Tape printer, control method for tape printer, information processing unit, and program

Abstract

To magnify a character in a width direction and print it while suppressing magnification in the width direction as characters to be expressed in narrow shapes become hard to recognize in vertical printing.SOLUTION: A printer includes a width detection part for detecting a tape width of a fitted tape and a storage part. The storage part stores: a character width information set holding a character width in association with each character; and a printing width information set holding a printing width of each tape in association with a tape width of each tape that may be fitted to a tape printer. In vertical printing, a character width of a character whose character width is the largest in a character string set and a printing width of a tape are used to determine a magnification factor along a width direction of the tape of the character string set, and each character is printed on the tape in the magnified character width by using the magnification factor. The character string set is a set of characters which satisfy a set condition including being characters arranged along the direction in which the characters are read.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a tape printing device, a control method for a tape printing device, an information processing device, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there are tape printers that print on tape. In the technology of Patent Document 1, when both vertical writing mode and auto mode, which prints characters and symbols at the maximum size within the printable area of ​​the tape, are set, the following processing is performed based on the tape width and the vertical writing autosize table. When the character string stored in the text memory contains only characters and symbols with a character width smaller than the character "W," printing is performed at a first maximum size corresponding to the tape width. When the character string stored in the text memory includes symbols with a character width larger than the character width of the character "W," printing is performed at a second maximum size corresponding to the tape width. As a result, in either case, characters and symbols are printed as large as possible within the printable area of ​​the printing tape. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-305731 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the technology described in Patent Document 1, if the applied maximum size is excessive, characters that should be represented in narrow shapes, such as "I" and "t," will be printed at the maximum size in the printable area of ​​the tape in vertical writing mode, making it difficult to recognize each character. For example, if "I" is enlarged too much horizontally, it will become nearly square and will be difficult to recognize as an "I."

[0005] On the other hand, in vertical printing, it is preferable to enlarge each character as much as possible in the width direction, as this prevents unnatural spaces from appearing on either side of a line.In horizontally-oriented printing with vertical text, it is preferable to enlarge each character as much as possible in the width direction, as this prevents unnatural spaces from appearing between characters lined up horizontally. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present disclosure has been made to solve at least part of the above-mentioned problems, and can be realized in the following aspects.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a tape printing device for printing on replaceably attached tape, the tape printing device including a width detection unit for detecting the tape width of the attached tape, an input unit for receiving input from a user, a memory unit for storing information, a printing unit for printing on the attached tape, and a control unit for controlling the tape printing device. The memory unit stores a character width information set that stores character widths, which are the horizontal dimensions of characters, in correspondence with each character, and a printing width information set that stores printing widths, which are the dimensions of the printable area on the tape in the width direction of the tape, in correspondence with each tape width of tape that can be attached to the tape printing device. When performing vertical printing to print a string of characters in a character arrangement in which the longitudinal direction of the tape is parallel to the upward direction of the characters and the longitudinal direction of the tape is parallel to the direction in which the characters should be read, the control unit determines an enlargement ratio for the string of characters along the width direction of the tape using the character width of the character with the largest character width in the string of characters set, which is obtained by referring to the character width information set based on each character included in the string of characters, and the printing width of the attached tape, which is obtained by referring to the printing width information set based on the tape width detected by the width detection unit, and prints the characters included in the string of characters set on the attached tape at the character width enlarged using the enlargement ratio, using the printing unit. The character string set is a set of characters that are to be printed and received from the user via the input unit, and that satisfy set conditions including that the characters should be arranged in the direction in which they are to be read. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a tape printing device 100 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing the relationship between the various parts of the tape printing device 100. FIG. [Figure 3] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the character width Wc(i) of each character and the print width Wtp of the tape TP. FIG. [Figure 4] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the character width Wc(i) of each character and the print width Wtp of the tape TP. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a print result obtained by horizontal printing. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a print result obtained by vertical printing. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a print result obtained by vertical-horizontal printing. [Figure 8] 4 is a flowchart showing a printing process in the tape printing device 100. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the result of horizontal printing executed in step S162. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing a process for performing portrait printing. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the result of vertical printing executed in the process of step S164. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the result of vertical printing without enlarging the characters. [Figure 13] 10 is a flowchart showing a process for performing portrait-landscape printing. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the result of performing portrait-horizontal printing in the process of step S166. [Figure 15]FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the result of performing portrait-horizontal printing without enlarging the characters. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the result of performing portrait-landscape printing. [Figure 17] 10 is a table showing examples of magnification factor candidate values ​​Mfcj. [Figure 18] 2 is a block diagram showing the relationship between the components of the information processing device 200. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] A. First embodiment: 1 is a perspective view showing a tape printing device 100 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. The tape printing device 100 is a printing device that prints on a replaceable tape TP. Specifically, the tape printing device 100 has a replaceable tape cartridge TPC that stores the tape TP. The tape printing device 100 includes a width detection unit 110, an input unit 120, a display unit 130, a printing unit 160, a cutting unit 170, a control unit 180, and a storage unit 190.

