image with color ink for color printing. Furthermore, they found that in this case, if the print data is generated using the same or similar method as in the conventional method, proper printing may not be possible. More specifically, for example, in mail merge, when an image is printed by a printing device with a variable part and the rest being a common part, it is not common practice to further form layers of other inks to be layered on top of the color ink. Therefore, if the print data is generated using the same or similar method as in the conventional method, for example, print data will be generated in which layers of other inks are not formed at the positions corresponding to the variable data. In this case, it is also possible to generate the print data appropriately if the user gives specific instructions for each printed material. However, in this case, the effort required from the user becomes enormous, making it difficult to perform mail merge efficiently. In contrast, the inventors of the present invention have found that, when using a single-color layer, which is a layer of ink formed with one color of ink, as the other ink layer mentioned above, by using non-variable data that shows an image corresponding to the common part and variable data that shows the variable part as input data, and by reflecting the variable part in the variable data in both the operation of generating a color layer plate, which is a plate associated with the color layer, and the operation of generating a single-color layer plate, which is a plate corresponding to the single-color layer, it is possible to easily and appropriately generate various print data for mail merge.

[0006] Furthermore, the inventors of this invention, through further diligent research, have discovered the features necessary to obtain such effects, leading to the present invention. In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is a program for causing a computer to generate print data, comprising: a data input process for inputting input data that specifies the printing operation to be performed by a printing device that prints using multiple colors of ink; a process for generating a plate, which is an image associated with the color of one color of ink, a plate generation process for generating the plate that matches the color of the ink used in the printing device, and a print data generation process for generating the print data based on the plate generated in the plate generation process, wherein the print data is data indicating an image to be printed by the printing device, the printing device performs color printing using multiple colors of ink that are the basic colors of color expression, and in the data input process, input data is input for causing the printing device to perform mail merge printing to create multiple printed materials in which the images drawn in a part of each piece are different, and the input data and The method is characterized by inputting non-variable data which is data showing an image corresponding to a common part of the multiple printed materials and variable data which is data showing a variable part which is a part that is individually different in the printed materials, and performing a color layer plate generation process in the plate generation process to generate a color layer plate which is a plate associated with a color layer which is a layer of ink formed using the multiple colors of ink, and a monocolor layer plate generation process which is a plate associated with a monocolor layer which is a layer of ink formed with one color of ink separately from the color layer, and in the color layer plate generation process, for each printed material, the variable part in the variable data corresponding to the printed material is reflected to generate the color layer plate, and in the monocolor layer plate generation process, for each printed material, the variable part in the variable data corresponding to the printed material is reflected to generate the monocolor layer plate.

[0007] With this configuration, for example, print data for mail merge that forms color layers and monochrome layers can be easily and appropriately generated. Furthermore, this allows the printing device to easily and appropriately perform various types of mail merge. In this configuration, the plate can be thought of as data indicating the image to be printed by the printing device with respect to the corresponding ink color. Indicating the image to be printed by the printing device can be thought of as indicating the image to be drawn with the ink corresponding to the plate. In this configuration, the print data generation process performs, for example, halftone processing based on the plate. Halftone processing can be thought of as a process that reduces the number of gradations in the image to match the printing operation performed by the printing device. In this case, the plate can also be thought of as the image to be processed for each ink color in the halftone processing.

[0008] Furthermore, in this configuration, non-variable data is used, for example, color image data representing the common part. In addition, the plate generation process further performs, for example, a monochrome image preparation process. In this case, the monochrome image preparation process prepares, for example, a monochrome common image which is a monochrome image associated with the common part. In this case, the plate generation process for the monochrome layer generates a monochrome layer plate for each printed material by inserting, for example, a variable image for the monochrome layer which is an image corresponding to the variable part in the variable data, into the monochrome common image. With this configuration, for example, a monochrome layer plate can be appropriately generated. In the monochrome image preparation process, for example, the monochrome common image is generated by performing color substitution (color conversion) on the image that will be the source of the monochrome common image, replacing any of the colors used in that image with the ink colors used to form the monochrome layer. In this case, the monochrome image preparation process receives, for example, image data representing the image that will be the source of the monochrome common image as input data, and generates the monochrome common image by performing color substitution on that image. As the source image for a monochromatic common image, for example, an image in which the common parts that should form a monochromatic layer are drawn with one of the colors can be used. With this configuration, for example, a monochromatic common image can be appropriately generated by color substitution. Alternatively, in the monochromatic image preparation process, a monochromatic common image may be generated based on non-variable data. In this case, the color image indicated by the non-variable data may be used as the source image for the monochromatic common image. In this case, the monochromatic image preparation process generates the monochromatic common image by performing a color substitution process on at least one of the colors used in this color image. When generating a monochromatic common image based on a color image indicated by non-variable data, for example, a monochromatic common image may be generated in which pixels corresponding to all effective pixels in this color image become effective pixels.

[0009] Furthermore, in this configuration, the printing apparatus uses, for example, process color inks, which are the basic colors for color expression, and spot color inks, which are colors other than process colors. In this case, it is conceivable to form a spot color layer, which is a layer of ink formed with, for example, spot color ink, as a single-color layer. With this configuration, for example, in mail merge, a spot color layer that reflects variable parts can be easily and appropriately formed. More specifically, the printing apparatus uses, for example, a translucent medium as the medium to be printed on. In this case, the printing apparatus further uses, for example, at least a light-reflective ink as the spot color ink. As the light-reflective ink, for example, white ink can be suitably used. In this case, the single-color layer is, for example, a light-reflective layer, which is a layer of ink formed with light-reflective ink, and is formed so that at least a part of it overlaps with at least a part of the color layer. In this case, the light-reflective layer can be considered to function, for example, as the background of the color layer. With this configuration, for example, when using a translucent medium, the color image expressed in the color layer can be appropriately viewed by the observer. As a light-transmitting medium, for example, a transparent film can be suitably used. In this case, in the plate generation process for the single-color layer, for example, by reflecting the variable parts in the variable data, a plate for the single-color layer is generated such that the light-reflecting layer overlaps at least a portion of the part of the color layer corresponding to the variable part for each printed material. With this configuration, for example, the light-reflecting layer that serves as the background of the color layer can be easily and appropriately formed in the area corresponding to the variable part. In this case, in the plate generation process for the single-color layer, for example, a plate for the single-color layer is generated such that the light-reflecting layer overlaps the entire part of the color layer corresponding to the variable part. Alternatively, depending on the content to be expressed in the variable part, in the plate generation process for the single-color layer, for example, a plate for the single-color layer may be generated such that the light-reflecting layer overlaps only a portion of the part of the color layer corresponding to the variable part.

