Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To enable application of templates to a plurality of areas formed on a print.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus comprises: setting means that sets a plurality of areas formed on a print to document data of the print; receiving means that receives selection of a target area from the plurality of areas set to the document data, and selection of a template to be applied to the target area; and application means that acquires the selected template and applies it to the selected target area.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program capable of editing poster content and the like. [Background technology]

[0002] There is a technology that uses templates when creating manuscript data for printed materials such as poster content, including posters and flyers. Templates have multiple objects, such as backgrounds, text, graphics, and photos, pre-laid out. Users can create the desired manuscript data with minimal effort by editing the template, such as by changing text or selecting photos. Application software for creating poster content using such templates is also available, allowing even users with little design experience to create high-quality poster content that looks like it was created by a professional designer.

[0003] This type of application software has traditionally been used to create flat printed materials. Therefore, when creating printed materials that will be folded, such as foldable pamphlets or menus, users create the manuscript data by applying a template to manuscript data of the pamphlet in an open state. In this case, one template is applied to the entire manuscript data, making it impossible to perform editing operations such as applying a different template to only a specific area. Meanwhile, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that, when changing the paper size of a document, keeps the margin size constant and rearranges the objects that make up the layout while maintaining a constant contrast between the shape of the available area and the shape of the objects that make up the layout. Applying this technology would enable rearrangement of objects within a template to match the size of the area. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2000-200270 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 does not anticipate situations where multiple areas are formed on a printed material and these multiple areas are handled individually, such as printed material that is folded for use. Therefore, when applying a template for poster content to such printed material that has multiple areas, more comprehensive functionality is required.

[0006] The present disclosure aims to enable the application of a template to each of a plurality of regions formed on a printed material. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The information processing device of the present disclosure includes a setting means for setting multiple areas to be formed on a printed matter in manuscript data for the printed matter, a receiving means for accepting a selection of a target area from the multiple areas set in the manuscript data and a selection of a template to be applied to the target area, and an application means for acquiring the selected template and applying it to the selected target area. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to apply a template to each of a plurality of regions formed on a printed material. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system configuration of an information processing system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the information processing device. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the software configuration of a Web server. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the software configuration of the terminal device. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a conventional editing screen of a poster creation application. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration for realizing a function of applying a template to a folding area. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a setting screen for a printed material. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an editing screen of the poster creation application of the present embodiment. [Figure 9] 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating an operation procedure for applying a template to a folding area. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the operation procedure following FIG. 9. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of template application processing according to the first embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating resizing of a template. [Figure 13] 10 is a flowchart showing a process of changing the size of each object in a template resizing process. [Figure 14] 10 is a flowchart showing a process of changing the position of each object in a template resizing process. [Figure 15] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a setting screen for a printed material in the second embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an operation procedure when a template is applied to the entire manuscript data. [Figure 17] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of template application processing in the second embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing information regarding the connection of multiple regions for an outer tri-fold. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing information regarding the connection of multiple regions for a three-fold roll. [Figure 20] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a specific operation when selecting a plurality of regions as one connected region. [Figure 21]FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an operation procedure when a plurality of regions are selected as one connected region and a template is applied. [Figure 22] FIG. 22 is a diagram showing the operation procedure following FIG. 21. [Figure 23] 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of template application processing according to the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the disclosure according to the claims. Although multiple features are described in the embodiments, not all of these multiple features are necessarily essential to the disclosure. Furthermore, multiple features may be combined arbitrarily. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar components, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0011] First Embodiment <<Hardware configuration>> 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing system including an information processing apparatus according to this embodiment. The information processing system includes an access point 100, a terminal device 101, a web server 102, and the Internet 103.

[0012] The access point 100 functions as, for example, a wireless LAN router. The terminal device 101 is connected to the Internet 103 via the access point 100. Therefore, the terminal device 101 can communicate with a web server 102 for controlling a web application, which will be described later, via the Internet. The connection between the terminal device 101 and the access point 100 may be wired or wireless.

[0013] The terminal device 101 may be, for example, a personal computer (PC), but may also be any information processing device capable of displaying and editing text and running programs. For example, it may be a mobile terminal, a notebook PC, a tablet terminal, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), etc.

[0014] The web server 102 is an information processing device capable of executing a web server application, and is configured by one or more computers. The web server 102 is connected to the terminal device 101 via the Internet 103.

[0015] 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an information processing device used as the terminal device 101 and the Web server 102 of this embodiment. The information processing device includes a CPU 201, an operation unit 202, a network interface 203, a memory 204, a display unit 205, a storage device 206, an input interface 207, and an output interface 208, each of which is connected via a system bus 209. Note that the configuration of the information processing device is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 2, and the device configuration may be changed as appropriate depending on the purpose and functions of the information processing device.

[0016] The CPU 201 performs overall control of the information processing device. The CPU 201 executes various processes using the memory 204 as a work area in accordance with programs stored in the storage device 206. This realizes the functions of the information processing device according to the present disclosure.

[0017] The operation unit 202 is an operation unit that allows a user to give instructions to the information processing device, and includes, for example, buttons, a touch panel, etc. Note that, although Fig. 2 shows an example in which the operation unit 202 is built into the information processing device, an input device such as an external keyboard or a pointing device such as a mouse may be connected to the input interface 207, and operations may be input from the input device.

[0018] The network interface 203 is an interface for connecting to a network such as a LAN or WAN. The information processing device can be connected to the access point 100 via the network connected to the network interface 203, and can further be connected to the Internet 103 via the access point 100.

[0019] The memory 204 is a random access memory (RAM) and is a volatile storage area used as a working area for the CPU 201. The memory 204 is used as a temporary storage area for various data transmitted and received between the terminal device 101 and the Web server 102, and also stores various setting data.

[0020] The display unit 205 is a display unit that displays various information input from the CPU 201, and is configured, for example, by a liquid crystal panel. While FIG. 2 shows an example in which the display unit 205 is incorporated into the information processing device, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The display unit 205 may be an external display connected to the system bus 209 via the output interface 208. The liquid crystal panel or external display is configured to include an LED (light emitting diode), an LCD (liquid crystal display), etc., and notifies the user of data and the status of the information processing device.

[0021] The storage device 206 is a non-volatile storage area and is configured by a ROM, HDD, SSD, flash memory, etc. The storage device 206 stores the program according to this embodiment, various control programs such as an OS (operating system), and applications, as well as various information used by these programs.

[0022] The input interface 207 is an interface for accepting data input and operational instructions from the user. The input interface 207 is configured by, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, buttons, a touch panel, etc. Note that the input interface 207 may be integrated with the output interface 208 (described below) so that output to the screen and acceptance of operations from the user are performed using common hardware, such as a touch panel display. In this case, a soft keyboard including keys such as numeric input keys, a mode setting key, an enter key, a cancel key, and a power key may be displayed on the display, and input from the user may be accepted via the soft keyboard.

[0023] The output interface 208 is an interface for connecting peripheral devices such as an external display, a printer, etc. For example, when an external display is connected, the output interface 208 outputs control information and display target information for displaying information on the external display.

[0024] <<Software configuration>> 3 is a diagram showing an example of the software configuration of the Web server 102. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which the poster creation application 303 is implemented as a Web application 301. Note that the uses of printed materials that can be created using the poster creation application are not limited to posters, but also include flyers, menus, calendars, photo collages, invitations, and various other printed materials. In the following description, these printed materials will also be referred to as poster content.

[0025] Frontend 302 is a module that mainly controls poster creation application 303. Poster creation application 303 includes a UI control unit 305 and a poster editing unit 304. UI control unit 305 controls the display of a UI (user interface) screen displayed on a web browser 402 of terminal device 101 (described later), and acquires data input from terminal device 101 and user operations via the UI screen. Poster editing unit 304 executes editing processing of manuscript data for poster content. Editing processing allows for new creation, modification, deletion, etc. of manuscript data.