[0010] The width detection unit 110 detects the tape width Wt0, which is the width of the tape TP attached to the tape printing device 100 (see the middle center of Figure 1). Specifically, the width detection unit 110 is a sensor that detects the width of the tape TP based on the irregularities on the outer surface of the tape cartridge TPC attached to the tape printing device 100. The irregularities on the outer surface of the tape cartridge TPC represent the tape width Wt0 of the tape TP stored in the tape cartridge TPC. The type of tape cartridge TPC is uniquely determined according to the tape width Wt0. The tape printing device 100 can selectively attach tape cartridges TPC with tape widths Wt0 of 4 mm, 6 mm, 9 mm, 12 mm, 18 mm, 24 mm, and 36 mm.

[0011] The input unit 120 receives input from the user (see the lower right part of FIG. 1). Specifically, the input unit 120 is a keyboard.

[0012] The display unit 130 displays characters and images (see the middle left part of FIG. 2 and the upper center part of FIG. 1). The display unit 130 is specifically a liquid crystal display.

[0013] The printing unit 160 prints on the attached tape TP (see the middle left part of FIG. 1). Specifically, the printing unit 160 forms a plurality of dots on the surface of the tape TP. Characters and figures are expressed by a collection of dots.

[0014] The cutting unit 170 cuts the tape TP on which printing has been performed by the printing unit 160. The cut piece of tape TP falls downward from the tape printing device 100. A single cut piece of tape TP is also called a "label."

[0015] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the relationship between the various components of the tape printing device 100. The memory unit 190 stores information (see the lower right part of FIG. 2). Specifically, the memory unit 190 is a semiconductor memory including a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory). The memory unit 190 stores a print width information set Itw and a character shape data set CFS. The memory unit 190 also stores various data processed by the control unit 180.

[0016] The printing width information set Itw stores the printing width Wtp in association with each tape width Wt0 of the tape TP that can be attached to the tape printer 100 (see the middle right part of Figure 2). The printing width Wtp is the dimension of the printable area on the tape TP in the width direction Dwt of the tape TP (see Figure 5).

[0017] The character shape data set CFS includes data defining the shape of each character used when the tape printer 100 prints a character (see the lower right part of Figure 2). The data defining the character shape is a collection of data representing ON / OFF, associated with each of multiple pixels arranged within a rectangular area where a single character is to be recorded. Pixels associated with ON are recorded. Pixels associated with OFF are not recorded. The shape of a character is represented by a collection of recorded pixels, i.e., a collection of dots, on the tape TP. The number of pixels for the print width Wtp for tapes TP with tape widths Wt0 of 4 mm, 6 mm, 9 mm, 12 mm, 18 mm, 24 mm, and 36 mm are 24 dots, 36 dots, 48 ​​dots, 64 dots, 96 dots, 128 dots, and 192 dots, respectively. The character shape data set CFS holds data defining the shape of each character for all characters printable by the tape printer 100. The character shape data set CFS includes a character width information set Icw and a maximum magnification factor Mfmax.

