Printing control device, printing control method, and program

Abstract

To cope with deformation of a packaging material containing contents in a printing control device, a printing control method, and a program.SOLUTION: A printing control device 1 includes an acquisition part 11 (a step S2) for acquiring displacement information including at least either displacement that occurs the surface of a packaging material P containing contents P1, P2 and displacement elements that cause the displacement, and a printing related processing control part 13 (steps S7, S9, S10) for performing printing related processing related to printing of the packaging material based on the displacement information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a print control device, a print control method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in order to accurately predict the degree of curl of a recording medium caused by ejecting liquid, a droplet ejection device has been proposed that calculates the degree of curl based on the amount of liquid, etc. (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-158062 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When printing on packaging materials such as cardboard using ink that contains water in a solvent, such as water-based ink, the ink penetrates the packaging material, reducing its strength. For example, if the packaging material is cardboard, and moisture adheres to the adhesive between the corrugated core and the flat liner that is placed on the front and back of the core, the adhesive bonded with the water-based glue will peel off, reducing the strength of the packaging material.

[0005] Such a decrease in the strength of the packaging material occurs not only when printing is performed using ink, but also when the packaging material is deformed by the weight of the contents or when the packaging material is leaned against.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a print control device, a print control method, and a program that can deal with deformation of a packaging material containing contents. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In one aspect, the printing control device includes an acquisition unit that acquires displacement information including at least one of displacement occurring on the surface of a packaging material containing contents and a displacement factor that causes the displacement, and a printing-related processing control unit that performs printing-related processing related to printing of the packaging material based on the displacement information.

Advantages of the Invention

[0008] According to the above aspect, it is possible to cope with deformation of a packaging material containing contents.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4A

Figure 4B

Figure 5A

Figure 5B

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, a printing control device, a printing control method, and a program according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a printing system 100 including a printing control device 1 according to one embodiment.

[0012] FIG. 2 is a perspective view for explaining printing on the packaging material P, and FIG. 3 is a plan view showing examples of the contents P1 and P2 of the packaging material P.

[0013] Note that the front-back, left-right, and up-down directions shown in FIGS. 2 to 7 are an example for convenience of explanation when the printing surface of the packaging material P is regarded as the front surface. For example, the front-back direction and the left-right direction are horizontal directions orthogonal to each other, and the up-down direction is a vertical direction.

[0014] The printing system 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes a printing control device 1 and a printing device 110.

[0015] The printing device 110 includes a printing unit 111, a control unit 112, a storage unit 113, and an interface unit 114.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 2, the printing unit 111 is a printing head that performs printing of printing content Pa in the horizontal direction on the front surface of the packaging material P that is conveyed on the conveyor C while accommodating the contents P1 and P2, for example. Here, the horizontal direction is a direction that intersects the vertical direction and the conveying direction of the packaging material P (the left direction in the example of FIG. 2). The printing unit 111 ejects a plurality of colors of ink, such as black, cyan, magenta, and yellow, by an inkjet method. When the printing unit 111 performs printing on the packaging material P in a state where the contents P1 and P2 are accommodated, it becomes easier to perform variable printing such as the shipping date, manufacturing date, harvest date, etc., and variable advertising printing according to the attributes of the destination.

[0017] The printing content Pa is, for example, a printed image of only the background portion where the area of the characters of the advertisement "ABCDEF" is white. When such a background portion is printed with a plurality of colors of ink, or when most of the printing area is printed with a plurality of colors of ink, the printing rate may exceed 100%.

[0018] The control unit 112 has a processor (for example, a CPU: Central Processing Unit) that functions as an arithmetic processing unit for controlling the operation of the entire printing apparatus 110. This processor reads and executes a predetermined program from, for example, the storage unit 113 or a storage medium (non-transitory computer-readable recording medium) that is detachable from the printing apparatus 110. When the printing apparatus 110 itself functions as the printing control apparatus 1, the control unit 112 functions as the acquisition unit 11, the intensity reduction state determination unit 12, and the printing-related process control unit 13 of the printing control apparatus 1 described later.

[0019] The storage unit 113 has memories such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), which is a read-only semiconductor memory in which a predetermined control program is recorded in advance, and a RAM (Random Access Memory), which is a semiconductor memory that can be written to and read from at any time and is used as a working storage area as needed when the processor executes various control programs.

[0020] The interface unit 114 exchanges various types of information with external devices such as the printing control device 1.