[0010] Furthermore, in this configuration, variable data could include, for example, data that indicates the variable parts for each printed material using text information. With this configuration, for example, the variable parts for each printed material can be appropriately indicated in the variable data. For example, CSV format data (CSV data) can be suitably used as such variable data. Also, as described above, in this configuration, for example, a monochrome common image is generated by performing color substitution on a color image. In this case, in the monochrome layer plate generation process, for example, a monochrome layer plate is generated by generating a monochrome layer variable image corresponding to the variable parts as described above and inserting it into the monochrome common image. With this configuration, for example, when combining the generation of a monochrome common image by color substitution with the use of variable data that indicates the variable parts using text information, a monochrome layer plate for each printed material can be appropriately generated. Also, in the monochrome common image preparation process, for example, one of the colors used in the image that will become the basis of the monochrome common image may be replaced with the color of the ink used to form the monochrome layer. With this configuration, for example, a monochrome common image can be appropriately generated. Furthermore, in this case, the variable data may include, for example, a color image containing colors other than this one color, as at least a portion of the variable parts of at least some of the printed materials. The variable parts of the printed materials can be considered, for example, as the parts of the printed material that correspond to the variable parts of the variable data. In this case as well, by generating a plate for the single-color layer as described above, it is possible to appropriately generate a plate for the single-color layer for each printed material.

[0011] Furthermore, the variable data may represent multiple types of variable parts for a single print job, for example, as variable parts to be reflected when generating the color layer plate in the color layer plate generation process. In this case, the variable data could be, for example, CSV data having multiple items corresponding to multiple variable parts. In this case, in the monochrome layer plate generation process, for example, only a portion of the multiple types of variable parts in the variable data may be reflected to generate a monochrome layer plate for each print job. With this configuration, for example, a monochrome layer plate can be easily and appropriately generated that specifies a state in which the monochrome layer overlaps only a portion of the part corresponding to the variable part in the color layer. Furthermore, as a configuration of the present invention, for example, a print data generation method or a print data generation device configuration having the same features as described above can also be considered. In these cases as well, for example, the same effects as described above can be obtained. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, for example, various types of mail merge can be easily and appropriately performed by a printing device. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This figure illustrates a printing system 10 that uses a program according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1(a) shows an example of the configuration of the printing system 10. Figure 1(b) shows an example of the configuration of the printing device 12 in the printing system 10. Figure 1(c) shows an example of the configuration of the head unit 102 in the printing device 12. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of mail merge performed by the printing device 12. [Figure 3] This figure provides a more detailed explanation of the mail merge operation performed by the printing device 12. Figure 3(a) shows an example of the ink layers that the printing device 12 forms on the medium 50 when mail merge is performed. Figure 3(b) is a diagram explaining the plate corresponding to the color layer 52. Figure 3(c) shows an example of an image used as a plate for the white layer 54. [Figure 4] This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the control device 14. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of a screen that accepts user instructions regarding color substitution. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of the operation of the control device 14 when generating print data corresponding to a printed material that forms multiple single-color layers. Figure 6(a) shows an example of the operation of generating an image that will become the basis for a single-color common image corresponding to the single-color layer of the first color. Figure 6(b) shows an example of the operation of generating an image that will become the basis for a single-color common image corresponding to the single-color layer of the second color. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating a printing system 10 using a program according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1(a) shows an example of the configuration of the printing system 10. Figure 1(b) shows an example of the configuration of the printing device 12 in the printing system 10. Figure 1(c) shows an example of the configuration of the head unit 102 in the printing device 12. Except for the points described below, the printing system 10 and each part of the printing system 10 may have the same or similar characteristics as known printing systems and each part thereof. In this example, the printing system 10 comprises a printing device 12 and a control device 14. The printing device 12 is a device that performs printing in the printing system 10 based on the control of the control device 14. As the printing device 12, for example, a known industrial inkjet printer can be suitably used. In this example, the printing device 12 is a color printer that performs color printing using an inkjet method with multiple colors of ink, and for example, as shown in Figure 1(b), it has a head unit 102, a base unit 104, a scanning drive unit 106, and a control unit 110.

[0015] The print head unit 102 is configured to eject ink onto the printing medium 50, and has a plurality of inkjet heads 202, as shown in Figure 1(c), for example. In this example, the print head unit 102 has inkjet heads 202 for each process color and inkjet heads 202 for a predetermined spot color. With this configuration, the printing apparatus 12 performs printing using process color inks and spot color inks. More specifically, in this example, the print head unit 102 has inkjet heads 202 for each process color, specifically for yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). The print head unit 102 also has an inkjet head 202 for white (W) ink as a spot color inkjet head 202. In this case, process colors can be considered, for example, as basic colors for color expression. Furthermore, process colors can be considered, for example, as basic colors used for color expression using the subtractive color mixing method in color printing performed by the printing device 12. Process color inks can be considered, for example, as colored inks used as basic colors for color expression. Spot colors can be considered, for example, as inks of a different color from process color inks. Spot colors can also be considered, for example, as colors other than the basic colors used for color expression using the subtractive color mixing method. Additionally, spot colors can be considered, for example, as colors treated as spot colors in the specifications of the printing device 12. Spot colors can also be considered, for example, as colors other than YMCK (CMYK). In this example, white ink is an example of spot color ink and light-reflective ink.

[0016] In this example, each inkjet head 202 has a nozzle row in which multiple nozzles are arranged at different positions in a predetermined sub-scanning direction (X direction in the figure) set in advance in the printing device 12. Of the multiple inkjet heads 202 in the head unit 102, the inkjet heads 202 for each process color are arranged in the main scanning direction (Y direction in the figure) perpendicular to the sub-scanning direction, with their positions aligned in the sub-scanning direction, as shown in the figure. In addition, the inkjet head 202 for white ink, which is a spot color inkjet head 202, is arranged with a position offset from the process color inkjet heads 202 in the sub-scanning direction. In a modified configuration of the head unit 102, the head unit 102 may further have inkjet heads 202 for spot colors other than white. In this case, the head unit 102 may further have, for example, an inkjet head 202 for clear ink or an inkjet head 202 for primer ink as spot color inkjet heads 202. In this case, the multiple inkjet heads 202 for spot colors are arranged in a line in the main scanning direction, for example, with their positions aligned in the sub-scanning direction. In a modified configuration of the head unit 102, the inkjet heads 202 for spot colors may be arranged, for example, with their positions aligned in the sub-scanning direction with the inkjet heads 202 for process colors.

[0017] The base portion 104 is a table-shaped member that supports the medium 50 at a position opposite the head portion 102. The scanning drive unit 106 is a drive unit that causes the head portion 102 to perform a scanning operation that moves relative to the medium 50. In this case, causing the head portion 102 to perform a scanning operation can be thought of as, for example, causing the inkjet head 202 in the head portion 102 to perform a scanning operation. In this example, the scanning drive unit 106 causes the head portion 102 to perform a main scanning operation and a sub-scanning operation as scanning operations. The main scanning operation can be thought of as, for example, an operation in which ink is ejected while moving relative to the medium 50 in the main scanning direction (scanning operation). The sub-scanning operation can be thought of as, for example, an operation in which the head portion 102 moves relative to the medium 50 in the sub-scanning direction. The scanning drive unit 106 causes the head portion 102 to perform a sub-scanning operation in between main scanning operations, thereby changing the portion of the medium 50 that is opposite the head portion 102 with each main scanning operation. The sub-scanning operation can be thought of, for example, as a feeding operation (feed operation) that sends the medium 50 to the head unit 102.