[0018] The character width information set Icw stores a character width Wc in association with each character (see the lower right part of Figure 2). The character width Wc is the horizontal size of the character. More specifically, the character width Wc is a rectangular area associated with the character, and is the horizontal size of the area on the tape TP that cannot be intruded upon by other characters, graphics, or other printing objects. The character width Wc is also called a "proportional value." The character width Wc stored in the character width information set Icw may be part of a set of data representing the ON / OFF state of pixels that represent the shape of each character. Note that in the tape printing device 100, the vertical size Hc of a character is treated as being constant regardless of the character.

[0019] The maximum magnification factor Mfmax is the upper limit of the magnification factor when the width of each character defined based on the character shape data set CFS is enlarged during printing (see the bottom right of Figure 2). The maximum magnification factor Mfmax will be explained later.

[0020] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the character width Wc(i) of each character and the print width Wtp of the tape TP. FIG. 3 shows each character printed in a landscape printing direction. However, in the example of FIG. 3, the characters are not arranged according to the character width Wc(i), which is executed along the direction Drc in which the characters are to be read in landscape printing. In FIG. 3, the feed direction of the tape TP during printing is indicated by the arrow Dlt (see the bottom of FIG. 3). The same applies to the other figures. The feed direction of the tape TP during printing is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the tape TP.

[0021] The printing width Wtp of the tape TP is uniquely determined according to the tape width Wt0 of the tape cartridge TPC. When only one line of text is printed using the entire printing width Wtp of the tape TP, the vertical size Hc of the character in horizontal printing is equal to the printing width Wtp of the tape TP (see the right part of Figure 3). In this specification, a "text string" refers to a collection of characters, symbols, pictograms, etc. that are arranged side by side in the direction to be read.

[0022] The character width Wc(i) is uniquely determined for each character. i is a positive integer. i is an identification number assigned for convenience of explanation to distinguish the character width Wc for each character. As is clear from Figure 3, for example, the character width Wc(4) of "I" is narrow. In contrast, the character width Wc(5) of "W" is wider than the character width Wc(4) of "I". The character width Wc(i) is the same as the vertical size Hc of the character in Japanese kanji, hiragana, and katakana.

[0023] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the character width Wc(i) of each character and the print width Wtp of the tape TP. FIG. 4 shows each character printed vertically. As is clear from FIG. 4, in vertical printing, the width of the blank spaces on the left and right of the letter "I" is wide. In contrast, the width of the blank spaces on the left and right of the letter "W" is narrow. Note that the left and right directions in vertical printing are parallel to the width direction Dwt of the tape TP.

[0024] The control unit 180 controls the tape printing device 100 (see the upper right part of FIG. 2). Specifically, the control unit 180 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit) serving as a processor. The control unit 180 loads computer programs stored in the ROM of the storage unit 190 into the RAM serving as the main memory of the storage unit 190 and executes them, thereby realizing various functions, which will be described later. The control unit 180 can perform landscape printing, portrait printing, and portrait-landscape printing.

[0025] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the print result obtained by horizontal printing. "Horizontal printing" is printing in which a character string is printed in a character arrangement in which the longitudinal direction Dlt of the tape TP and the upward direction Dvc of the characters are perpendicular, and the longitudinal direction Dlt of the tape TP and the direction Drc in which the characters should be read are parallel. More specifically, in the example of FIG. 5, the upward direction Dvc of the characters is rotated 90 degrees clockwise from the feed direction Dlt of the tape TP. The direction Drc in which the characters should be read is opposite to the feed direction Dlt of the tape TP.