[0021] The printing control device 1 includes a control unit 10, a storage unit 20, an interface unit 30, a display unit 40, and an input unit 50. The printing control device 1 is, for example, a device that executes a printer driver, such as a dedicated terminal for controlling the printing of the printing device 110 or a user terminal that gives a printing instruction to the printing device 110.

[0022] The control unit 10 has, for example, one or more processors (e.g., a CPU) that function as an arithmetic processing device for controlling the operations of each part of the printing control device 1 and the printing device 110. This processor reads and executes a predetermined program from, for example, the storage unit 20 or a storage medium (non-transitory computer-readable recording medium) detachable from the printing control device 1, thereby functioning as an acquisition unit 11, a strength reduction state determination unit 12, and a printing-related process control unit 13. Thus, the control unit 10 (or the printing control device 1) functions as an example of a computer that executes a program.

[0023] The acquisition unit 11 acquires displacement information including at least one of, for example, the displacement generated on the front surface (an example of the surface) of the packaging material P containing the contents P1 (heavy weight) and the contents P2 (light weight) as shown in FIG. 3, and the displacement factor that causes this displacement. As shown by the dots in FIG. 3, a cushioning material P3 such as an air pack is arranged in the packaging material P so as to cover the contents P1 and P2.

[0024] The above displacement is the displacement that actually occurs on the front surface of the packaging material P containing the contents P1 and P2, and can be measured, for example, by the depth camera D shown in FIG. 4A. Further, the above displacement factors can be measured, for example, by the surface pressure (the surface pressure on the front surface of the packaging material P containing the contents P1 and P2) measured by the surface pressure sensor T shown in FIGS. 5A and 6, or the weight and the center of gravity (the weight and the center of gravity of the packaging material P containing the contents P1 and P2) measured by the four weighing scales S shown in FIG. 7. The displacement factor may be other factors such as the weight of the contents P1 and P2 themselves that can be determined without measurement. Further, when the packaging material P is cardboard, the water content increases as the temperature decreases or the relative humidity increases, and the compressive strength of the packaging material P decreases. Therefore, the displacement factor may be the temperature, the relative humidity, or the like. Further, the displacement factor may be obtained by simulation from the strength of the packaging material P itself before containing the contents P1 and P2, the weight, the size of the contents P1 and P2, the amount of the cushioning material P3, and the like.

[0025] A depth camera D, which is an example of a displacement measuring device shown in FIG. 4A, detects the displacement that actually occurs on the front surface of the packaging material P containing the contents P1 and P2. The displacement detected by the depth camera D is represented, for example, as a displacement distribution diagram in which the darker the portion with a larger displacement, as shown in FIG. 4B, and particularly tends to be larger at the central portion of the front surface. The acquisition unit 11 may acquire the displacement, which is the detection result of the depth camera D, as values such as the maximum displacement and the average displacement on the front surface. Note that the displacement occurring on other surfaces in addition to the front surface of the packaging material P may be detected using the depth camera D.

[0026] Also, a surface pressure sensor T, which is an example of a displacement factor measuring device shown in FIG. 5A, detects the surface pressure (displacement factor) that causes displacement on the front surface of the packaging material P containing the contents P1 and P2. The surface pressure sensor T is, for example, a tactile sensor. When measuring the surface pressure, the surface pressure sensor T may be pressed against the packaging material P through a pressing sheet metal M. The surface pressure detected by the surface pressure sensor T is likely to be particularly large at the central part of the front surface, for example, in the form of a surface pressure distribution diagram represented by shading where the part with a larger surface pressure becomes darker, as shown in FIG. 5B. The acquisition unit 11 may acquire the surface pressure, which is the detection result of the surface pressure sensor T, as values such as the maximum surface pressure and the average surface pressure on the front surface. Note that, using the surface pressure sensor T, the surface pressure generated on other surfaces in addition to the front surface of the packaging material P may be detected.

[0027] When measuring the surface pressure by the surface pressure sensor T, as shown in FIG. 6, the packaging material P may be placed on a base B inclined at an angle θ with respect to the virtual horizontal plane H, assuming the change in pressure during transportation, and the surface pressure on the front surface of the inclined packaging material P may be measured.