[0026] The backend 306 includes a user management unit 307, a user authentication unit 308, a content management unit 309, and a rendering processing unit 310. The user management unit 307 manages user information by linking it to user identification information that identifies the user. The user authentication unit 308 issues user identification information that uniquely identifies the user and performs user authentication processing at login. The content management unit 309 manages content created by an application, templates used in the content, objects included in the templates, etc. For example, it assigns template identification information that uniquely identifies each template for multiple poster content, and manages the storage and retrieval of templates according to instructions from the application. The rendering processing unit 310 performs rendering processing of manuscript data.

[0027] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the software configuration of the terminal device 101. The terminal device 101 can access a web application 301 via a web browser 402 running on an OS 401. A user edits manuscript data of poster content on a UI screen of a poster creation application 303 displayed via the web browser 402. The created manuscript data is then posted on a homepage, posted to a social networking service, or printed on a printer connected to the terminal device 101, for example. Although the present embodiment takes the form of a web application, the poster creation application 303 may also be stored in a storage device of the terminal device 101 and executed by a CPU of the terminal device 101.

[0028] Next, we will explain an example of the flow of a poster creation operation using the poster creation application 303. Fig. 5 shows an example of a conventional editing screen 500 of the poster creation application 303 displayed on the display unit 205 of the terminal device 101. The editing screen 500 includes, as an example, a preview area 501, a template selection area 502, a template 503, and a new creation button 504.

[0029] Preview area 501 displays a preview of manuscript data 505 of the poster content, and the user can confirm and change the poster layout in this area. Template selection area 502 displays templates 503, each with a different design. When the user selects a template 503, the selected template is applied to the entire manuscript data in preview area 501 and displayed. In addition to selecting manuscript data 505 from a template, the user can also press new button 504 to add any object to blank manuscript data and create a poster with any design.

[0030] <<Template application function to fold area>> In this embodiment, the poster creation application 303 can apply a template selected by the user to each folding area, which is an area created by folding a printed material. The poster creation application 303 has a function of resizing the template to fit the area and applying the template.

[0031] 6 is a block diagram illustrating the template application function to the folding area of ​​the poster creation application 303 of this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 6, the poster creation application 303 includes an area setting unit 601, a template acquisition unit 602, a reception unit 603, a template application unit 604, a display control unit 605, etc.

[0032] The area setting unit 601 sets multiple areas to be formed on the printed matter in the manuscript data of the printed matter. In this embodiment, the area setting unit 601 sets multiple areas to be formed by folding the printed matter in the manuscript data. In the following description, each of the multiple areas to be formed by folding the printed matter is referred to as a folding area. The area setting unit 601 sets multiple folding areas in the manuscript data of the printed matter according to the type of folding selected by the user. The method of setting the folding areas will be described later.

[0033] The template acquisition unit 602 acquires poster content template data. In this embodiment, a poster content template is a template created using the entire manuscript data as a single area. The template has various objects laid out, such as background objects, text objects, clip art objects, graphic objects, and photo objects. The size, position, and data of the objects included in the template can be changed. The template data includes information on the position and size of each object. The template is stored, for example, in the storage device 206 of the Web server 102 or an external storage server accessible by the Web server 102. Specific examples of poster content templates will be described later.

[0034] The receiving unit 603 receives a selection of a target folding area from among multiple folding areas set in manuscript data of a printed material, and a selection of a template to be applied to the target folding area. The receiving unit 603 also receives a selection of a folding type by the user. When the receiving unit 603 receives a selection of a folding type by the user, the area setting unit 601 sets multiple folding areas in the manuscript data according to the folding type received by the receiving unit 603. The method of setting the folding areas will be described later. The receiving unit 603 displays a first UI screen ( FIG. 7 ) that receives the selection of the folding type of the printed material, and a second UI screen ( FIG. 8 ) that displays manuscript data in which multiple areas are set according to the selected folding type and receives editing operations for the manuscript data.

[0035] The template application unit 604 acquires data of the template selected by the reception unit 603 and applies it to the selected target folding area. The template application unit 604 resizes the template to fit the size of the target folding area before applying it. It is also preferable that the template application unit 604 resizes the template so that the positional relationships between multiple objects included in the template before resizing are maintained even after resizing. Detailed methods for applying and resizing templates will be described later.

[0036] The display control unit 605 displays an editing screen 800 (second UI screen) on which the user can edit manuscript data, a print setting screen 700 (first UI screen) on which the user can set the type of fold and the size of the printed matter, and the like. On the editing screen 800, the display control unit 605 displays lines indicating the boundaries of the folding area superimposed on the manuscript data. The lines indicating the boundaries are preferably displayed in different display forms depending on the shape of the printed matter that will be created by folding the boundaries, such as mountain folds and valley folds. For example, it is preferable that valley folds are displayed using different line types or colors, such as dotted lines and mountain folds using chain lines. Furthermore, when the user selects a target folding area and template on the editing screen 800 (second UI screen), the display control unit 605 displays the manuscript data in a state in which the selected template has been applied to the target folding area.

[0037] 7 shows an example of a print setting screen 700 (first UI screen). The print setting screen 700 is displayed on the display unit 205 of the terminal device 101 when the terminal device 101 accesses the poster production application 303 via the web browser 402. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the print setting screen 700 includes a fold type selection button 701, a document size selection list 702, and an OK button 703.

[0038] The fold type selection button 701 is displayed for each selectable fold type of printed matter. When the user selects one of the buttons, the display control unit 605 performs a toggle operation, and only the fold type selected by the user is selected.

[0039] The document size selection list 702 displays a list of document sizes for printouts. When the document size selection list 702 is pressed by the user, the display control unit 605 displays a list of selectable document sizes. The user can select any document size from the list.

[0040] The decision button 703 is operated to confirm the selection of the folding type and the document size. When the decision button 703 is operated, the display control unit 605 closes the print setting screen 700 and displays the editing screen 800.

[0041] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of an editing screen 800 according to this embodiment for creating a printed matter that is intended to be folded for use. The editing screen 800 (second UI screen) is displayed on the display unit 205 of the terminal device 101 when the confirm button 703 is pressed with the type of fold selected on the printed matter setting screen 700. Note that Fig. 8 shows an example of creating a printed matter that is folded in three. Manuscript data 810 is displayed in a preview area 811 of the editing screen 800. A poster template 813 is displayed in a template selection area 812 of the editing screen 800.

[0042] 8, original data 810 displays folding lines 804 and 805 corresponding to an outer three-fold, and a plurality of folding areas 801, 802, and 803. The folding areas are areas formed by folding the printed matter.

[0043] Folding lines 804 and 805 are displayed corresponding to the type of folding selected by the user using the folding type selection button 701. Folding lines 804 and 805 each indicate the folding position of the printed material, and are displayed at the boundary positions of folding areas 801, 802, and 803, respectively.

[0044] Folding areas 801, 802, and 803 are areas surrounded by the outline indicating the outer edge of document data 810 and folding lines 804 and 805, and are set according to the type of folding selected with folding type selection button 701. The number of folding areas 801, 802, and 803 is set according to the selected type of folding. When the user selects one of the folding areas 801, 802, and 803, CPU 201 places the selected folding area in a selected state. When the user selects one of the folding areas and then selects one of the templates 813, CPU 201 (template application unit 604) applies the selected template 813 to the selected folding area. Template application will be described later.

[0045] 9 and 10 are diagrams showing the operation procedure for applying templates to folding areas 801, 802, and 803 in this embodiment.

[0046] 9(a) shows the initial state of editing screen 800 when creating a tri-fold printout. On editing screen 800 in its initial state, multiple templates 901 to 903 are displayed in template selection area 812. Furthermore, in manuscript data 810 to be edited, folding areas 801, 802, and 803 are set, and folding lines 804 and 805 are displayed.

[0047] Fig. 9(b) shows a state in which the user has selected any first folding area. Fig. 9(b) shows a state in which the left folding area 801 has been selected as an example. The selected folding area 801 is also indicated by a thick border. Fig. 9(c) shows a state in which, in the state of Fig. 9(b), the template application unit 604 of the poster creation application 303 has applied a template selected by the user to the selected folding area 801. Fig. 9(c) shows a state in which the selected template 901 has been applied to the selected folding area 801.