[0018] The control unit 110, for example, includes the CPU of the printing device 12 and controls the operations of each part of the printing device 12. In this example, the control unit 110 receives the print data generated in the control device 14 from the control device 14 and controls the operations of each part of the printing device 12 based on this print data. In this example, the print data received by the printing device 12 from the control device 14 can be considered, for example, as data of a print job indicating the printed matter to be printed. According to this example, for example, in the printing device 12, printing on the medium 50 can be appropriately performed. Also, in this case, for example, by using the inks of each color of process color, color printing for drawing a color image on the medium 50 can be appropriately performed. Also, in this case, for example, various printing using special inks as needed can also be made possible. In addition to the above configuration, the printing device 12 may further have the same or similar configuration as a known printing device. For example, the printing device 12 may further have a fixing means for fixing the ink on the medium 50. Also, in this example, the printing device 12 performs interpolation printing (variable printing) according to the control of the control device 14. Interpolation printing can be considered, for example, as printing for creating a plurality of printed matters with different images drawn on a part. Also, for interpolation printing, for example, it can also be considered as printing performed by setting a pattern that varies variably each time the printed matter is printed in the print data.

[0019] The control device 14 is a device that controls the operation of the printing device 12, and controls the operation of the printing device 12 by supplying print data to the printing device 12. In this example, the control device 14 is a computer such as a PC that executes a program for generating print data, and generates print data according to this program. In this case, the control device 14 can also be thought of as functioning as a print data generation device that executes a print data generation method according to a program. As mentioned above, in this example, the printing device 12 performs mail merge. In this case, the control device 14 generates print data for mail merge and supplies it to the printing device 12, causing the printing device 12 to perform mail merge. The operation of mail merge performed by the printing device 12 and the operation of the control device 14 in generating print data for mail merge will be explained in more detail below.

[0020] Figure 2 shows an example of mail merge performed by the printing device 12. In Figure 2 and the drawings described below, for illustrative purposes, color differences in the images are shown using different shading patterns. In the printing system 10 of this example, the control device 14 generates print data for mail merge based on common image data 302 and variable data 304. The printing device 12 then prints based on the print data received from the control device 14, creating multiple printed materials 310 that differ in parts from each other. In this case, common image data 302 and variable data 304 are examples of input data input to the control device 14. Common image data 302 is an example of non-variable data and represents an image corresponding to the common part of the multiple printed materials 310 created by mail merge. In this example, common image data 302 is, for example, image data that represents a color image in a known format. Variable data 304 is data that represents the variable part, which is the part that differs individually in the printed materials 310 created by mail merge. As variable data 304, for example, data that indicates the variable portion of each printed document 310 using character information can be used. With this configuration, for example, the variable portion of each printed document 310 can be appropriately indicated with a small amount of variable data 304. For such variable data 304, for example, text format data can be suitably used. In this example, for variable data 304, for example, CSV format data can be used. In this case, for example, each row of variable data 304 is associated with one printed document 310, and the row corresponding to the printed document 310 indicates the variable portion corresponding to that printed document 310 using character information. More specifically, for example, if different characters or numbers are drawn in the variable portion for each printed document 310, it is conceivable to indicate those characters or numbers using text data in the variable data 304. Also, for example, if different images are drawn in the variable portion for each printed document 310, it is conceivable to indicate a string of characters in the variable data 304 that specifies the location where the image is stored. The location where the image is stored could, for example, be a path on the computer or a URL on the internet.Also, the variable data 304 may indicate multiple types of variable parts for, for example, one printed matter 310. In this case, for example, in the data in CSV format, for each row of the printed matter 310, as shown in the figure, it is conceivable to indicate multiple types of variable parts separated by commas. Also, in this case, it can also be considered that the variable data 304 has multiple items corresponding to multiple variable parts, for example.

[0021] More specifically, in the case of the example illustrated in FIG. 2, the common image data 302 shows an image of a star-shaped pattern (design) and an image showing the character string No. And the variable data 304 shows an image of a design to be used individually for each printed matter 310 and a character string to be used individually for each printed matter 310. Also, as described above, in this example, the variable data 304 indicates the variable parts for each printed matter 310 by character information. Therefore, the variable data 304 indicates, for example, a character string specifying the location where the image of the design for each printed matter 310 is stored, with respect to the image of the design for each printed matter 310. Also, the variable data 304 directly indicates, for example, the character string for each printed matter 310. And the control device 14 generates print data for causing the printing device 12 to perform insert printing based on such common image data 302 and variable data 304. Also, the control device 14 supplies the print data to the printing device 12, causing the printing device 12 to create a plurality of printed matters 310 with some being different from each other, as shown in the figure.

[0022] In this example, the control device 14 causes the printing device 12 (see Figure 1) to perform mail merge printing using special color inks, as shown in Figure 3, for example. Figure 3 is a diagram that further explains the mail merge printing performed by the printing device 12. Figure 3(a) shows an example of the ink layers that the printing device 12 forms on the medium 50 when performing mail merge printing. In this example, the printing device 12 uses, for example, a translucent medium as the medium 50. A transparent film or the like can be suitably used as the translucent medium 50. The printing device 12 then forms, for example, a color layer 52 and a white layer 54 on the medium 50. In this case, the color layer 52 is an ink layer formed using process color inks. The color layer 52 can also be considered, for example, as an ink layer on which a color image is drawn. Alternatively, the color layer 52 can also be considered as an ink layer on which a color image is drawn that is visible to an observer of the printed material. Furthermore, the white layer 54 is a layer of ink formed with white ink, which is a light-reflective ink. In this case, the white layer 54 can also be considered as a light-reflective layer formed with light-reflective ink. Also, in this example, the white layer 54 is an example of a monocolor layer and a spot color layer. A monocolor layer can be considered as a layer of ink formed with one color of ink separately from the color layer 52. Alternatively, a monocolor layer can be considered as a layer of ink formed only with ink ejected from a single inkjet head 202 (see Figure 1). A spot color layer can be considered as a layer of ink formed with a spot color ink. In this example, the formation of a spot color layer with a spot color ink can be considered as, for example, a spot color layer being formed with only one color of spot color ink ejected from a single inkjet head 202. In this case, the spot color layer can also be considered as a monocolor layer formed with a spot color ink.