[0028] Also, four load cells S, which are another example of a displacement factor measuring device shown in FIG. 7, detect the weight and the center of gravity (displacement factors) that cause displacement on the front surface of the packaging material P containing the contents P1 and P2. For example, the four load cells S are arranged at the center of the front end, the center of the rear end, the center of the left end, and the center of the right end at the lower part of the packaging material P. In the example of FIG. 7, since the content P1 with a larger weight is accommodated in the front part and the content P2 with a smaller weight is accommodated in the rear part, the weight measured by the load cell S in the front part is the largest, and the weight measured by the load cell S in the rear part is the smallest. In this way, the acquisition unit 11 can acquire the total weight of the packaging material P containing the contents P1 and P2, the weights of the front, rear, left, and right respectively, or the center of gravity from the weights detected by the four load cells S. Note that a plurality of load cells S may be arranged, but even if only one is arranged, the total weight of the packaging material P can be detected. Also, if the weights of the contents P1 and P2 and the weight of the packaging material P itself are known without using the load cell S, the acquisition unit 11 may acquire the weight without measurement.

[0029] Based on the displacement information (displacement and displacement factors) acquired by the acquisition unit 11, the strength degradation state determination unit 12 determines the strength degradation state of the packaging material P. As shown in FIG. 8, the strength degradation state determination unit 12 refers to a strength degradation state table 21 (an example of correspondence information) that represents the correspondence between the displacement information, the printing rate (ink usage amount), and the strength degradation state, and determines the strength degradation state. In this strength degradation state table 21, degradation rates (X11~X15, X21~X25, X31~X35) are assigned as the strength degradation state according to the displacement information and the ink usage amount. Note that the strength degradation state table 21 (correspondence information) shown in FIG. 8 corresponds to any one of the types of the packaging material P, for example, A stage, B stage, AA stage, AB stage, etc. That is, it is preferable that the strength degradation state table 21 is prepared for each type of the packaging material P.

[0030] The degradation rate may be determined, for example, by performing a compression test defined by a standard such as Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS). As shown in FIG. 8, the smaller the displacement, the lower the degradation rate of the strength of the packaging material P (refer to the column with a printing rate of 0~20%). Also, the higher the printing rate, the easier the ink penetrates into the packaging material P, so the degradation rate of the strength of the packaging material P is higher. Note that the correspondence information in the strength degradation state table 21 is not limited to the displacement information and the ink usage amount, but may further represent the correspondence between at least one parameter including the size, shape, area of the printing region, type of ink (such as moisture content), time until the next process after printing (a process where forces such as a load are applied), etc. of the packaging material P and the strength degradation state. Also, the degradation rate of the strength may not be classified for each displacement information or each printing rate, but may be a value that varies in proportion to the displacement information or the printing rate.

[0031] The displacement information is classified into, for example, three levels: large, medium, and small. For example, it can be determined by which range of the predetermined large, medium, and small ranges the displacement measured by the depth camera D, the surface pressure (maximum surface pressure or average surface pressure) measured by the surface pressure sensor T, the weight measured by the four weighing scales S, etc. fall into.

[0032] The ink usage amount is classified into five levels, for example, the printing rate (0 - 20%, 21 - 40%, 41 - 60%, 61 - 80%, 81% - ) across the entire printing area. To correspond to the printing rate, the ink usage amount may consider one or more of, for example, the printing rate across the entire printing area, the printing rate at specific locations (such as the four corners of the packaging material P or the ridge line connecting two corners), the weighted printing rate of specific locations, and the printing rate per specified area. Incidentally, the packaging material P is, for example, a paper box such as a cardboard box having a rectangular parallelepiped shape. Therefore, when printing is performed on the paper packaging material P with an ink having a large water content such as aqueous ink, the ink penetrates into the packaging material P, and the strength of the packaging material P decreases. In particular, when the strength of the corners or ridge lines of the packaging material P decreases, the packaging material P is likely to be crushed.

[0033] Based on the strength reduction state (for example, the reduction rate in FIG. 8) determined by the strength reduction state determination unit 12, the printing-related processing control unit 13 performs printing-related processing related to the printing of the packaging material P. This printing-related processing is not particularly limited as long as it is related to printing. For example, it may include at least one of the following processes: changing the printing content Pa of the packaging material P, waiting for printing for repacking the contents P1 and P2, controlling the dryer after printing, determining the natural drying time after printing (such as the time until a process where forces such as the load after printing are applied), and determining the necessity of recommending drying by using a dryer or natural drying. Also, the printing-related processing may be other processing such as controlling the printing apparatus 110.