[0026] FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the print result obtained by vertical printing. "Vertical printing" is printing in which a character string is printed in a character arrangement in which the longitudinal direction Dlt of the tape TP and the upward direction Dvc of the characters are parallel, and the longitudinal direction Dlt of the tape TP and the direction Drc in which the characters should be read are parallel. More specifically, in the example of FIG. 6, the upward direction Dvc of the characters is the same as the feed direction Dlt of the tape TP. The direction Drc in which the characters should be read is opposite to the feed direction Dlt of the tape TP.

[0027] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the print result obtained by vertical-horizontal printing. "Vertical-horizontal printing" is a type of printing in which a character string is printed in a character arrangement in which the longitudinal direction Dlt of the tape TP and the upward direction Dvc of the characters are parallel, and the direction in which the characters should be read Drc is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction Dlt of the tape TP. More specifically, in the example of FIG. 7, the upward direction Dvc of the characters is the same as the feed direction Dlt of the tape TP. The direction in which the characters should be read Drc is rotated 90 degrees clockwise from the feed direction Dlt of the tape TP.

[0028] 8 is a flowchart showing the printing process in the tape printing apparatus 100. In step S105, the tape cartridge TPC is attached to the tape printing apparatus 100 (see arrow A105 in the upper center of FIG. 1).

[0029] 8, the tape width Wt0, which is the width of the tape TP in the tape cartridge TPC attached to the tape printing device 100, is detected. Specifically, the width detection unit 110 is a sensor that detects the width of the tape TP based on the unevenness provided on the outer surface of the tape cartridge TPC. The width detection unit 110 reads the unevenness pattern formed on the bottom surface of the tape cartridge TPC and sends it to the control unit 180. The unevenness pattern formed on the bottom surface of the tape cartridge TPC represents the tape width Wt0 of the tape TP stored in the tape cartridge TPC.

[0030] In step S115, the control unit 180 obtains the printing width Wtp of the tape TP attached to the tape printing device 100 based on the detected tape width Wt0 by referring to the printing width information set Itw in the memory unit 190 (see the middle right part of Figure 2).

[0031] In step S120, the control unit 180 receives input from the user via the input unit 120. The user inputs information about characters or symbols to be printed into the tape printing device 100 via the input unit 120 (see the lower right part of FIG. 1).

[0032] In step S140, the control unit 180 determines the print mode. Specifically, the control unit 180 determines whether to perform landscape printing, portrait printing, or portrait-horizontal printing in response to an instruction from the user input via the input unit 120 (see FIGS. 5-7).

[0033] After step S140, printing is performed in step S160. If it is determined in step S140 that horizontal printing is to be performed, the process proceeds to step S162. If it is determined that vertical printing is to be performed, the process proceeds to step S164. If it is determined that vertical-horizontal printing is to be performed, the process proceeds to step S166.

[0034] 9 is a diagram showing an example of the results of horizontal printing executed in step S162. In step S162, the control unit 180 executes horizontal printing for the characters input in step S120. Each character is printed without being enlarged in the left-right direction, with a width Wc determined in advance for each character, and in an orientation in which the longitudinal direction Dlt of the tape TP and the upward direction Dvc of the character are perpendicular (see FIG. 3).

[0035] In step S164 of FIG. 8, the control unit 180 executes vertical printing for the characters input in step S120.

[0036] 10 is a flowchart showing the process for executing vertical printing. In step S1642, control unit 180 determines a character string set CS. In vertical printing, if all characters to be printed in that line are CA, then character string set CS is a set of characters from all characters to be printed CA that satisfy the following set conditions: (a) The characters to be printed received from the user. (b) Characters that should be aligned along the direction Drc in which the characters should be read. (c) A character whose character height Hc, which is the vertical size of the character, and character width Wc are different. Therefore, in this embodiment, the character string set CS does not include Japanese kanji, hiragana, and katakana.

[0037] By including the above condition (c) in the set conditions, even when the set of characters that should be arranged along the direction Drc in which the characters should be read includes characters such as kanji, hiragana, and katakana, which have the same character height Hc and character width Wc, an appropriate magnification factor Mf is determined in steps S1646 and S1666 described below, without the magnification factor Mf being fixed to a constant value.