[0023] Furthermore, in this example, the white layer 54 is formed such that at least a portion of it overlaps with at least a portion of the color layer 52. In this case, the white layer 54 can be considered to function, for example, as the background of the color layer 52. With this configuration, even when a translucent medium 50 is used, for example, the color image represented by the color layer 52 can be appropriately viewed by the observer. Also, as described above, in this example, the control device 14 causes the printing device 12 to perform mail merge, thereby causing the printing device 12 to create multiple printed materials in which the images drawn on parts of the material differ. In this case, the printing device 12 also forms the color layer 52 and the white layer 54 overlapping in at least a portion of the variable portion of the printed material. The variable portion of the printed material can be considered, for example, as the portion of the printed material corresponding to the variable portion indicated by the variable data. With this configuration, for example, the variable portion of the printed material can be appropriately viewed by the observer. Also, in this case, the portion of the ink layer of the printed material corresponding to the variable portion indicated by the variable data can be considered, for example, as the variable portion of the ink layer.

[0024] As explained above, in this example, the control device 14 controls the operation of the printing device 12 by supplying print data to the printing device 12. In this case, the control device 14 generates plates corresponding to each ink color used for printing, based on common image data and variable data, and generates print data based on the plates. The plates can be thought of as data indicating the image to be printed by the printing device 12 with respect to the corresponding ink color. The plates can also be thought of as images associated with a single ink color. In this example, the control device 14 generates grayscale images as plates for each ink color used for printing. The grayscale images can be thought of as monochrome images showing each pixel value in multiple gradations greater than 2. The control device 14 generates multi-gradation grayscale images of approximately 4 to 16 bits (for example, approximately 8 bits) as plates. In this example, the control device 14 generates print data by performing halftone processing based on the plates during the operation of RIP processing (Raster Image Processor processing). Halftone processing can be thought of as, for example, a process that reduces the number of gradations in an image to match the printing operation performed by the printing device 12. More specifically, the control device 14 performs a process that, as a plate-based halftone process, for example, binarizes a multi-gradation grayscale image. In this case, the plate can be thought of as, for example, the image to be processed for each ink color in the halftone processing. In this case, the control device 14 generates plates corresponding to the color layer 52 and the white layer 54 for each printed material to be created by the printing device 12, for example, as shown in Figures 3(b) and (c).

[0025] Figure 3(b) illustrates the plates corresponding to the color layer 52, focusing on a single printed material produced by the printing apparatus 12, and showing an example of the state before the plates are separated by ink color for the multiple plates formed for the color layer 52. In this example, the control device 14 generates plates for each ink color used to form the color layer 52. In this case, the control device 14 generates plates for each process color, for example. More specifically, in this case, the control device 14 generates plates for each ink color by performing a separation process on the color image shown in Figure 3(b), for example, separating the image by ink color. As a result, the control device 14 generates multiple plates that are associated with different colors as plates for the color layer 52. In this case, these multiple plates are an example of color layer plates. Color layer plates can be thought of as plates associated with a color layer 52 formed using multiple ink colors, for example. In this example, the control device 14 generates a plate for the color layer 52 in the same or similar manner as when generating print data for mail merge that forms only the color layer 52 on the medium 50. In this case, as an operation to form the plate for the color layer 52, the control device 14 performs the same or similar operation as when causing the printing device 12 to perform mail merge using a known method.

[0026] In this example, the control device 14 generates an image, for example, shown in Figure 3(c), as a plate corresponding to the white layer 54. Figure 3(c) shows an example of an image used as a plate for the white layer 54 for a single printed material to be produced by the printing device 12. In this case, the plate for the white layer 54 is an example of a plate for a spot color layer. Also, the plate for a spot color layer is an example of a plate for a monocolor layer. A plate for a monocolor layer can be considered, for example, as a plate associated with a monocolor layer. A plate for a spot color layer can be considered, for example, as a plate associated with a spot color layer. The control device 14 generates a plate for the white layer 54 based, for example, on the image that will be the basis for the plate for the white layer 54 and on variable data. In this case, the control device 14 can also be considered to generate a plate for the white layer 54 based, for example, on variable data. As the image that will be the basis for the plate for the white layer 54, for example, an image that shows the image corresponding to the image shown by the common image data in only one color can be used. In this case, the control device 14 may generate the image that will serve as the basis for the plate for the white layer 54, for example, based on common image data. The operation of the control device 14 to generate plates for single-color layers, such as the plate for the white layer 54, will be explained in more detail later in relation to the explanation of the operation of the control device 14 to generate print data.

[0027] Here, as described above, in this example, the printing device 12 overlaps the color layer 52 and the white layer 54 in at least a portion of the variable parts of the printed material. In this regard, it may seem obvious at first glance that the white layer 54 is formed in the variable parts. However, when performing mail merge, forming a single-color layer such as the white layer 54 on top of the color layer 52 is a different operation from when performing general mail merge. Therefore, when generating print data for mail merge using conventional methods, for example, even if you specify to form a single-color layer other than the color layer 52 when specifying the printing conditions, usually a single-color layer will not be formed in the variable parts, and a single-color layer will only be formed in the common parts of multiple printed materials. More specifically, when specifying the printing conditions for printing to be performed by the printing device 12, if you specify to form a single-color layer that overlaps with the color layer 52, for example, a plate for the single-color layer is generated by performing a color substitution (single-color conversion) on an image that shows the range in which the single-color layer will be formed, matching the color of the ink used to form the single-color layer. Furthermore, when generating print data for mail merge, for example, if a conventional control device 14 attempts to generate a plate for a single-color layer, it will typically perform this color substitution on the image representing the common parts of the mail merge. As a result, a plate for a single-color layer will be generated that corresponds to the operation of forming a single-color layer only on the common parts of multiple printed materials. Moreover, as in this example, when data that indicates variable parts using text information is used as variable data, it can be assumed that the conventional control device 14 will not typically perform color substitution on the variable parts.

[0028] In contrast, in this example, the control device 14 generates print data such that a single-color layer, such as a white layer, is formed in the variable portion of the mail merge, for example, by the operation of the flowchart shown in Figure 4. Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the control device 14, illustrating an example of the operation performed by the control device 14 according to a program for generating print data. For the convenience of illustration and explanation, Figure 4 shows an example of the operation of the control device 14, focusing on the operation of generating print data corresponding to one of the multiple printed materials to be created by the printing device 12 in a mail merge. In the actual operation of generating print data for mail merge, the control device 14 generates print data corresponding to multiple printed materials by repeatedly executing some of the operations shown in Figure 4. The order in which the operations of each step shown in the flowchart of Figure 4 are performed, and the specific operations performed in each step, may be changed as appropriate. Furthermore, if the printing device 12 is not to perform a mail merge, the control device 14 generates print data by the same or similar operation as the operation shown in Figure 4, for example, with some of the operations omitted. More specifically, in this case, the control device 14 generates the print data by the same or similar operation as the operation in Figure 4, for example, with steps S208 and S210 omitted.