[0048] Figure 10(a) shows the state in Figure 9(c) after the user has selected a second folding area. Figure 10(a) shows the state in which folding area 802 has been selected. The selected folding area 802 is indicated by a thick border. Figure 10(b) shows the state in Figure 10(a) after the template application unit 604 of the poster creation application 303 has applied the template 902 selected by the user to the selected folding area 802.

[0049] Figure 10(c) shows the state in Figure 10(b) where the user has arbitrarily selected the third folding area 803. Figure 10(c) shows the state in which folding area 803 has been selected. The selected folding area 803 is indicated by a thick border. Figure 10(d) shows the state in Figure 10(c) where the template application unit 604 of the poster creation application 303 has applied the template 903 selected by the user to the selected folding area 803.

[0050] By following the above procedure, when creating manuscript data for a printed product intended to be folded, the user can create a design by applying a poster template to each folding area set in the manuscript data. The examples in Figures 9 and 10 show examples in which templates 901 to 903 are applied to folding areas 801 to 803, respectively, with a single selection. If the user checks the state in which the templates have been applied to the folding areas and wishes to redo the process, they can select the folding area and template again and reapply the template.

[0051] Next, the flow of processing for applying a template to a folding area set in a printed material will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 11. Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of template application processing executed by a poster production application in the first embodiment. When a user of terminal device 101 accesses Web server 102 via Web browser 402, a login process including user authentication is first executed between Web server 102 and terminal device 101. After logging in, when the user of terminal device 101 instructs the start of the poster production application, CPU 201 of Web server 102 calls up the poster production application program stored in storage device 206, loads it into RAM, and executes the program. The program includes the processing shown in the flowchart in Fig. 11.

[0052] While the poster production application is running, the UI control unit 305 (CPU 201) of the web server 102 causes the web browser of the terminal device 101 to display various UI screens of the poster production application. The UI control unit 305 also acquires operation information input on the terminal device 101 side via the UI screen. The poster production application executes the process of FIG. 11 based on the operation information acquired by the UI control unit 305. In the following explanation, it is assumed that the display information and operation information of the UI screen are transmitted and received according to the above-mentioned procedure. In the following explanation, the symbol "S" means step.

[0053] In S1101, the CPU 201 displays the print setting screen 700 shown in Fig. 7. As described above, the print setting screen 700 is provided with a folding type selection button 701, a document size selection list 702, and a confirm button 703.

[0054] In step S1102, the CPU 201 accepts user operations, such as operations on the folding type selection button 701 and the document size selection list 702 provided on the print setting screen 700.

[0055] In S1103, the CPU 201 detects that the user has pressed the decision button 703. If it has detected that the decision button 703 has been pressed by the user, the process proceeds to S1104, and if it has not detected that, the process proceeds to S1102.

[0056] In S1104, the CPU 201 acquires the type of folding of the printed matter based on the information of the folding type selection button 701 selected by the user in S1102.

[0057] In step S1105, the CPU 201 acquires the document size of the printout based on the information in the document size selection list 702 selected by the user.

[0058] In S1106, CPU 201 acquires the area ratios of multiple folding regions set in the manuscript data from the folding type of the printed material acquired in S1104. The area ratios are predefined for each folding type and are stored in storage device 206 of Web server 102 or the like. Alternatively, CPU 201 may acquire the area ratios of each folding region from an external Web server via Internet 103 or the like.

[0059] In S1107, CPU 201 calculates the start and end positions of each of folding areas 801, 802, and 803 based on the area ratio of the folding areas acquired in S1106 and the document size acquired in S1105. Specifically, for example, assume that "outside three-fold" is selected as the type of fold for the printed material to be created, the area ratio of each folding area for "outside three-fold" is set to "1:1:1," and the document size is set to A4 (210 × 297 mm) landscape. In this case, the heights of each of "outside three-fold" folding areas 801, 802, and 803 are equal, so the area ratio = the ratio of the lengths of the bases of each folding area. Therefore, the length of the base of each folding area is calculated using the following formula (1):

[0060]

number

[0061] Therefore, the range of each folding area can be expressed as a two-dimensional coordinate system with the bottom left corner of the original data as the origin: The left fold region 801 ranges from (0,0) to (99,210), The range of the central folding area 802 is (99,0) to (198,210), The range of the right folding area 803 is calculated as (198,0) to (297,210).

[0062] In S1108, the CPU 201 displays an edit screen 800 as shown in FIG. In S1109, CPU 201 displays folding lines 804 and 805 superimposed on manuscript data 810 displayed in preview area 811 of editing screen 800. Folding lines 804 and 805 are displayed at the boundary positions of each folding area 801, 802, and 803 determined in S1107. It is preferable that folding lines 804 and 805 are displayed using a line type different from the line indicating the outline of the printed matter. In the example of Fig. 8, folding lines 804 and 805 are shown using dashed lines, and the line indicating the outline is shown using a solid line.

[0063] In step S1110 , the CPU 201 accepts an input of an editing operation by the user for the manuscript data 810 displayed in the preview area 811 . In S1111, CPU 201 detects whether any of folding areas 801, 802, and 803 displayed in preview area 811 has been selected by the user by clicking the mouse, etc. If a selection by the user is detected, the process proceeds to S1112, and if not, the process returns to S1110.

[0064] In S1112, the CPU 201 determines the folding area selected by the user based on the position detected in S1111 and the information on the start and end positions of each folding area 801, 802, and 803 determined in S1107, and places the folding area in a selected state. With one of the folding areas selected, in S1113 the CPU 201 accepts input of an editing operation by the user.

[0065] In S1114, CPU 201 determines whether a user selection operation has been input for any of the templates 813 among the plurality of templates displayed in template selection area 812. If a user selection operation is detected, the process proceeds to S1115; if not, the process proceeds to S1113. Note that the plurality of templates displayed in template selection area 812 are templates designed for creating poster content as a flat surface without folding the printed material.

[0066] In S1115, the CPU 201 acquires information about the template 813 selected by the user. The information about the template 813 is defined in advance for each type of template and is stored in the storage device 206 or the like of the Web server 102. Alternatively, the CPU 201 may acquire the information about the template 813 selected by the user from an external Web server via the Internet 103 or the like.

[0067] In S1116, the CPU 201 resizes the template 813 acquired in S1115 to match the size of the folding area selected in S1112. The details of the resizing process will be described later. In S1117, the CPU 201 applies the template 813 resized in S1116 to the folding area that was selected in S1112.

[0068] In S1118, the CPU 201 determines whether the user's editing operation has ended. If it is determined that the editing operation has not ended, the process proceeds to S1110. If it is determined that the editing operation has ended, the process shown in this flowchart ends.

[0069] <<Template resizing process>> The following describes the template resizing process in S1116, in which the size of the template is changed and the size and position of each object included in the template are changed.

[0070] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating template resizing. FIG. 12(a) shows a template 813 before resizing, and FIG. 12(b) shows a template 1200 after resizing. The templates 813 and 1200 can include a background object 1201, a text object 1202, a clip art object 1203, a graphic object 1204, and a photo object 1205. The templates 813 and 1200 also include size information. In the following explanation, the width and height of the template 813 before resizing in FIG. 12(a) are assumed to be W1 and H1, and the width and height of the template 1200 after resizing in FIG. 12(b) are assumed to be W2 and H2.

[0071] The background object 1201 has information about its position relative to the manuscript data, its size, and its object type. The size of the background object 1201 is the same as the manuscript size of the template. The background object is displayed so that its reference position always coincides with the reference position of the manuscript data. Hereinafter, the center of the background object will be referred to as the reference position.

[0072] The text object 1202, clip art object 1203, graphic object 1204, and photo object 1205 each have information on their position, size, and object type, and their positions and sizes can be changed as desired. The reference positions of the text object 1202, clip art object 1203, graphic object 1204, and photo object 1205 are the center positions of the objects.

[0073] Next, the process of changing the size of each object included in the template 813 will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 13. According to the process of the flowchart shown in Fig. 13, the size of each object is changed so that it is included in the area inscribed in the resized template size. Furthermore, the clipart object 1203, the graphic object 1204, and the photo object 1205 are often used as backgrounds, and are resized so that the design is not lost even in such cases. The process shown in Fig. 13 is included in the poster creation application 303, and starts at S1116 in Fig. 11.