[0034] The storage unit 20 includes, for example, a read-only semiconductor memory ROM in which a predetermined control program is pre-recorded, a random access memory RAM which is a semiconductor memory that can be written and read at any time and is used as a working storage area as needed when the processor executes various control programs, and a hard disk device, etc.

[0035] As described above, the storage unit 20 stores, as correspondence relationship information, at least the correspondence relationship between the displacement information and the ink usage amount and the strength degradation state in a strength degradation state table 21. By storing the strength degradation state table 21, the storage unit 20 functions as a strength degradation state database.

[0036] The interface unit 30 exchanges various information with external devices such as the printing device 110. The display unit 40 is a display that displays various information. The display unit 40 functions as an example of a notification unit that notifies the user. This notification unit may be, for example, an audio output unit that outputs audio. The input unit 50 is a keyboard, a mouse, or the like that accepts input of various information. When the display unit 40 has a touch panel, this touch panel functions as the input unit 50.

[0037] Next, with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10, the printing control method according to the present embodiment will be described while omitting matters overlapping with the above description.

[0038] The process shown in FIG. 9 is performed by the control unit 10 of the printing control device 1 based on, for example, a printing instruction (such as printing job transmission) of the printing control device 1 or the user terminal.

[0039] First, the acquisition unit 11 (control unit 10) acquires the image data of the print content Pa printed on the packaging material P and calculates the ink usage amount (step S1). For the print content Pa, for example, the printing rate, the ink usage amount, etc. can be calculated from the print setting conditions.

[0040] Also, the acquisition unit 11 acquires, as displacement information, the displacement that is the detection result of the depth camera D, or the displacement factors such as the surface pressure and the weight that are the detection results of the surface pressure sensor T or the weighing scale S (step S2).

[0041] The strength degradation state determination unit 12 refers to the strength degradation state table 21 corresponding to the type of the packaging material P and acquires the degradation rate shown in FIG. 8 corresponding to the ink usage amount and the displacement information (step S3).

[0042] The print-related process control unit 13 determines whether the rate of decrease acquired by the strength decrease state determination unit 12 is equal to or greater than a threshold value (step S4).

[0043] If the rate of decrease is less than the threshold (step S4: NO), the print-related process control unit 13 controls the print unit 111 to print the print content Pa as usual (step S5), and the process shown in FIG. 9 ends.

[0044] If the rate of decrease is greater than or equal to the threshold (step S4: YES), the printing-related processing control unit 13 first controls the display unit 40 to notify the user of the decreased strength state (for example, that the strength of the packaging material P is in a decreased state), guidance on changing the printing content Pa, and guidance on repacking the contents P1 and P2.

[0045] The guide to change the printed content Pa may, for example, be a guide to change the printing position (printed content Pa-1) by moving the initial printed content Pa shown in Fig. 10(a) from a specific location (e.g., near the ridge line) as shown in Fig. 10(b), a guide to change the printed side (printed content Pa-2) by changing the printed side to another side as shown in Fig. 10(c), a guide to thinning out the printed content Pa-3 with a lower density (e.g., thinning out the print dots, thinning out the number of droplets ejected from the nozzle, etc.), a guide to trimming the printed content Pa-4 by removing a specific location (e.g., near the ridge line) (trimming area) as shown in Fig. 10(e), a guide to change the printing method such as reducing the printed content Pa (not shown), etc. Alternatively, the guide to change the printed content Pa may be a guide to additionally print handling information Pb such as "Handle with care" (or "Do not stack") on the packaging material P (in the upper right or upper left corner of the printed side, etc.) as shown in Fig. 10(f). The guidance for repacking the contents P1, P2 may simply suggest repacking, or may suggest a position that will improve the strength of the printed content Pa. When multiple contents P1, P2 are contained in the packaging material P, it may be a suggestion to move the center of gravity, which can be determined from the detection results of the four weighing scales S, back and forth or left and right. The guidance is provided, for example, by displaying the screen of the display unit 40, and may be presented together with an image of the changed printed content Pa.

[0046] Then, when the user, having confirmed the guide to change the print content Pa, selects a change in the printing method (position change, print side change, thinning, or trimming) on the input unit 50 (step S6: YES), the print-related process control unit 13 controls the printing unit 111 to print using the changed print method (step S7), and the process shown in FIG. 9 ends. Note that the print-related process control unit 13 may adjust the printing method, such as the amount of movement, thinning, or trimming of the print content Pa, based on the acquired strength reduction rate. Examples of adjustments to the printing method include moving the printing position to increase the gap between the print content Pa and specific points such as corners and ridges, increasing the amount of thinning, or increasing the amount of trimming, as the strength of the packaging material P decreases.