[0029] Furthermore, in the operation shown in Figure 4, the control device 14 first inputs input data specifying the printing operation to be performed by the printing device 12 (S102). The operation in step S102 is an example of data input processing and the operation at the data input stage. In this example, the control device 14 inputs common image data and variable data as input data for causing the printing device 12 to perform mail merge. Then, based on this input data, the control device 14 generates a plate that matches the ink color to be used by the printing device 12 (S104). The operation in step S104 is an example of plate generation processing and the operation at the plate generation stage. The operation performed by the control device 14 in step S104 will be explained in more detail later. Following the operation in step S104, the control device 14 generates print data based on the plate generated in step S104 (step S106). The operation in step S106 is an example of print data generation processing and the operation at the print data generation stage. In this example, the control device 14 generates print data by performing halftone processing based on plates corresponding to each color of ink, and by creating commands for data that match the printing device 12. In this case, the print data can be thought of as, for example, data indicating the image to be printed by the printing device 12. In this example, the control device 14 also generates print data for each printed item to be created by the printing device 12 in the mail merge operation. In this case, the control device 14 can be thought of as generating multiple print data sets corresponding to multiple printed items. Furthermore, the control device 14 supplies the print data to the printing device 12, causing the printing device 12 to execute the printing operation corresponding to each printed item in the mail merge (S108). The operation in step S108 is an example of the operation of the print execution process and the print execution stage. According to this example, for example, the printing device 12 can be made to perform mail merge appropriately.

[0030] Next, the operation performed by the control device 14 in step S104 will be explained in more detail. In this example, the control device 14 generates print data for forming color layers and monochrome layers on the medium, for example. Therefore, in step S104, the control device 14 generates a color layer plate, which is a plate for the color layers, and a monochrome layer plate, which is a plate for monochrome layers such as the white layer. In this case, the control device 14 generates plates corresponding to each process color as color layer plates, for example. The control device 14 also generates a monochrome layer plate corresponding to the white layer, for example. More specifically, in this case, the control device 14 generates a common color layer plate, which is a plate indicating the common part of the color layers, based on common image data (S202). The operation in step S202 is an example of the operation of the color common image generation process and the color common image generation stage. The common part of the color layers can be considered, for example, the common part of the color layers of multiple printed materials created by mail merge. The common plate for the color layer can be thought of as, for example, an image corresponding to the plate for the color layer before the insertion of the variable portion. The control device 14 generates a common plate for the color layer corresponding to each process color by, for example, adjusting the resolution to match the printing resolution and performing separation processing according to the ink colors used to form the color layer on the image indicated by the common image data.

[0031] In this example, the control device 14 further generates a common plate for the monochrome layer, which is a plate that shows the common parts of the monochrome layer (S204). The operation in step S204 is an example of the operation of the monochrome image preparation process and the monochrome image preparation stage. The common parts of the monochrome layer can be thought of as, for example, the common parts of the monochrome layers of multiple printed materials created by mail merge. The common plate for the monochrome layer can be thought of as an image corresponding to the plate for the monochrome layer before the insertion of variable parts. In this example, the common plate for the monochrome layer is an example of a common monochrome image. The common monochrome image can be thought of as, for example, a monochrome image associated with the common parts of multiple printed materials. The control device 14 generates the common plate for the monochrome layer by performing a color substitution on the image that will become the basis for the common plate for the monochrome layer, replacing at least one of the colors used in the image with the color of the ink used to form the monochrome layer. In this case, the control device 14 generates, for example, a grayscale image corresponding to the color of the monochrome layer as the common plate for the monochrome layer. Furthermore, the control device 14 receives instructions from the user, for example, specifying the source color and the replacement color, and performs color replacement (monochromatic conversion) on the image that will be the basis for the common plate for the monochromatic layer based on these instructions. The control device 14 also generates the common plate for the monochromatic layer by performing adjustments to the resolution of the image after color replacement, for example, to match the printing resolution, as necessary. With this configuration, for example, the common plate for the monochromatic layer can be generated easily and appropriately.

[0032] Furthermore, in this example, the control device 14 uses, for example, an image (color image) in which the common parts to be formed with a single color layer are drawn in a predetermined color as the source image for the single color layer common plate. For example, an image in which the common parts to be formed with a single color are drawn in any one of the available colors can be used as such an image. For example, any one of the process colors (e.g., K color) can be suitably used as such a single color. In step S204, the control device 14 receives, for example, image data indicating the source image for the single color common image as input data, and generates a single color common image by performing color substitution on that image. In this case, the control device 14 may receive the image data indicating the source image for the single color common image, for example, in the operation of step S102 as described above. Alternatively, the control device 14 may use, for example, the color image indicated by the common image data as the source image for the single color common image. In this case, the control device 14 generates a single color common image by performing, for example, a color substitution process on at least one of the colors used in this color image. Furthermore, the control device 14 may generate the image that will serve as the basis for the monochrome common image within the control device 14 itself. In this case, the control device 14 may generate the image that will serve as the basis for the monochrome common image from the color image indicated by the common image data, for example, by using a plate generation function that generates a plate for spot colors based on a color image. In this case as well, the monochrome common image can be appropriately generated by, for example, performing color replacement on this image. When generating a monochrome common image based on the color image indicated by the common image data, it is preferable to generate a monochrome common image in which all pixels corresponding to the effective pixels in this color image become effective pixels.

[0033] Furthermore, the control device 14 combines the common plate for the color layer and the common plate for the monochrome layer generated in steps S202 and S204 to combine the common parts of the print data corresponding to multiple printed materials (S206). The operation in step S206 is an example of the common part combination process and common part combination operation. In step S206, the control device 14, for example, associates the common plate for the color layer and the common plate for the monochrome layer, and combines the common parts of the print data by specifying that the common plate for the color layer and the common plate for the monochrome layer are ink layers that are formed by overlapping them during printing, and the way they overlap (layering order), etc. In addition, the control device 14 generates common part data, which is the data that will be used for the insertion of variable parts later. The common part data can be thought of as, for example, common data that forms the basis of the print data for each printed material. Furthermore, the combination operation performed by the control device 14 in step S106 can be thought of as corresponding to, for example, the operation of combining print jobs. In this case, the control device 14 can be thought of as generating a composite job that forms the basis of the print data for each printed item by combining, for example, a print job corresponding to the common part of the color layer and a print job corresponding to the common part of the monochrome layer.

[0034] Furthermore, following the operation in step S206, the control device 14 generates a color layer plate by inserting it into a common plate for the color layer based on the variable data (S208). The operation in step S208 is an example of the operation of the color layer plate generation process and the color layer plate generation stage. In step S208, the control device 14 generates an image showing the patterns and characters to be reflected in the color layer plate based on the variable data, performs plate separation on the image according to the common plate for the color layer corresponding to each process color, and inserts it into the common plate for the color layer corresponding to each color. In step S108 of this example, the control device 14 generates a color layer plate by performing the same or similar operation as when the printing device 12 is made to perform mail merge printing using a known method. Also, as explained above, in this example, the control device 14 generates print data corresponding to multiple printed materials by repeatedly executing a part of the operation shown in Figure 4. More specifically, in this example, the control device 14 generates print data corresponding to multiple printed materials by repeating the operations from step S208 onward in step S104 and the operations in steps S106 and S108. In this case, in step S108, the control device 14 generates a color layer plate for each printed material by reflecting the variable portion in the variable data that corresponds to that printed material. Reflecting the variable portion in the variable data that corresponds to the printed material can be thought of as reflecting, for example, the items that the variable data indicates as the variable portion of that printed material.