[0074] In S1301, the CPU 201 determines the type of object to be processed (hereinafter referred to as the target object).

[0075] In S1301, if it is determined that the type of the target object is a background object 1201, the process proceeds to S1302. In S1302, the CPU 201 scales the size (W1, H1) of the background object 1201 to match the size (W2, H2) of the selected folding area. In S1301, if it is determined that the type of the target object is a text object 1202, the process proceeds to S1303.

[0076] In S1303, the CPU 201 determines whether the width change rate (W2 / W1) is equal to or less than the height change rate (H2 / H1). If it is determined in S1303 that the width change rate is equal to or less than the height change rate, the process proceeds to S1304. In S1304, the CPU 201 multiplies the font size of the text object 1202 by W2 / W1.

[0077] If it is determined in S1303 that the width change ratio is greater than the height change ratio, the process proceeds to S1305, where the CPU 201 multiplies the font size of the text object 1202 by H2 / H1.

[0078] In S1301, if it is determined that the type of the target object is a clip art object 1203 or a graphic object 1204, the process proceeds to S1306. In S1306, the CPU 201 determines whether the clip art object 1203 or the graphic object 1204 is in contact with the edge of the selected folding area.

[0079] If it is determined in S1306 that the clipart object 1203 or the graphic object 1204 is in contact with the edge of the selected folding area, the process proceeds to S1307. In S1307, the CPU 201 multiplies the width of the clipart object 1203 or the graphic object 1204 by W2 / W1 and the height by H2 / H1.

[0080] If it is determined in S1306 that the clipart object 1203 or the graphic object 1204 is not in contact with the edge of the folding area, the process proceeds to S1308, where the CPU 201 determines whether the width change ratio is equal to or less than the height change ratio.

[0081] In S1308, if the width change ratio is equal to or less than the height change ratio, the process proceeds to S1309, where the CPU 201 multiplies the width and height of the clipart object 1203 or the graphics object 1204 by W2 / W1.

[0082] If the width change rate is greater than the height change rate in S1308, the process proceeds to S1310, where the CPU 201 multiplies the width and height of the clipart object 1203 or the graphics object 1204 by H2 / H1.

[0083] If it is determined in S1301 that the type of the target object is the photo object 1205, the process proceeds to S1311. In S1311, the CPU 201 determines whether an area of ​​50% or more of the size of the photo object 1205 overlaps with the object directly below. Here, the object directly below is an object that is located vertically below the plane representing the document data. If the foreground (top) is the area in front of the user, the object on the background side of the photo object 1205 is the object directly below. Note that the threshold for determining the amount of overlap of objects is set to 50%, but this value is not limited to this and other values ​​may be used. In this example, 50% is set as a suitable threshold based on empirical rules.

[0084] If it is determined in S1311 that an area of ​​50% or more of the size of the photo object 1205 does not overlap with the object directly below, the process proceeds to S1312. In S1312, the CPU 201 multiplies the width of the photo object 1205 by W2 / W1 and the height by H2 / H1. If it is determined in S1311 that an area of ​​50% or more of the size of the photo object 1205 overlaps with the object directly below, the process proceeds to S1313.

[0085] S1313 to S1316 are the same processes as S1306 to S1310, and therefore the explanation will be omitted here.

[0086] In S1317, the CPU 201 determines whether the processes of S1301 to S1316 have been performed on all objects included in the template 813 (1200). If it is determined that there are objects that have not been processed, the process proceeds to S1301. If it is determined that the processes of S1301 to S1316 have been performed on all objects, the process ends.

[0087] Next, a process for changing the position of each object included in the template 813 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 14. According to the process of the flowchart shown in FIG. 14, the position of each object is changed so that it is included in the range inscribed in the resized template size. Furthermore, the position of each object is changed while maintaining the positional relationship between the object used as the foreground and the object used as the background. Furthermore, even when resizing is performed with an extremely different aspect ratio, the position is changed to prevent design collapse. The process shown in this flowchart is included in the poster creation application 303, and is started after the process shown in FIG. 13 is completed. However, the object overlap determination in S1402 is performed based on the state before the process of FIG. 13 is executed (the state before the objects are enlarged or reduced).

[0088] In S1401, the CPU 201 determines the type of the target object. If it is determined in S1401 that the target object is the background object 1201, the CPU 201 proceeds to S1410 without changing the position of the background object 1201.

[0089] In S1401, if it is determined that the target object is one of the text object 1202, clip art object 1203, graphic object 1204, and photo object 1205, the process proceeds to S1402. In S1402, the CPU 201 determines whether there is another object directly below the target object that completely overlaps it.

[0090] If it is determined in S1402 that there is another object that completely overlaps the target object directly below it, the process proceeds to S1403. In S1403, the CPU 201 calculates the coordinates (x2, y2) indicating the changed reference position of the target object using the following equations (2) and (3). Note that the reference position of the object is the center position of the object.

[0091]

number

[0092] Here, (x1, y1) is the reference position of the target object before resizing. (Pw1, Ph1) is the width and height of the object that the target object overlaps before resizing. (Pw2, Ph2) is the width and height of the object that the target object overlaps after resizing.

[0093] If it is determined in S1402 that there is no other object that completely overlaps the target object directly below it, the process proceeds to S1404. In S1404, the CPU 201 determines whether the width change rate (W2 / W1) of the template is equal to or less than the height change rate (H2 / H1). The width and height change rates of the template are the enlargement / reduction rates in S1302 of FIG.

[0094] In S1404, if the template width change rate (W2 / W1) is equal to or less than the height change rate (H2 / H1), the process proceeds to S1405. In S1405, the CPU 201 determines whether the following formula (4) is satisfied. Note that in formula (4), α is a positive number, and is preferably set to, for example, "1.5" based on experience. However, it is not limited to 1.5 and may be set to any value.

[0095]

number

[0096] If it is determined in S1405 that the condition of formula (4) is satisfied, the process proceeds to S1406. In S1406, the CPU 201 calculates the center coordinates (x2, y2) of the target object using the following formulas (5) and (6).

[0097]

number

[0098] In S1404, if the width change rate (W2 / W1) of the template is greater than the height change rate (H2 / H1), the process proceeds to S1407, where it is determined whether the following formula (7) is satisfied.

[0099]

number

[0100] If it is determined in S1407 that the condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to S1408. In S1408, the CPU 201 calculates the center coordinates (x2, y2) of the target object using the following equations (8) and (9).

[0101]

number

[0102] If it is determined in S1405 that the condition of formula (4) is not satisfied, or if it is determined in S1407 that the condition of formula (7) is not satisfied, the process proceeds to S1409. In S1409, the CPU 201 calculates the center coordinates (x2, y2) of the target object using the following formulas (10) and (11).

[0103]

number

[0104] In S1410, CPU 201 determines whether the processes of S1401 to S1409 have been performed for all objects included in the template. If it is determined that there are objects that have not been processed, the process proceeds to S1401, and if it is determined that all objects have been processed, the process of this flowchart ends.

[0105] By performing the above-described processing, it becomes possible to rearrange each object while taking into consideration the positional relationship of each object defined in the template. Note that the method of resizing the template is not limited to the above-described methods of Figures 13 and 14, and any other method may be used.

[0106] As described above, according to this embodiment, areas corresponding to multiple folding areas to be formed on a printed material are set in the manuscript data of the printed material, template data is acquired in response to a user's selection operation, and the template is applied to the area selected by the user. Therefore, it is possible to apply a template to each of multiple areas to be formed on a printed material. This allows the user to create a highly designed design for each folding area with minimal work based on a poster content template. Note that, in the above-described embodiment, the areas to be formed on a printed material are described as being formed by folding the printed material, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the present disclosure can also be applied to cases where areas are formed on a printed material by methods other than folding, such as by cutting lines.

[0107] <Second embodiment> In the first embodiment, when creating manuscript data for a printed matter having multiple areas, the user may be allowed to choose whether to edit each of the multiple areas or to edit the entire manuscript data as one area regardless of the areas.