[0047] When the user does not select a change in the printing method (step S6: NO), and when the user selects repacking of the contents P1 and P2 at the input unit 50 (step S8: YES), the print-related processing control unit 13 causes the printing of the packaging material P to wait (stop), and controls the printing unit 111 to perform printing after waiting for the repacking of the contents P1 and P2 (step S9), and the process shown in FIG. 9 ends. When repacking is selected, the above-described displacement information acquisition process (step S2) may be repeated.

[0048] When the user does not select repacking of the contents P1 and P2 (step S8: NO), and when the addition of the handling information Pb is selected at the input unit 50 by the user who has confirmed the additional guidance of the handling information Pb (or a prior setting), the print-related processing control unit 13 controls the printing unit 111 to add the handling information Pb and perform printing (step S10), and the process shown in FIG. 9 ends. The print-related processing control unit 13 may perform content adjustment of the handling information Pb or the like based on the obtained strength reduction rate. Examples of the content adjustment of the handling information Pb include adjustment such as increasing the handling information Pb as the strength of the packaging material P decreases or changing the content of the handling information Pb.

[0049] In the process of the flowchart in FIG. 9, print-related processing (such as changing the print content Pa of the packaging material P) is performed using the ink amount (step S1) and the strength reduction state table 21 (step S3), but the print-related processing control unit 13 may perform print-related processing based only on the displacement information (step S2). In this case, instead of the determination process (step S4) as to whether or not the above-described reduction rate is equal to or higher than the threshold value, it is preferable to perform a determination as to whether or not the displacement information is lower than the standard that causes strength reduction.

[0050] Also, if none of the printing method change (step S7), repacking of the contents P1 and P2 (step S9), and addition of handling information Pb (step S10) are selected by the user, printing may be aborted, or instead of printing on the packaging material P, direct printing on the packaging material P may be avoided by performing normal printing on a seal to be attached to the packaging material P. Also, the selection of the printing method change (step S7), repacking of the contents P1 and P2 (step S9), and addition of handling information Pb (step S10) may be performed in advance before it is determined that the reduction rate is equal to or higher than the threshold value (step S4: YES), or alternatively, without accepting the selection, when it is determined that the reduction rate is equal to or higher than the threshold value (step S4: YES), the printing method change (step S7), repacking of the contents P1 and P2 (step S9), or addition of handling information Pb (step S10) may be automatically performed.

[0051] Also, two or more of the printing method change (step S7), repacking of the contents P1 and P2 (step S9), and addition of handling information Pb (step S10) may be performed. Also, regarding the change of the printed content Pa, two or more of the position change of the printed content Pa, printing surface change, thinning, trimming, and addition of handling information Pb (see FIGS. 10(b) to (f)) may be performed.

[0052] Also, the processing of the flowchart in FIG. 9 may be performed only under specific conditions such as when the packaging material P contains a heavy object or when the user selects the setting to perform the processing in FIG. 9.

[0053] Also, in the above description, the strength reduction state table 21 is stored in the storage unit 20 of the printing control device 1, but it may be stored in a storage device other than the printing control device 1.

[0054] In addition, in the above description, the printing unit 111 ejects inks of a plurality of colors, but printing may be performed using a single color ink. Further, the printing method of the printing unit 111 may be a printing method using ink other than the inkjet method. Also, the printing unit 111 performs printing on the packaging material P in the horizontal direction, but the printing direction of the printing unit 111 may be another direction such as vertically downward. Further, printing may not be performed after the contents P1 and P2 are accommodated in the packaging material P.

[0055] The printing control device 1 according to the present embodiment described above includes an acquisition unit 11 that acquires displacement information including at least one of displacement occurring on the surface (for example, the front surface) of the packaging material P containing the contents P1 and P2 and displacement factors (for example, surface pressure, weight, or center of gravity) that cause the displacement, and a printing-related process control unit 13 that performs printing-related processes (for example, change of the printing content Pa) related to the printing of the packaging material P based on this displacement information.