[0038] In step S1644, the control unit 180 determines the character width Wcmax of the character in the character string set CS that has the maximum character width Wc, based on each character included in the character string set CS. The character width Wc of each character included in the character string set CS is obtained by referring to the character width information set Icw (see the lower right part of FIG. 2).

[0039] In step S1646, the control unit 180 determines the magnification factor Mf along the width direction Dwt of the tape TP of the character string set CS, using the print width Wtp of the tape TP attached to the tape printer 100 and the character width Wcmax of the character with the maximum character width Wc. Note that in this embodiment, the character widths Wc of the characters included in the character string set CS other than the character width Wcmax are not used in determining the magnification factor Mf.

[0040] Specifically, the original magnification ratio Mf0 is determined by the following equation (1). Mf0=Wtp / Wcmax (1)

[0041] The magnification factor Mf is determined so as not to exceed a predetermined maximum value Mfmax. That is, if the original magnification factor Mf0 obtained by the above formula is equal to or less than the maximum value Mfmax, the magnification factor Mf is determined to be the value of the original magnification factor Mf0. If the original magnification factor Mf0 is greater than the maximum value Mfmax, the magnification factor Mf is determined to be the value of the maximum value Mfmax. The maximum value Mfmax can be set to, for example, 2.0.

[0042] By performing this processing, even if the character string set CS is made up of only narrow characters such as "i" and "j," it is possible to reliably prevent the characters included in the character string set CS from being printed enlarged in width to the extent that they are difficult to recognize as individual characters.

[0043] In step S1648, the control unit 180 enlarges the character width Wc of each character included in the character string set CS according to the determined enlargement factor Mf. The single enlargement factor Mf determined in step S1646 is applied to all characters included in the character string set CS, and each character is enlarged horizontally. Characters that satisfy the above conditions (a) and (b) but not condition (c) are not enlarged horizontally. For example, Japanese kanji, hiragana, and katakana characters that satisfy the above conditions (a) and (b) are not enlarged horizontally.

[0044] In step S1649, the control unit 180 prints the characters included in the character string set CS onto the attached tape TP at a character width Wc enlarged using the enlargement factor Mf. At this time, other characters satisfying the above (a) and (b) are printed in the order entered by the user along with the characters included in the character string set CS. However, other characters satisfying the above (a) and (b) are printed without enlarging the character width Wc.

[0045] Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the result of vertical printing being performed in the process of step S164 in Fig. 8. Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the result of vertical printing being performed without performing the process of enlarging the character width direction as in S1644-S1648.

[0046] By performing the above-described process for vertical printing in step S164 in Figure 8, it is possible to enlarge and print the characters of the character string set CS in the width direction while preventing characters that should be represented in narrow shapes from being printed so wide that they are difficult to recognize as individual characters. As a result, unnatural blank spaces do not appear on either side of each column (see Figures 11 and 12).

[0047] In step S166 of FIG. 8, the control unit 180 executes portrait-landscape printing for the characters input in step S120.

[0048] 13 is a flowchart showing the process for executing portrait-horizontal printing. In step S1662, the control unit 180 determines the character string set CS. In portrait-horizontal printing, the character string set CS is also a set of characters that meets the set conditions (a)-(c) above. However, in portrait-horizontal printing, the "direction Drc in which the characters should be read" in condition (b) is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction Dit of the tape TP (see FIG. 7).

[0049] In step S1663, the control unit 180 receives the number Ncr of characters that can be arranged in the direction Drc in which characters should be read in portrait-horizontal printing from the user via the input unit 120. For example, in the example of Fig. 7, the number Ncr of characters that can be arranged in the direction Drc in which characters should be read is four.