[0108] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen 1500 for a printed product in the second embodiment. The setting screen 1500 for a printed product in the second embodiment is provided with an operation unit for switching to the "design for each area that can be folded" process. The setting screen 1500 for a printed product includes a fold type selection button 701, a document size selection list 702, and an OK button 703, similar to the setting screen 700 for a printed product in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 7. The setting screen 1500 for a printed product also has an operation unit (hereinafter, "switch button 1501") that is operated when the user switches whether or not to design for each folding area.

[0109] The switch button 1501 is switched on and off each time it is operated. When the confirm button 703 is operated while the switch button 1501 is on, the CPU 201 operates as described in the first embodiment (second mode). That is, a folding area corresponding to the folding type selected by the folding type selection button 701 is set in the manuscript data, and a template selected by the user can be applied to each folding area. On the other hand, when a folding type is selected by the folding type selection button 701 and the confirm button 703 is operated while the switch button 1501 is off, the CPU 201 operates in the first mode. That is, the entire manuscript data can be edited as a single area. That is, a folding area is set in the manuscript data, but a poster template can be placed on the entire manuscript data regardless of the folding area.

[0110] 16 is a diagram showing the operation procedure when treating the entire surface of the manuscript data of a printed matter intended to be folded for use as one area. As an example, an edit screen 1600 is shown when a three-fold roll is selected and the confirm button 703 is operated with the switch button 1501 turned off.

[0111] 16(a), manuscript data 810 is displayed in a preview area 811 of an editing screen 1600, similar to the editing screen 1600 of the first embodiment in FIG. 8. Folding lines 804 and 805 are displayed overlapping each other in the manuscript data 810, but because the switching button 1501 is in the off state, folding areas 801, 802, and 803 cannot be selected individually.

[0112] When the user selects any template 1601 in the state shown in Fig. 16(a), the state transitions to the state shown in Fig. 16(b). Fig. 16(b) shows, as an example, an edit screen 1620 in which template 1601 is selected. In Fig. 16(b), template 1601 is applied to the entire manuscript data 810.

[0113] Next, the operation of the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 17. Fig. 17 is a flowchart that allows the user to select whether to edit each folding area or to edit the entire manuscript data as a single area when creating a printout. This flowchart is a process included in the poster production application 303, and the CPU 201 starts the process when the printout setting screen 1500 is displayed on the display unit 205 of the terminal device 101.

[0114] The processing in steps S1701 to S1709 is the same as that in steps S1101 to S1109 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 11, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0115] In S1710, CPU 201 determines whether editing of the entire document data as one area has been selected. That is, CPU 201 determines whether switching button 1501 is in the OFF state. If it is determined in S1710 that switching button 1501 is in the OFF state, CPU 201 proceeds to S1711.

[0116] In step S1711, the CPU 201 accepts an editing operation by the user on the manuscript data 810 displayed in the preview area 811.

[0117] In S1712, the CPU 201 detects whether the template 1601 has been selected by the user from the template selection area. If so, the process proceeds to S1713, and if not, the process proceeds to S1711.

[0118] In S1713, the CPU 201 acquires information about the template 1601 selected by the user.

[0119] In step S1714, the CPU 201 resizes the template 1601 acquired in step S1713 to match the document size. The resizing process may be performed in the same manner as the resizing process shown in the first embodiment (FIGS. 13 and 14).

[0120] In step S1715, the CPU 201 applies the template resized in step S1714 to the manuscript data 810.

[0121] In S1716, the CPU 201 determines whether the user's editing operation has ended. If it is determined that the editing operation has not ended, the process proceeds to S1711. If it is determined that the editing operation has ended, the process ends.

[0122] If it is determined in S1710 that the switching button 1501 is in the ON state and editing of the entire document data as one area has not been selected, the process proceeds to S1717.

[0123] In S1717, the CPU 201 performs the same processes as in S1110 to S1118 in Fig. 11. The contents of the processes overlap with the contents explained in the first embodiment, so the explanation will be omitted.

[0124] According to the second embodiment, when creating manuscript data for a printed matter having multiple regions, the user can switch between editing the entire manuscript data as one region or editing each folding region depending on the intended use, allowing the user to create printed matter suited to various uses.

[0125] <Third embodiment> In the process shown in the first embodiment, information regarding the connection of multiple areas formed on a printed material may be defined in advance, and multiple areas may be selected as one area based on that information.

[0126] First, the relationship between a plurality of areas formed on a printed matter will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 18(a) is a diagram showing types of folding, and shows an example of folding into three on the outside. Figure 18(b) is a plan view showing the unfolded state of the printed matter folded in three shown in Figure 18(a). The plan view shows the outline 1800 of the printed matter, a left region 1801, a center region 1802, a right region 1803, a valley fold line 1804, and a mountain fold line 1805.

[0127] Both the valley fold line 1804 and the mountain fold line 1805 are lines that indicate the folding position, but in Figure 18(b), in order to illustrate a three-dimensional fold on a two-dimensional plane, the valley fold line 1804 is shown as a dashed line and the mountain fold line 1805 is shown as a chain line.

[0128] FIG. 18(c) is a diagram in which a relationship graph 1806 showing the relationships between folding areas is superimposed on the plan view of FIG. 18(b). The relationship graph 1806 is a graph showing information regarding the connections between multiple areas formed on a printed material, and includes nodes 1807 to 1809 and an edge 1810. In the relationship graph 1806 shown in this embodiment, one node is provided for each folding area. That is, the left node 1807 corresponds to the left folding area 1801, the center node 1808 corresponds to the center folding area 1802, and the right node 1809 corresponds to the right folding area 1803. When it is acceptable for folding areas to be connected and treated as a single area, the edge 1810 is defined to connect the nodes corresponding to those areas. In FIG. 18(b), the left folding region 1801 and the center folding region 1802 are separated by a valley fold line 1804, but the left folding region 1801 and the center folding region 1802 may be treated as a single region, like a double-page spread. In this case, an edge 1810 is defined that connects the left node 1807 and the center node 1808. In this way, information regarding the connections between multiple regions is defined in the relationship graph. Preferably, the information regarding the connections between multiple regions is determined based on the positional relationships between the multiple regions when the printed material is folded.

[0129] Figure 19 is a diagram illustrating another example of the relationship between multiple regions formed on a printed matter. Figure 19(a) shows a type of fold that is a rolled three-fold. Figure 19(b) is a plan view of the rolled three-fold printed matter shown in Figure 19(a) in an unfolded state. The plan view shows the outline 1900 of the printed matter, a left fold region 1901, a center fold region 1902, a right fold region 1903, and valley fold lines 1904 and 1905.

[0130] FIG. 19(c) is a diagram showing a relationship graph 1906, in which information regarding the connections between multiple regions is defined, superimposed on the plan view of FIG. 19(b). The relationship graph 1906 includes nodes 1907 to 1909 and edges 1910 and 1911. In the relationship graph 1906, one node is provided for each folding region. That is, the left node 1907 corresponds to the left folding region 1901, the center node 1908 corresponds to the center folding region 1902, and the right node 1909 corresponds to the right folding region 1903. Edges 1910 and 1911 are defined to connect nodes corresponding to folding regions when the folding regions can be treated as a single region. In the case of FIG. 19(c), the left folding region 1901 and the center folding region 1902 can be treated as a single region, like a double-page spread. Similarly, the center folding area 1902 and the right folding area 1903 may be treated as a single area, like a double-page spread. In this case, edge 1910 is defined to connect left node 1907 and center node 1908, and edge 1911 is defined to connect center node 1908 and right node 1909. Note that processing when treating the entire printed matter as a single page (single area) is shown in the second embodiment.

[0131] For fold types other than the outer tri-fold and the folded tri-fold, relationship graphs showing information about the connections between multiple regions are predefined and stored in the storage device 206. Information showing the relationships between the fold regions (relationship graphs) may be stored in an external web server and acquired from the external web server. Because the valley fold and mountain fold are reversed on the front and back sides of a printed material, relationship graphs for the front and back sides may be defined for each fold type. While the example has been shown in which information about the connections between multiple regions is expressed in the form of a graph, such as a relationship graph, the information is not limited to the form of a graph and may be defined in the form of a data table or other format.