[0035] In this example, the control device 14 generates a monochrome layer plate by inserting it into a common plate for monochrome layers based on the variable data (S210). The operation in step S210 is an example of the operation of the monochrome layer plate generation process and the monochrome layer plate generation stage. In step S210, the control device 14 generates a monochrome layer variable image, which is an image showing patterns, characters, etc. to be reflected in the monochrome layer plate, based on the variable data, and generates a monochrome layer plate by inserting the monochrome layer variable image into a common plate for monochrome layers. In this way, the control device 14 generates a monochrome layer plate for each printed material by reflecting the variable parts in the variable data that correspond to that printed material. In this case, the monochrome layer variable image can be thought of as, for example, an image corresponding to the variable parts in the variable data. Also, as explained above, in this example, the control device 14 generates a grayscale image corresponding to the color of the monochrome layer as a common plate for monochrome layers. In this case, in step S210, the control device 14 generates a grayscale image corresponding to the variable portion in the variable data as a variable image for the monochrome layer. The control device 14 then generates a monochrome layer plate of the grayscale image by inserting the variable image for the monochrome layer into a common monochrome image. In this example, the control device 14 reflects at least a portion of the variable portion indicated by the variable data both when generating the color layer plate in step S208 and when generating the monochrome layer plate in step S210. In this case, in step S210, the control device 14 generates a monochrome layer plate such that, for each printed material, the monochrome layer overlaps at least a portion of the portion corresponding to the variable portion in the color layer by reflecting the variable portion. According to this example, for example, a monochrome layer that overlaps the pattern in the variable portion can be automatically and appropriately formed. As explained above, the monochrome layer could be, for example, a white layer which is a layer of light-reflective ink. With this configuration, for example, a white layer or the like that serves as the background for the color layer can be easily and appropriately formed in areas corresponding to variable parts in a printed material. In this case, the control device 14 generates a plate for a single-color layer, for example, such as a white layer, so that a single-color layer overlaps the entire area of ​​the color layer corresponding to the variable part.Furthermore, depending on the content to be expressed in the variable portion, the control device 14 may generate a monochrome layer plate such that, for example, the monochrome layer overlaps only a portion of the color layer corresponding to the variable portion.

[0036] As explained above, variable data can preferably be in the form of CSV format, for example. In this case, the variable data can be considered to have multiple items corresponding to multiple variable parts. In this case, the variable data may indicate multiple types of variable parts for a single printed material, for example, as variable parts to be reflected when generating the color layer plate in step S208. In this case, in step S210, the control device 14 generates a monochrome layer plate by reflecting the same variable parts as in step S208. With this configuration, for example, a monochrome layer plate can be appropriately generated that specifies a state in which the monochrome layer overlaps the entire portion of the color layer corresponding to the variable part. Alternatively, in step S210, the control device 14 may generate a monochrome layer plate for each printed material by reflecting only a portion of the multiple types of variable parts in the variable data. With this configuration, for example, a monochrome layer plate can be appropriately generated that specifies a state in which the monochrome layer overlaps only a portion of the portion of the color layer corresponding to the variable part.

[0037] Furthermore, after generating plates for the color layer and monochrome layer in steps S208 and S210, the control device 14 proceeds to step S106 as described above, and generates print data for each printed item by performing halftone processing, etc., based on the plates corresponding to each color of ink. The operation by which the control device 14 generates print data can be considered as, for example, the operation of generating print jobs to be executed by the printing device 12. Furthermore, after generating print data in step S106, as also described above, in step S108, the control device 14 supplies the print data to the printing device 12, causing the printing device 12 to execute the printing operation corresponding to the print data. According to this example, for example, print data for mail merge that forms color layers and monochrome layers can be easily and appropriately generated. Furthermore, this makes it possible to easily and appropriately perform various types of mail merge on the printing device 12.

[0038] Next, supplementary explanations regarding the matters described above, as well as explanations of modified examples, will be provided. As explained above, in this example, the control device 14 generates a common plate for monocolor layers by performing color substitution on the image that will be the source of the common plate for monocolor layers, replacing at least one of the colors used in the image with the ink color used to form the monocolor layer. In this case, the control device 14 receives instructions from the user to specify the source color and the replacement color by showing the user a screen, for example, as shown in Figure 5. Figure 5 shows an example of a screen that receives user instructions regarding color substitution. In the illustrated example, the control device 14 receives instructions from the user to select one color from each of the CMYK process colors as the source color. The control device 14 also receives instructions from the user to select at least one color from a plurality of colors, including process colors and spot colors, as the replacement color. More specifically, for example, when generating one common plate for monocolor layers corresponding to one monocolor layer by color substitution, the control device 14 receives instructions from the user to select one color as the replacement color. With this configuration, for example, in an image that serves as the basis for a common plate for single-color layers, one of the colors used in that image can be appropriately replaced with the color of the ink used to form the single-color layer. This also allows for the appropriate formation of a common single-color image. More specifically, in the example shown in Figure 5, the control device 14 receives an instruction from the user to select K (black) as the color to be replaced. The control device 14 also receives an instruction from the user to select white as the color to be replaced. In this case, based on the instruction received from the user, the control device 14 performs a color replacement on the image that serves as the basis for the common plate for single-color layers, replacing K with white. In this case, the replaced color can be considered to correspond to the white layer formed as a spot color layer. The control device 14 may also generate print data corresponding to a printed material that forms multiple single-color layers. In this case, the control device 14 receives an instruction from the user to select multiple colors corresponding to multiple single-color layers as the replaced colors.

[0039] Here, as described above, the control device 14 generates a common plate for the monochromatic layer, for example, by performing color substitution. With this configuration, for example, a common plate for the monochromatic layer can be generated easily and appropriately. Furthermore, this makes it possible to appropriately form a monochromatic layer, such as a white layer, on the common parts of multiple printed materials created by mail merge. In addition, when performing mail merge using a monochromatic layer such as a white layer, as in this example, it is sometimes desirable to form a monochromatic layer not only on the common parts but also on the variable parts. For example, when forming a color layer and a white layer on a translucent medium, as in the printed material described above, if a white layer is not formed on the variable parts, the variable parts in the color layer may not be properly visible. Therefore, for example, when drawing patterns or characters (e.g., serial numbers) on the variable parts of the color layer, it is preferable to also form a white layer at the positions where the patterns or characters are drawn. However, when performing mail merge, it is usually difficult to target the variable parts with color substitution. As a result, it is usually difficult to form a monochromatic layer on the variable parts using the color substitution method.