[0050] In step S1664, the control unit 180 determines the character width Wcmax of the character having the maximum character width Wc in the character string set CS, based on each character included in the character string set CS. The process of step S1664 is the same as the process of step S1644 in FIG.

[0051] In step S1666, the control unit 180 determines the magnification factor Mf along the width direction Dwt of the tape TP of the character string set CS using the number Ncr of characters that can be arranged in the direction Drc in which the characters should be read, the printing width Wtp of the tape TP attached to the tape printing device 100, and the character width Wcmax of the character with the largest character width Wc.

[0052] Specifically, the original magnification ratio Mf0 is determined by the following equation (2). Mf0=(Wtp / Ncr) / Wcmax (2) In equation (2), the value (Wtp / Ncr) obtained by dividing the tape width Wt0 by the number of characters Ncr that can be arranged in the direction Drc in which the characters are to be read represents the dimensions that can be allocated per character in the width direction Dwt of the tape TP.

[0053] The magnification factor Mf is determined so as not to exceed a predetermined maximum value Mfmax. That is, if the original magnification factor Mf0 obtained by the above formula is equal to or less than the maximum value Mfmax, the magnification factor Mf is determined to be the value of the original magnification factor Mf0. If the original magnification factor Mf0 is greater than the maximum value Mfmax, the magnification factor Mf is determined to be the value of the maximum value Mfmax.

[0054] In step S1668, control unit 180 enlarges the character width Wc of each character included in character string set CS according to the determined enlargement factor Mf. The single enlargement factor Mf determined in step S1666 is applied to all characters included in character string set CS, and each character is enlarged horizontally. Characters that satisfy the above conditions (a) and (b) but do not satisfy condition (c) are not enlarged horizontally.

[0055] In step S1669, the control unit 180 prints the characters included in the character string set CS onto the attached tape TP at a character width Wc enlarged using the enlargement factor Mf. At this time, other characters satisfying the above (a) and (b) are printed in the order entered by the user along with the characters included in the character string set CS. However, other characters satisfying the above (a) and (b) are printed without enlarging the character width Wc.

[0056] Fig. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the results when vertical / horizontal printing is performed in the process of step S166 in Fig. 8. Fig. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the results when vertical / horizontal printing is performed without performing the process of enlarging the character width direction as in S1664-S1668.

[0057] By performing the process described above for vertical-horizontal printing in step S166 in Figure 8, it is possible to enlarge and print the characters of the character string set CS in the width direction while preventing characters that should be represented in narrow shapes from being printed so wide that they are difficult to recognize as individual characters. As a result, unnatural spaces do not appear on either side of each character (see Figures 14 and 15).

[0058] B. Second embodiment: In step S140 of the first embodiment, the control unit 180 determines whether to perform horizontal printing, vertical printing, or vertical-horizontal printing in response to instructions from the user input via the input unit 120 (see S140 in FIGS. 5-7 and FIG. 8). However, in the second embodiment, if predetermined conditions are met, vertical-horizontal printing is performed regardless of instructions from the user. Other aspects of the second embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0059] In the second embodiment, in step S140 of FIG. 8, the control unit 180 performs vertical horizontal printing if the following determination conditions are met for the multiple characters to be printed received from the user via the input unit 120 (see S166 of FIG. 8).

[0060] The judgment conditions include the following sub-conditions: (p) The number Nclt of characters to be printed side by side in the longitudinal direction Dlt of the tape TP is the same at different positions in the width direction Dwt of the tape TP.

[0061] In the example of Fig. 7, the number Nclt of characters to be printed side by side in the longitudinal direction Dlt of the tape TP is 2 at any different position in the width direction Dwt. In other words, the example of Fig. 7 satisfies the above sub-condition (p).

[0062] Fig. 16 is a diagram showing an example of the result of performing portrait-landscape printing. The printed matter shown in Fig. 16 is, for example, a label that is attached by wrapping it around a pencil, a cable, or the like.