[0132] Next, a user operation when multiple folding areas are treated as a single, connected folding area will be described. In the third embodiment, when the user performs a specific operation (second operation) different from the operation of selecting one area (first operation), the CPU 201 accepts the selection of at least two areas from the multiple areas set in the manuscript data as a single connected area. The first operation in this embodiment is an operation of specifying a position outside a valid specific operation range on the manuscript data. The second operation is an operation of specifying a position within a valid specific operation range on the manuscript data. Note that the specific operation is not limited to this example and may be other operations. For example, it may be the simultaneous operation of pressing a specific key on a keyboard and selecting an area, or, in the case of a touch panel, an operation of touching multiple areas simultaneously with multiple fingers.

[0133] FIG. 20 is a diagram showing the operating procedure when a user selects multiple folding areas as a single area based on predefined information regarding the connections of multiple areas (hereinafter referred to as a relationship graph). FIG. 20 illustrates an example of the operating procedure when creating a printed matter that is folded in three. The relationship graph for the folded in three is the relationship graph 1806 shown in FIG. 18(c). FIG. 20(a) shows an example of an editing screen 2000 in the third embodiment. Similar to the editing screens shown in the first and second embodiments, the editing screen 2000 has a template selection area 2012 and a preview area 2010. A selectable template 2011 is displayed in the template selection area 2012, and manuscript data 2020 of the printed matter is displayed in the preview area 2010. The manuscript data 2020 displayed in the preview area 2010 displays fold lines 2004 and 2005, and fold areas 2001, 2002, and 2003 are set.

[0134] A pointer P indicating the position specified by the user is displayed in the preview area 2010. Furthermore, specific operation ranges 2006 and 2007 are set above fold lines 2004 and 2005 of the manuscript data 2020, respectively. In the example of FIG. 20 , a left specific operation range 2006 is set above the left fold line 2004, and a right specific operation range 2007 is set above the right fold line 2005. The specific operation ranges 2006 and 2007 each have an area, and the ranges centered on the position of the fold line and extending a predetermined distance from the fold line are set as the specific operation ranges 2006 and 2007.

[0135] The pointer P indicates a position indicated by the user, and can be moved via the input interface 207. Note that if an input device such as a touch panel is used that allows the user to directly indicate something on the screen, the pointer P does not need to be displayed.

[0136] The left specific operation range 2006 and the right specific operation range 2007 are defined as valid or invalid depending on the presence or absence of an edge 1810 defined in the relationship graph 1806 folded outward in three shown in FIG. 18( c). Specifically, in the case of the relationship graph 1806 folded outward in three, the edge 1810 exists between the left node 1807 and the center node 1808, so the left specific operation range 2006 is set as valid. The right specific operation range 2007 is set as invalid because there is no edge between the center node 1808 and the right node 1809. The left specific operation range 2006 and the right specific operation range 2007 are illustrated for the purpose of explanation, but they may be in a form that is invisible to the user.

[0137] 20(b) to 20(e) each show manuscript data 2020 in preview area 2010 of editing screen 2000. FIGS. 20(a), (c), and (e) show states in which pointer P is located on left folding area 2001, center folding area 2002, and right folding area 2003, respectively. CPU 201 determines that left folding area 2001 has been designated by the user in the state of FIG. 20(a). Similarly, CPU 201 determines that center folding area 2002 has been designated by the user in the state of FIG. 20(c), and determines that right folding area 2003 has been designated by the user in the state of FIG. 20(e).

[0138] FIG. 20(b) shows a state in which pointer P is within left specific operation range 2006. In this case, CPU 201 first determines left folding region 2001 pointed to by pointer P as the first selection region. Next, CPU 201 determines whether left specific operation range 2006 is valid. As described above, left specific operation range 2006 is defined as valid by relationship graph 1806. If the specific operation range is valid, CPU 201 acquires left node 1807 corresponding to the first selection region and center node 1808 connected to left node 1807. Then, CPU 201 determines center folding region 2002 corresponding to center node 1808 as the second selection region. Finally, CPU 201 determines the region connecting the first selection region and the second selection region as the third selection region. In this way, the third region is determined based on whether the specific operation range is valid or invalid and the position of pointer P. In this state, when the user performs a confirm operation, CPU 201 confirms the third selection area as the area selected by the user.

[0139] FIG. 20(d) shows a state in which the pointer P is within the right specific operation range 2007. In this case, the CPU 201 first determines the central folding area 2002 where the pointer P is located as the first selection area. Next, it determines whether the right specific operation range 2007 is valid. As described above, the right specific operation range 2007 is defined as invalid by the relationship graph 1806. If the specific operation range is invalid, the CPU 201 determines the first selection area as the third selection area. When the user performs the confirm operation in this state, the CPU 201 confirms the third selection area as the area selected by the user.

[0140] Fig. 21 is a diagram showing the operation procedure when selecting multiple folding areas as one area and applying a template. Fig. 21 shows an example where the type of folding specified by the user is an outside three-fold. The relationship graph 1806 for an outside three-fold is shown in Fig. 18(c).

[0141] FIG. 21(a) shows an editing screen 2100 in an initial state. A preview area 2010 of the editing screen 2100 in the initial state displays manuscript data 2020, and a template selection area 2012 displays selectable templates 2101 and 2102. Note that in FIG. 21, components similar to those shown in FIG. 20 are designated by the same reference numerals as in FIG. 20. A plurality of folding areas 2001 to 2003 are set in the manuscript data 2020, and a left specific operation range 2006 is set above a left fold line 2004. The left specific operation range 2006 is set as valid according to the definition of the relationship graph. Note that for the sake of explanation, only the valid left specific operation range 2006 is shown in FIGS. 21(a) and 21(b), and the invalid right specific operation range 2007 is omitted.

[0142] FIG. 21(b) is a diagram showing a state in which the user has selected the first region. In the example of FIG. 21(b), the pointer P is within the left folding region 2001 and within the left specific operation range 2006. Therefore, the left folding region 2001 is the first selected region, and the central folding region 2002, which is related to the left folding region 2001 via the relationship graph 1806, is the second selected region. Furthermore, the region connecting the first selected region 2001 and the second selected region 2002 is selected as the third selected region 2111. The third selected region 2111 is indicated by a thick line in FIG. 21(b).

[0143] Figure 21(c) shows a screen transitioning from the state of Figure 21(b) to a state in which the first template selected by the user is applied. As shown in Figure 21(c), the poster creation application 303 (CPU 201) applies the template selected by the user to the selected area. As an example, Figure 21(c) shows a state in which template 2101 has been selected and applied to the third selection area 2111 selected in Figure 21(b). Template 2101 has been resized to the size of third selection area 2111.

[0144] Fig. 22(a) is a diagram showing a state in which the user has selected a second area in the state shown in Fig. 21(c). Fig. 22(a) shows, as an example, a state in which the right folding area 2003 has been selected.

[0145] Figure 22(b) shows a screen transitioning from the state of Figure 22(a) to a state in which a second template selected by the user is applied. As shown in Figure 22(b), the poster creation application 303 (CPU 201) applies the template 2102 selected by the user to the selected area. Figure 22(b) shows, as an example, a state in which the template 2102 has been selected and applied to the folding area 2003 selected in Figure 22(a).

[0146] By performing the above process, when creating manuscript data for a printed material that contains multiple areas, it is possible to select multiple areas that are related based on information regarding the connection of the multiple areas as a single connected area and apply any template.

[0147] Next, the template application process executed by the poster creation application application 303 (CPU 201) in the third embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 23. In the series of processes shown in Fig. 23, the CPU 201 controls the selection of multiple folding areas as a single area based on information regarding the connection of multiple predefined areas. Note that the process shown in Fig. 23 is an alternative flow to S1108 to S1112 in Fig. 11, and S2301 in Fig. 23 starts when the process of S1107 ends. That is, S2301 starts when the user selects the folding type and document size on the print setting screen 700 shown in Fig. 7, and the area ratio and position of the folding areas have been determined.