[0040] More specifically, when performing mail merge, various images different for each printed document are drawn in the variable areas. In this case, for example, color images using various colors may be drawn in the variable areas. Furthermore, complex images such as photographs of people's faces may be drawn in the variable areas. In this case, the variable data can be considered to represent a color image that includes a color other than the one color specified as the source color for color substitution, for example, as at least a part of the variable areas of at least some of the printed documents. In this case, in order to simply perform color substitution on the variable areas as described above, it would be necessary to separately prepare an image that matches the image drawn in the variable area and is drawn in the source color. However, in this case, it would be necessary to prepare such an image separately for each printed document for the many printed documents created by mail merge, which usually places a significant burden on the user. Also, as in this example, when variable data is used that indicates the variable areas of each printed document using text information, it can be difficult to target the variable areas for color substitution. For example, when variable data that includes text data indicating characters or numbers to be drawn in the variable areas is used, it can be difficult to target the text data for color substitution.

[0041] Furthermore, as mentioned above, it is conceivable that the color image shown in the common image data may be used as the source image for the common plate for the monochromatic layer. At first glance, it might seem that, for example, an image could be generated by inserting the variable portion shown in the variable data into the color image shown in the common image data, and then generating the plate for the monochromatic layer from that image. However, as mentioned above, the variable portion may be a color image using various colors. Also, the variable portion may be a complex image, such as a photograph of a person's face. In this case, for example, the complexity of the image to be color-substituted makes it difficult to predict the result of color substitution on the image. As a result, it also becomes difficult to generate the plate for the monochromatic layer by color substitution. Moreover, in this case, it becomes necessary to perform the above process for each print to be created, which takes a lot of time. Furthermore, in this case, for example, many images containing common parts are generated, and the same process is repeated multiple times on the common parts in many images, which can lead to inefficient processing. More specifically, for example, when creating n printed documents using mail merge, it becomes necessary to perform color replacement n times on images containing common parts, which takes a lot of time. In contrast, in this example, even when drawing color images using various colors for variable parts, or when using variable data that indicates variable parts for each printed document using text information, it is possible to easily and appropriately generate plates for single-color layers such as spot color layers (single-color layer plates). Furthermore, this allows for the appropriate formation of single-color layers other than color layers at positions corresponding to variable parts in the printed document, without requiring the user to be aware of troublesome settings related to variable parts.

[0042] Furthermore, as explained above, the control device 14 may cause the printing device 12 to form single-color layers other than the white layer. More specifically, the control device 14 may cause the printing device 12 to form a special color layer formed with a special color ink such as clear ink, silver ink, or primer ink. As the ink for forming the single-color layer, for example, ink for adhesives may be used. When forming a single-color layer with these special color inks, the printing device 12 is appropriately equipped with an inkjet head for the ink used to form the single-color layer. The control device 14 also generates a common plate for single-color layers by performing color substitution in the same or similar manner as the operation described above. The control device 14 then generates a plate for single-color layers by inserting data into the common plate for single-color layers based on variable data in the same or similar manner as the operation described above. With this configuration, for example, the printing device 12 can be appropriately made to perform mail merge printing in which single-color layers of various colors are formed in addition to the color layer. Furthermore, single-color layers, such as spot color layers, may be formed not only to function as a simple background for the color layers, but also, for example, to provide various decorations to the variable parts. With this configuration, for example, it becomes possible to appropriately implement different expressions for each printed material regarding the design expression using single-color layers in the variable parts. In addition, this makes it possible to appropriately perform mail merge printing with various decorations.

[0043] Furthermore, as explained above, the control device 14 may generate print data corresponding to a printed material that forms multiple single-color layers. In this case, the control device 14 generates multiple common plates for single-color layers, for example, by generating a common plate for each single-color layer color. Then, for each single-color layer color, the control device 14 generates a single-color layer plate corresponding to each single-color layer by inserting it into the common plate for single-color layers based on variable data. In this case, the control device 14 can be thought of as generating multiple single-color layer plates corresponding to multiple single-color layers based on a single variable data. Also, as explained above, in this example, the control device 14 performs insertion into a common plate for color layers and insertion into a common plate for single-color layers based on variable data. In this case, the control device 14 can be thought of as generating plates for color layers and single-color layers based on a single variable data. In a modified example of the operation of the control device 14, the control device 14 may, for example, not use variable data when generating the color layer plate, but use variable data only when generating the monochrome layer plate. In this case, the control device 14 may, for example, reflect the variable data to generate multiple monochrome layer plates corresponding to multiple monochrome layers of different colors.

[0044] As explained above, the control device 14 may, for example, generate an image that will serve as the basis for a monochrome common image from a color image represented by the common image data. When generating print data corresponding to a printed material that forms multiple monochrome layers, the control device 14 may, for example as shown in Figure 6, generate different images for each color of the monochrome layer as the image that will serve as the basis for a monochrome common image, based on the color image represented by the common image data. Figure 6 shows an example of the operation of the control device 14 when generating print data corresponding to a printed material that forms multiple monochrome layers. Figure 6(a) shows an example of the operation of generating an image that will serve as the basis for a monochrome common image corresponding to a monochrome layer of a first color (for example, white). Figure 6(b) shows an example of the operation of generating an image that will serve as the basis for a monochrome common image corresponding to a monochrome layer of a second color (for example, silver) that is different from the first color. In Figures 6(a) and (b), the figure on the left shows an example of a color image represented by the common image data. The figure on the right shows an example of an image that the control device 14 generates based on this color image as the image that will serve as the basis for a monochrome common image. In the example shown in Figure 6(a), the control device 14 generates an image that will serve as the basis for a monochrome common image by, for example, color-converting all pixels in the color image that have any color set to a predetermined color (e.g., K color). In the example shown in Figure 6(b), the control device 14 generates a different image from that in Figure 6(a) as the basis for a monochrome common image by, for example, performing color conversion only on pixels in the color image that have a specific color set to it. With this configuration, for example, various images can be appropriately generated as the basis for a monochrome common image based on the color image shown by the common image data.

[0045] As explained above, variable data may include, for example, data with multiple items corresponding to multiple variable parts. In this case, for example, a plate for the monochrome layer may be generated by reflecting only the variable parts corresponding to some of the items. For example, when formal numbers or characters such as serial numbers are drawn along with patterns in the variable parts of the color layer, if it is not necessary to form a monochrome layer such as a white layer in the serial number area, a monochrome layer may be formed only in the pattern area. With this configuration, for example, the amount of ink consumed for forming the monochrome layer can be reduced. Also, as explained above, in this example, the print data can be thought of as, for example, data for a print job. In this case, the print data that causes the printing device to form the color layer and the monochrome layer can be thought of as corresponding to a job that combines, for example, a job for the color layer (color job) and a job for the monochrome layer (monochrome job). In contrast, in a modified operation of the control device 14, for example, print data may be generated without combining the color job and the monochrome job. In this case, the printing device 12 forms a color layer and a monochrome layer on the medium by performing multiple printing operations, including, for example, printing operations corresponding to color jobs and printing operations corresponding to monochrome jobs. In this case, for example, the operation in which the control device 14 generates data corresponding to color jobs and monochrome jobs can be considered to correspond to the operation of generating print data for mail merge. In this case, for example, the data combining the data for color jobs and the data for monochrome jobs can be considered to correspond to the print data for mail merge that forms the color layer and the white layer. [Industrial applicability]