[0063] In the example of Fig. 16, the number Nclt of characters to be printed side by side in the longitudinal direction Dlt of the tape TP at any different position in the width direction Dwt is 6. In other words, the example of Fig. 16 satisfies the above sub-condition (p).

[0064] The determination conditions further include whether any of the following sub-conditions is satisfied: (q1) Among the multiple characters to be printed input via the input unit 120, the number Nclt of characters to be printed side by side in the longitudinal direction Dlt of the tape TP is less than the number Ncwt of characters to be printed side by side in the width direction Dwt of the tape TP. (q2) Among the multiple characters to be printed input via the input unit 120, the multiple characters to be printed side by side in the longitudinal direction Dlt of the tape TP are the same at all different positions in the width direction Dwt of the tape TP.

[0065] In the example of Figure 7, the number Nclt of characters to be printed side by side in the longitudinal direction Dlt of the tape TP is 2 at any different position in the width direction Dwt. The number Ncwt of characters to be printed side by side in the width direction Dwt of the tape TP is 4. In other words, Nclt is less than Ncwt. Therefore, the example of Figure 7 satisfies the above sub-condition (q1).

[0066] In the example of FIG. 7, among the multiple characters to be printed input via the input unit 120, the multiple characters to be printed side by side in the longitudinal direction Dlt of the tape TP are a "2" and a left-facing arrow at the left end of the width direction Dwt of the tape TP. In the second column from the left end of the width direction Dwt of the tape TP, the multiple characters to be printed side by side in the longitudinal direction Dlt are a "0" and a "1". In the third column from the left end of the width direction Dwt of the tape TP, the multiple characters to be printed side by side in the longitudinal direction Dlt are a "0" and a "naga". In the fourth column from the left end of the width direction Dwt of the tape TP, the multiple characters to be printed side by side in the longitudinal direction Dlt are a "1" and a "no". Therefore, the example of FIG. 7 does not satisfy the above sub-condition (q2).

[0067] In the example of FIG. 16, of the multiple characters to be printed input via the input unit 120, the multiple characters to be printed side by side in the longitudinal direction Dlt of the tape TP are all 1 at the left end of the width direction Dwt of the tape TP. In the second column from the left end of the width direction Dwt of the tape TP, the multiple characters to be printed side by side in the longitudinal direction Dlt are all 1. In the third column from the left end of the width direction Dwt of the tape TP, the multiple characters to be printed side by side in the longitudinal direction Dlt are all 6. In the fourth column from the left end of the width direction Dwt of the tape TP, the multiple characters to be printed side by side in the longitudinal direction Dlt are all 2. Therefore, the example of FIG. 16 satisfies the above sub-condition (q2).

[0068] That is, the example in Fig. 7 satisfies sub-conditions (p) and (q1). The example in Fig. 16 satisfies sub-conditions (p) and (q2). Therefore, regardless of which character string is input, portrait-horizontal printing is automatically determined as the print mode in step S140 in Fig. 8 of the second embodiment.

[0069] By performing this process, the user can cause the tape printing device 100 to perform portrait-horizontal printing (S140 and S166 in FIG. 8) without inputting an instruction to perform portrait-horizontal printing into the input unit 120. If the sub-conditions (p) and (q1), or the sub-conditions (p) and (q2) are not satisfied and the user desires portrait-horizontal printing, the user can instruct portrait-horizontal printing via the input unit 120 in step S140 in FIG. 8.

[0070] C. Third embodiment: In step S1646 of the first embodiment, the control unit 180 determines the original magnification ratio Mf0 using equation (1) and adopts the smaller of the original magnification ratio Mf0 and the maximum value Mfmax as the magnification ratio Mf. However, in the third embodiment, the magnification ratio Mf is determined by another method. Other points of the third embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0071] Fig. 17 is a table showing examples of magnification factor candidate values ​​Mfcj (j is a positive integer). In the third embodiment, the storage unit 190 stores a plurality of magnification factor candidate values ​​Mfcj in advance. In the example of Fig. 17, six magnification factor candidate values ​​Mfcj, Mfc1-Mfc6, are shown. The maximum value of the magnification factor candidate values ​​Mfcj is magnification factor candidate value Mfc6, which is 2.0.