[0148] In S2301, the CPU 201 acquires a relationship graph corresponding to the fold type acquired in S1104. The relationship graph is predefined for each fold type and stored in the storage device 206 of the Web server 102. Alternatively, the CPU 201 may acquire the relationship graph corresponding to the fold type from an external Web server via the Internet 103 or the like.

[0149] Steps S2302 and S2303 are the same as steps S1108 and S1109, respectively. The CPU 201 displays the edit screen 2100, and displays the fold lines 2004 and 2005 superimposed on the manuscript data 2020 displayed in the preview area 2010.

[0150] In step S2304 , the CPU 201 sets specific operation ranges 2006 and 2007 in the document data 2020 displayed in the preview area 2010 . In S2305, the CPU 201 sets whether the specific operation ranges 2006 and 2007 are valid or invalid based on the relationship graph acquired in S2301.

[0151] In S2306, the CPU 201 accepts an operation by the user. In S2307, the CPU 201 detects whether or not a movement operation has been performed on the pointer P. If movement of the pointer P is detected, the process proceeds to S2308, and if movement of the pointer P is not detected, the process returns to S2306.

[0152] In S2308, the CPU 201 determines a first selection area from the position of the pointer P. That is, the CPU 201 determines the folding area indicated by the pointer P as the first selection area.

[0153] In S2309, the CPU 201 determines the node corresponding to the first selected area determined in S2308 as the first selected node.

[0154] In S2310, the CPU 201 determines whether the position of the pointer P is inside the valid specific operation range. If it is determined in S2310 that the position of the pointer P is inside the valid specific operation range, the process proceeds to S2311.

[0155] In S2311, CPU 201 refers to the relationship graph acquired in S2301 and determines whether there is at least one node connected to the first selected node by an edge. If it is determined in S2311 that there is at least one node connected to the first selected node, the process proceeds to S2312.

[0156] In S2312, the CPU 201 determines at least one node connected to the first selected node determined in S2311 as a second selected node. In S2313, the CPU 201 determines the folding area corresponding to the second selected node determined in S2312 as the second selected area.

[0157] In S2314, the CPU 201 determines, as a third selected area, an area obtained by connecting the first selected area determined in S2308 and the second selected area determined in S2313.

[0158] If it is determined in S2310 that the position of the pointer P is not inside the valid specific operation range, or if it is determined in S2311 that there is no node associated with the first selected node, the process proceeds to S2315. In S2315, the CPU 201 determines the first selected area determined in S2308 as the third selected area.

[0159] In S2316, the CPU 201 displays the third selection area determined in S2314 or S2315 on the manuscript data 2020 displayed in the preview area 2010. For example, as shown in FIG. 21(b), it is preferable to highlight the third selection area 2111 with a line type, line thickness, color, etc. that differs from the other lines.

[0160] In S2317, it is detected whether the user has performed an operation to confirm the third selection area, such as by clicking on the manuscript data 2020. If an operation to confirm the third selection area is detected, the process proceeds to S2318, and if not, the process proceeds to S2306.

[0161] In S2318, the CPU 201 confirms the third selection area determined in S2314 or S2315 as the area selected by the user. Thereafter, this flowchart ends, and the process proceeds to S1113 in FIG. 11. The process from S1113 onward is the same as in the first embodiment. That is, the CPU 201 accepts an edit operation input by the user, and, if a template is selected by the user, acquires information about the selected template. The CPU 201 resizes the template to match the size of the third selection area confirmed in S2318, and applies it to the third selection area. The template resizing process is the same as the process shown in the first embodiment (FIGS. 13 and 14).

[0162] According to the third embodiment, when creating manuscript data for a printed material having multiple regions, it is possible to control whether to apply a template to one region or to apply a template across multiple regions based on information about the connections between the multiple regions. This allows the user to treat multiple regions as a single region like a double-page spread, or to treat each region individually, depending on how the printed material is handled in a folded state, enabling various layouts to be realized for printed materials that are to be folded.

[0163] In the first to third embodiments described above, the fold lines are vertical and the printed matter is divided vertically. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. The fold lines are horizontal and the printed matter is divided horizontally. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments can be applied to a case where vertical and horizontal folds are combined to divide the printed matter both vertically and horizontally. The types of folds are not limited to the exemplified "outer tri-fold," "roll tri-fold," and "bi-fold." The present disclosure can also be applied to folds of four or more, such as "Z-fold" and "gate-fold." In this case, as in the above-described embodiments, a relationship graph showing information on the area ratio of regions and information on fold connections is defined for each type of fold and stored in a predetermined storage area, such as the storage device 206.

[0164] Furthermore, in the third embodiment, an example is shown in which a maximum of two edges are set per node, but this is not limiting, and the number of edges per node may be three or more. Furthermore, since manuscript data with various layouts may be designed as the number of folds increases, multiple relationship graphs may be defined for one type of fold. In this case, the user may be able to select the layout of manuscript data to be created on the print setting screen.

[0165] Furthermore, the operation procedures, operation methods, screen configurations, screen display contents, etc. described in the above-described embodiments are merely examples, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiments, an example was shown in which the terminal device 101 and the Web server 102 are connected via the Internet 103, and the poster creation application 303 is implemented as a Web application, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The poster creation application 303 may also be implemented as an application executed locally by the terminal device 101. In this case, the terminal device 101 may use a portable storage medium in an offline state to acquire the poster creation application program, data required for program execution, template data, etc. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiments, an example was shown in which the CPU 201 of the Web server 102 executes the processes of each flowchart, but these processes may also be executed by the CPU 201 of the terminal device 101.

[0166] While preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present disclosure is not limited to such examples. It is clear that those skilled in the art can conceive of various modifications or alterations within the scope of the technical ideas disclosed herein, and it is understood that such modifications also fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0167] <Other embodiments> The present disclosure can also be realized by providing a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

[0168] The disclosure of the above-described embodiment includes the following configurations. (Configuration 1) a setting means for setting a plurality of areas to be formed on a printed matter into manuscript data of the printed matter; a receiving unit for receiving a selection of a target area from among the plurality of areas set in the manuscript data and a selection of a template to be applied to the target area; an application means for taking the selected template and applying it to the selected region of interest; An information processing device comprising:

[0169] (Configuration 2) the receiving means further receives a selection of a folding type by a user, 2. The information processing apparatus according to configuration 1, wherein the setting means sets the plurality of areas in the document data according to the selected type of folding.

[0170] (Configuration 3) 3. The information processing apparatus according to configuration 1 or 2, wherein the application means resizes the template to fit the size of the target region.

[0171] (Configuration 4) 4. The information processing apparatus according to configuration 3, wherein the application means resizes the template so that the positional relationships of a plurality of objects included in the template before resizing are maintained even after resizing.

[0172] (Configuration 5) The information processing device according to any one of configurations 1 to 4, characterized in that when a user performs a second operation different from a first operation which is an operation of selecting one of the target areas, the accepting means accepts a selection of at least two areas out of the plurality of areas set in the manuscript data as a single concatenated area.

[0173] (Configuration 6) The information processing device according to configuration 5, wherein the second operation is an operation in which the user designates an arbitrary position within a predetermined distance range from the boundary position of the plurality of areas set in the manuscript data.

[0174] (Configuration 7) further comprising an acquisition means for acquiring information about the connection of the plurality of regions; The information processing device described in configuration 6 is characterized in that the receiving means determines a second area to be connected to a first area including the position indicated by the user based on the acquired information regarding the connection of the multiple areas and the position indicated by the user by the second operation, and accepts the selection of the target area by treating the area obtained by connecting the first area and the second area as a single area.

[0175] (Configuration 8) 8. The information processing device according to configuration 7, wherein the information regarding the connection of the plurality of regions is determined based on the positional relationship of the plurality of regions when the printed matter is folded.

[0176] (Configuration 9) 9. The information processing device according to any one of configurations 1 to 8, further comprising a display control means for displaying lines indicating boundaries of the plurality of regions set in the manuscript data in an overlapping manner on the manuscript data.