[0046] The present invention can be suitably used, for example, in a program that causes a computer to generate print data. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 10...Printing system, 102...Head unit, 104...Stand unit, 106...Scanning drive unit, 110...Control unit, 12...Printing device, 14...Control device, 202...Inkjet head, 302...Common image data, 304...Variable data, 310...Printed material, 50...Media, 52...Color layer, 54...White layer

Claims

1. A program that causes a computer to generate print data, A data input process that inputs input data specifying the printing operation to be performed by a printing device that uses multiple colors of ink, A process for generating a plate, which is an image associated with a single color of ink, comprising a plate generation process for generating the plate that matches the color of the ink used in the printing apparatus, A print data generation process that generates print data based on the version generated in the version generation process, and The computer is instructed to perform this action. The print data is data indicating an image to be printed by the printing device. The aforementioned printing apparatus performs color printing using multiple inks that form the basic colors for color expression. In the data input process, input data is input to cause the printing device to perform mail merge to create multiple printed materials in which images drawn in different parts are input, and the input data includes non-variable data which is data indicating images corresponding to common parts in the multiple printed materials, and variable data which is data indicating variable parts which are parts that are individually different in the printed materials. In the aforementioned version generation process, A color layer plate generation process generates a plate for the color layer, which is a plate associated with the color layer, which is a layer of ink formed using the aforementioned multiple colors of ink. A process for generating a plate for a single-color layer, which is a plate that corresponds to a single-color layer, which is a layer of ink formed with one color of ink, separate from the aforementioned color layer, is performed. Perform In the color layer plate generation process, for each printed material, the variable portion of the variable data corresponding to the printed material is reflected to generate the color layer plate. A program characterized in that, in the process of generating a plate for a single-color layer, for each printed material, the variable portion of the variable data corresponding to the printed material is reflected to generate the plate for the single-color layer.

2. The printing apparatus uses process color inks, which are the basic colors for the color expression, and spot color inks, which are colors other than the process colors. The program according to claim 1, characterized in that the single-color layer is a layer of ink formed with the special-color ink.

3. The printing apparatus uses a translucent medium as the medium to be printed, and uses at least a light-reflective ink as the special color ink. The single-color layer is a light-reflecting layer which is an ink layer formed with the light-reflecting ink, and is formed such that at least a portion of it overlaps with at least a portion of the color layer. The program according to claim 2, characterized in that, in the plate generation process for the single-color layer, the plate is generated such that, by reflecting the variable portion, the light-reflecting layer overlaps at least a portion of the portion corresponding to the variable portion in the color layer for each printed material.

4. In the aforementioned version generation process, Further, a monochrome common image preparation process is performed to prepare a monochrome common image, which is a monochrome image associated with the aforementioned common part. The program according to claim 1, characterized in that, in the process of generating a plate for a single-color layer, a variable image for a single-color layer, which is an image corresponding to the variable portion in the variable data, is inserted into the common single-color image to generate the single-color layer plate for each printed material.

5. In the aforementioned monochromatic common image preparation process, the monochromatic common image is generated by performing a color substitution on the image that will be the source of the monochromatic common image, in which any of the colors used in the image are replaced with the colors of the ink used to form the monochromatic layer. The program according to claim 4, characterized in that the variable data is data that indicates the variable portion for each printed material using character information.

6. In the aforementioned monochromatic common image preparation process, the monochromatic common image is generated by performing a color substitution on the image that will be the source of the monochromatic common image, in which one of the colors used in the image is replaced with the color of the ink used to form the monochromatic layer. The program according to claim 4, characterized in that the variable data includes a color image containing a color other than the one color, as at least a portion of the variable part of the printed material.

7. The variable data indicates multiple types of variable portions for a single printed material, which are to be reflected when generating the color layer plate in the color layer plate generation process. The program according to claim 1, characterized in that, in the process of generating a plate for a single-color layer, only a portion of the multiple types of variable parts in the variable data is reflected to generate the single-color layer plate for each printed material.

8. A method for generating print data, which generates print data, A data input stage involves inputting data that specifies the printing operation to be performed by a printing device that uses multiple colors of ink, and This is a stage in which a plate is generated, which is an image associated with the color of a single ink, and is a plate generation stage in which the plate is generated in accordance with the color of the ink used in the printing apparatus, A print data generation step in which print data is generated based on the version generated in the version generation step, and Equipped with, The print data is data indicating an image to be printed by the printing device. The aforementioned printing apparatus performs color printing using multiple inks that form the basic colors for color expression. In the data input stage, input data is input to cause the printing device to perform mail merge, which creates multiple printed materials in which images are drawn in different parts, and the input data includes non-variable data which is data indicating images corresponding to common parts in the multiple printed materials, and variable data which is data indicating variable parts which are parts that are individually different in the printed materials. The aforementioned version generation stage is A color layer plate generation step, which generates a plate for the color layer that corresponds to the color layer, which is a layer of ink formed using the aforementioned multiple colors of ink, A single-color layer plate generation step is to generate a plate for a single-color layer, which is a plate that corresponds to a single-color layer, which is a layer of ink formed with one color of ink, separate from the aforementioned color layer. It has, In the color layer plate generation step, for each printed material, the color layer plate is generated by reflecting the variable portion in the variable data that corresponds to the printed material. A printing data generation method characterized in that, in the stage of generating a plate for a single-color layer, the plate for a single color layer is generated by reflecting the variable portion in the variable data corresponding to the printed material for each printed material.

9. A print data generation device that generates print data, A data input process that inputs input data specifying the printing operation to be performed by a printing device that uses multiple colors of ink, A process for generating a plate, which is an image associated with a single color of ink, comprising a plate generation process for generating the plate that matches the color of the ink used in the printing apparatus, A print data generation process that generates print data based on the version generated in the version generation process, and Perform The print data is data indicating an image to be printed by the printing device. The aforementioned printing apparatus performs color printing using multiple inks that form the basic colors for color expression. In the data input process, input data is input to cause the printing device to perform mail merge to create multiple printed materials in which images drawn in different parts are input, and the input data includes non-variable data which is data indicating images corresponding to common parts in the multiple printed materials, and variable data which is data indicating variable parts which are parts that are individually different in the printed materials. In the aforementioned version generation process, A color layer plate generation process generates a plate for the color layer, which is a plate associated with the color layer, which is a layer of ink formed using the aforementioned multiple colors of ink. A process for generating a plate for a single-color layer, which is a plate that corresponds to a single-color layer, which is a layer of ink formed with one color of ink, separate from the aforementioned color layer, is performed. Perform In the color layer plate generation process, for each printed material, the variable portion of the variable data corresponding to the printed material is reflected to generate the color layer plate. A printing data generation device characterized in that, in the process of generating a plate for a single-color layer, for each printed material, the variable portion of the variable data corresponding to the printed material is reflected to generate the plate for the single-color layer.

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