[0056] The printing control method according to the present embodiment is a printing control method performed by a computer (for example, the control unit 10 or the printing control device 1), and includes acquiring displacement information including at least one of displacement occurring on the surface (for example, the front surface) of the packaging material P containing the contents P1 and P2 and displacement factors (for example, surface pressure, weight, or center of gravity) that cause the displacement (step S2), and performing printing-related processes (for example, change of the printing content Pa) related to the printing of the packaging material P based on this displacement information (steps S7, S9, S10).

[0057] The program according to the present embodiment is a program that causes a computer (for example, the control unit 10 or the printing control device 1) to realize a function of acquiring displacement information including at least one of displacement occurring on the surface (for example, the front surface) of the packaging material P containing the contents P1 and P2 and displacement factors (for example, surface pressure, weight, or center of gravity) that cause the displacement (step S2), and a function of performing printing-related processes (for example, change of the printing content Pa) related to the printing of the packaging material P based on this displacement information (steps S7, S9, S10).

[0058] In these printing control devices 1, printing control methods, and programs, even if the packaging material P is likely to be deformed due to the weight or leaning of the contents P1 and P2, based on displacement information such as the displacement occurring on the surface of the packaging material P containing the contents P1 and P2 and the displacement factors causing this displacement, for example, printing-related processes such as changing the printed content Pa of the packaging material P can be performed. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to cope with the deformation of the packaging material P containing the contents P1 and P2. As a result, during transportation and packaging where compressive strength is required, when the packaging material P with reduced strength collapses, damage or soiling of the contents P1 and P2 contained in the packaging material P may occur, or the packaging material P stacked on top of the collapsed packaging material P may fall, similarly causing damage or soiling of the contents P1 and P2, which can be prevented. Also, when the packaging material P contains heavy or uneven contents P1 and P2, while it can prevent a decrease in strength, when it contains light contents P1 and P2, unnecessary printing-related processes are not performed, so the processing can be simplified.

[0059] Further, in this embodiment, the printing control device 1 further includes a strength reduction state determination unit 12 that determines the strength reduction state of the packaging material P based on the displacement information, and the printing-related process control unit 13 performs printing-related processes based on the strength reduction state.

[0060] Thereby, the decrease in the strength of the packaging material P can be determined more accurately.

[0061] Also, in this embodiment, the strength reduction state determination unit 12 refers to at least correspondence relationship information (strength reduction state table 21) representing the correspondence relationship between the displacement information and the ink usage amount and the strength reduction state, and determines the strength reduction state.

[0062] Accordingly, the strength degradation state can be determined by a simple process of referring to the strength degradation state table 21. In addition, since it becomes easier to include information such as the degradation rate of strength as the strength degradation state in the strength degradation state table 21, it is also possible to arbitrarily change the threshold value of the degradation rate, notify the user of the degradation rate, or use the degradation rate for changing the printed content Pa. Further, by considering the ink usage amount, the displacement after printing can be predicted, and the strength degradation state can be determined more accurately.

[0063] Also, in the present embodiment, the print control device 1 further includes a display unit 40 which is an example of a notification unit for notifying the user. The print-related process is a process of waiting for the printing of the packaging material P. The print-related process control unit 13 controls the display unit 40 to wait for the printing of the packaging material P based on the displacement information and notify the user to repack the contents P1 and P2.

[0064] Accordingly, the user of the print control device 1 notified to repack the contents P1 and P2 can prevent the strength degradation of the packaging material P by, for example, bringing the center of gravity of the packaging material P closer to the center by repacking the contents P1 and P2.

[0065] Also, in the present embodiment, the print-related process includes a process of changing the print content Pa of the packaging material P printed by the printing unit 111 (for example, changing the printing method or adding handling information Pb). The print-related process control unit 13 performs a process of changing the print content Pa based on the displacement information.

[0066] Therefore, according to the user's wishes, by changing the position of the print content Pa, the printing surface, or the printing method such as thinning or trimming, it is possible to suppress the strength degradation of the printing surface where the strength is degraded by printing, or move the printing position away from the parts where it is desired to ensure the strength such as the corners or ridges of the packaging material P. Furthermore, by adding the printing of the handling information Pb, the person in charge of handling the packaging material P can handle the packaging material P carefully, so that the occurrence of damage or contamination of the contents P1 and P2 of the packaging material P can be suppressed.