[0177] (Configuration 10) The information processing device described in configuration 9, wherein the display control means displays the line indicating the boundary in a different display form depending on the shape of the fold formed in the printed matter when it is folded along the line indicating the boundary.

[0178] (Configuration 11) The receiving means further accepting an operation to switch between a first mode in which the template is applied to the entire document data and a second mode in which the template is applied to the target area selected from the plurality of areas set in the document data; 11. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein when an operation for switching to the second mode is performed, the application unit applies the selected template to the selected target area.

[0179] (Configuration 12) The receiving means further accepting an operation to switch between a first mode in which the template is applied to the entire document data and a second mode in which the template is applied to the target area selected from the plurality of areas set in the document data; 11. The information processing device according to any one of configurations 1 to 10, wherein when an operation to switch to the first mode is performed, the application means applies the selected template to the entire manuscript data.

[0180] (Configuration 13) 3. The information processing device according to configuration 2, wherein the types of folding include at least one of folding in half, folding in three, and folding in four.

[0181] (Configuration 14) The information processing device according to any one of configurations 1 to 13, wherein the plurality of areas set in the manuscript data are areas divided vertically, horizontally, or both vertically and horizontally.

[0182] (Configuration 15) a UI control means for controlling the display of a first UI screen for accepting a selection of a folding type of a printed matter, and a second UI screen for accepting an editing operation for manuscript data of the printed matter, in which a plurality of areas corresponding to the folding type selected on the first UI screen are set; The UI control means when the second UI screen receives a selection of a target area from the plurality of areas set in the manuscript data and a selection of a template to be applied to the target area, control is performed so that the manuscript data in a state in which the selected template has been applied to the target area is displayed on the second UI screen. 1. An information processing device comprising:

[0183] (Configuration 16) An information processing method executed by an information processing device, a setting step of setting a plurality of areas to be formed on a printed matter into manuscript data of the printed matter; a receiving step of receiving a selection of a target area from the plurality of areas set in the manuscript data and a selection of a template to be applied to the target area; an applying step of taking the selected template and applying it to the selected region of interest; An information processing method comprising:

[0184] (Configuration 17) An information processing method executed by an information processing device, a step of controlling to display a first UI screen for accepting a selection of a folding type of a printed matter, and a second UI screen for accepting an editing operation for manuscript data of the printed matter, in which a plurality of areas corresponding to the folding type selected on the first UI screen are set; a step of controlling, when receiving, on the second UI screen, a selection of a target area from the plurality of areas set in the manuscript data and a selection of a template to be applied to the target area, so as to display, on the second UI screen, the manuscript data in a state in which the selected template has been applied to the target area; An information processing method comprising:

[0185] (Configuration 18) A computer-executable program, a setting step of setting a plurality of areas to be formed on a printed matter into manuscript data of the printed matter; a receiving step of receiving a selection of a target area from the plurality of areas set in the manuscript data and a selection of a template to be applied to the target area; an applying step of taking the selected template and applying it to the selected region of interest; Programs including.

[0186] (Configuration 19) A computer-executable program, a step of controlling to display a first UI screen for accepting a selection of a folding type of a printed matter, and a second UI screen for accepting an editing operation for manuscript data of the printed matter, in which a plurality of areas corresponding to the folding type selected on the first UI screen are set; a step of controlling, when receiving, on the second UI screen, a selection of a target area from the plurality of areas set in the manuscript data and a selection of a template to be applied to the target area, so as to display, on the second UI screen, the manuscript data in a state in which the selected template has been applied to the target area; Programs including.

Claims

1. a setting means for setting a plurality of areas to be formed on a printed matter into manuscript data of the printed matter; a receiving unit for receiving a selection of a target area from among the plurality of areas set in the manuscript data and a selection of a template to be applied to the target area; an application means for taking the selected template and applying it to the selected region of interest; An information processing device comprising:

2. the receiving means further receives a selection of a folding type by a user, 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the setting means sets the plurality of areas in the document data in accordance with the selected type of folding.

3. 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the application means resizes the template to fit the size of the target area.

4. 4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the applying means resizes the template so that a positional relationship between a plurality of objects included in the template before resizing is maintained even after resizing.

5. The information processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the accepting means accepts the selection of at least two areas out of the plurality of areas set in the manuscript data as one connected area when the user performs a second operation different from a first operation which is an operation of selecting one of the target areas.

6. 6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the second operation is an operation in which the user designates an arbitrary position within a predetermined distance range from a boundary position of the plurality of regions set in the manuscript data.

7. further comprising an acquisition means for acquiring information about the connection of the plurality of regions; The information processing device described in claim 6, characterized in that the reception means determines a second area to be connected to a first area including the position indicated by the user based on the acquired information regarding the connection of the multiple areas and the position indicated by the user by the second operation, and accepts the selection of the target area by treating the area obtained by connecting the first area and the second area as a single area.

8. 8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the information regarding the connection of the plurality of regions is determined based on a positional relationship of the plurality of regions when the printed matter is folded.

9. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display control unit that displays lines indicating boundaries of the plurality of regions set in the manuscript data in a manner superimposed on the manuscript data.

10. The information processing device according to claim 9, wherein the display control means displays the line indicating the boundary in a different display form depending on the shape of the fold formed in the printed matter when the printed matter is folded along the line indicating the boundary.

11. The receiving means further accepting an operation to switch between a first mode in which the template is applied to the entire document data and a second mode in which the template is applied to the target area selected from the plurality of areas set in the document data; 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when an operation for switching to the second mode is performed, the application unit applies the selected template to the selected target area.

12. The receiving means further accepting an operation to switch between a first mode in which the template is applied to the entire document data and a second mode in which the template is applied to the target area selected from the plurality of areas set in the document data; 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when an operation for switching to the first mode is performed, the application unit applies the selected template to the entire document data.

13. 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the types of folding include at least one of folding in half, folding in three, and folding in four.

14. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of regions set in the document data are regions divided in a vertical direction, a horizontal direction, or both vertically and horizontally.

15. a UI control means for controlling the display of a first UI screen for accepting a selection of a folding type of a printed matter, and a second UI screen for accepting an editing operation for manuscript data of the printed matter, in which a plurality of areas corresponding to the folding type selected on the first UI screen are set; The UI control means when a selection of a target area from among the plurality of areas set in the manuscript data and a selection of a template to be applied to the target area are received on the second UI screen, control is performed so that the manuscript data in a state in which the selected template has been applied to the target area is displayed on the second UI screen.

1. An information processing device comprising:

16. An information processing method executed by an information processing device, a setting step of setting a plurality of areas to be formed on a printed matter into manuscript data of the printed matter; a receiving step of receiving a selection of a target area from the plurality of areas set in the manuscript data and a selection of a template to be applied to the target area; an applying step of taking the selected template and applying it to the selected region of interest; An information processing method comprising:

17. An information processing method executed by an information processing device, a step of controlling to display a first UI screen for accepting a selection of a folding type of a printed matter, and a second UI screen for accepting an editing operation for manuscript data of the printed matter, in which a plurality of areas corresponding to the folding type selected on the first UI screen are set; a step of controlling, when receiving, on the second UI screen, a selection of a target area from the plurality of areas set in the manuscript data and a selection of a template to be applied to the target area, so that the manuscript data in a state in which the selected template has been applied to the target area is displayed on the second UI screen; An information processing method comprising:

18. A computer-executable program, a setting step of setting a plurality of areas to be formed on a printed matter into manuscript data of the printed matter; a receiving step of receiving a selection of a target area from the plurality of areas set in the manuscript data and a selection of a template to be applied to the target area; an applying step of taking the selected template and applying it to the selected region of interest; Programs including.

19. A computer-executable program, a step of controlling to display a first UI screen for accepting a selection of a folding type of a printed matter, and a second UI screen for accepting an editing operation for manuscript data of the printed matter, in which a plurality of areas corresponding to the folding type selected on the first UI screen are set; a step of controlling, when receiving, on the second UI screen, a selection of a target area from the plurality of areas set in the manuscript data and a selection of a template to be applied to the target area, so that the manuscript data in a state in which the selected template has been applied to the target area is displayed on the second UI screen; Programs including.

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