[0067] Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments as they are, and the components can be modified and embodied without departing from the gist thereof at the implementation stage. Further, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of components disclosed in the above-described embodiments. For example, all the components shown in the embodiments may be appropriately combined. Needless to say, various modifications and applications are possible within the scope not departing from the gist of the invention. Hereinafter, a part of the invention described in the specification of the present application is appended.

[0068] [Appendix 1] An acquisition unit that acquires displacement information including at least one of displacement occurring on the surface of a packaging material containing contents and a displacement factor that causes the displacement; A printing-related processing control unit that performs printing-related processing related to printing of the packaging material based on the displacement information A printing control device comprising the same.

[0069] [Appendix 2] Further comprising a strength reduction state determination unit that determines a strength reduction state of the packaging material based on the displacement information, The printing-related processing control unit performs the printing-related processing based on the strength reduction state. The printing control device according to Appendix 1, characterized in that.

[0070] [Appendix 3] The strength reduction state determination unit refers to at least correspondence relationship information representing a correspondence relationship between the displacement information and the ink usage amount and the strength reduction state, and determines the strength reduction state. The printing control device according to Appendix 2, characterized in that.

[0071] [Appendix 4] Further comprising a notification unit that notifies a user, The printing-related processing is a process of waiting for printing of the packaging material. Based on the displacement information, the printing-related process control unit controls the notification unit to notify the user to wait for printing of the packaging material and to repack the contents. The printing control device according to any one of Appendices 1 to 3, characterized by the above.

[0072] [Appendix 5] The printing-related process includes a process of changing the printing content of the packaging material printed by the printing unit. Based on the displacement information, the printing-related process control unit performs a process of changing the printing content. The printing control device according to any one of Appendices 1 to 4, characterized by the above.

[0073] [Appendix 6] A printing control method performed by a computer, comprising: acquiring displacement information including at least one of displacement occurring on the surface of a packaging material containing contents and a displacement factor causing the displacement; performing a printing-related process related to printing of the packaging material based on the displacement information. The printing control method is characterized by including the above.

[0074] [Appendix 7] a function of acquiring displacement information including at least one of displacement occurring on the surface of a packaging material containing contents and a displacement factor causing the displacement; a function of performing a printing-related process related to printing of the packaging material based on the displacement information. A program for causing a computer to realize the above functions.

Explanation of Signs

[0075] 1 Printing control device 10 Control unit 11 Acquisition unit 12 Strength reduction state determination unit 13 Printing-related process control unit 20 Storage unit 21 Strength reduction state table 30 Interface unit 40 Display unit 50 Input unit 100 Printing system 110 Printing device 111 Printing section 112 Control section 113 Memory section 114 Interface section B Base C Conveyor D Depth camera H Virtual horizontal plane M Pressing sheet metal P Packaging material Pa Printing content Pb Handling information P1 Contents (large weight) P2 Contents (small weight) P3 Cushioning material S Weighing scale T Surface pressure sensor

Claims

1. An acquisition unit that acquires displacement information including at least one of displacement occurring on the surface of a packaging material containing contents and a displacement factor causing the displacement; A print-related processing control unit that performs print-related processing related to printing of the packaging material based on the displacement information A printing control apparatus comprising the same.

2. Further comprising a strength degradation state determination unit that determines a strength degradation state of the packaging material based on the displacement information; The print-related processing control unit performs the print-related processing based on the strength degradation state. The printing control apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that.

3. The strength degradation state determination unit determines the strength degradation state by referring to at least correspondence relationship information representing a correspondence relationship between the displacement information, the ink usage amount, and the strength degradation state. The printing control apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that.

4. Further comprising a notification unit that notifies a user; The print-related processing is processing for waiting for printing of the packaging material; The print-related processing control unit controls the notification unit to notify the user to repack the contents while waiting for printing of the packaging material based on the displacement information. The printing control apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that.

5. The print-related processing includes processing for changing print content of the packaging material printed by a printing unit; The print-related processing control unit performs processing for changing the print content based on the displacement information. The printing control apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that.

6. A printing control method performed by a computer, comprising: acquiring displacement information including at least one of displacement occurring on the surface of a packaging material containing contents and a displacement factor causing the displacement; performing print-related processing related to printing of the packaging material based on the displacement information. A printing control method characterized by including the above.

7. A function of acquiring displacement information including at least one of displacement occurring on the surface of a packaging material containing contents and a displacement factor causing the displacement; A function of performing print-related processing related to printing of the packaging material based on the displacement information. A program for causing a computer to realize the same.

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