[0072] 10, the control unit 180 determines, from among the multiple enlargement factor candidate values ​​Mfcj, the largest enlargement factor candidate value Mfcj that does not exceed the original enlargement factor Mf0 as the enlargement factor Mf. Similar processing is performed in step S1666 in FIG.

[0073] In the tape printing device 100, which prints characters by forming a group of dots on the tape TP, there are enlargement ratios that distort the shapes of characters when enlarged, such as an enlargement ratio that is very close to 1 but is not an integer. However, in the third embodiment, by setting multiple candidate enlargement ratio values ​​Mfcj that avoid such enlargement ratios, it is possible to perform printing that does not distort the shapes of characters (see FIG. 17).

[0074] D. Fourth embodiment: In the first embodiment, the processing of steps S115-S140 in Fig. 8 is executed in the tape printing apparatus 100. However, in the fourth embodiment, the processing of steps S115-S140 in Fig. 8 is executed in an information processing apparatus 200 that can communicate with the tape printing apparatus 100. In the fourth embodiment, the tape printing apparatus 100 includes a communication unit 210 that can communicate with the information processing apparatus 200. Other points of the fourth embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0075] 18 is a block diagram showing the relationship between the various parts of the information processing device 200. The information processing device 200 causes the tape printing device 100 to execute printing. Specifically, the information processing device 200 is a smartphone capable of communicating with the tape printing device 100. The information processing device 200 and the tape printing device 100 are connected via Bluetooth (trademark), for example. The information processing device 200 includes a communication unit 210, an input unit 220, a display unit 230, a print control unit 280, and a storage unit 290. Furthermore, the information processing device 200 is not limited to a smartphone, and may be a tablet terminal or a PC (Personal Computer).

[0076] The communication unit 210 communicates with the tape printing device 100 (see the upper left part of FIG. 18). Specifically, the communication unit 210 communicates with the communication unit of the tape printing device 100 via Bluetooth (trademark). The communication unit 210 receives the tape width Wt0, which is the width of the tape TP attached to the tape printing device 100, from the tape printing device 100.

[0077] The input unit 220 receives input from the user (see the middle left part of FIG. 18). The input unit 220 is specifically a touch panel.

[0078] The display unit 230 displays characters and images (see the middle left part of FIG. 18). Specifically, the display unit 230 is a liquid crystal display. The liquid crystal display serving as the display unit 230 and the touch panel serving as the input unit 220 are arranged one on top of the other in the information processing device 200.

[0079] The memory unit 290 stores information (see the lower right part of Figure 18). Specifically, the memory unit 290 is a semiconductor memory including RAM and ROM. The memory unit 290 stores a print width information set Itw and a character shape data set CFS. The print width information set Itw and the character shape data set CFS are the same data as the print width information set Itw and the character shape data set CFS described in the first embodiment. The memory unit 290 also stores various data processed by the print control unit 280.

[0080] The print control unit 280 causes the tape printing device 100 to print on the tape TP attached to the tape printing device 100 via the communication unit 210. Specifically, the print control unit 280 is a CPU serving as a processor. The print control unit 280 loads computer programs stored in the ROM of the storage unit 290 into the RAM serving as the main memory of the storage unit 290 and executes them, thereby realizing various functions, which will be described later. The print control unit 280 can cause the tape printing device 100 to perform landscape printing, portrait printing, and portrait-landscape printing.

[0081] In step S115 of FIG. 8, the print control unit 280 acquires the tape width Wt0 of the tape TP attached to the tape printing device 100 from the tape printing device 100 via the communication unit 210 of the information processing device 200 and the communication unit of the tape printing device 100.

[0082] The print control unit 280 references the print width information set Itw in the storage unit 290 based on the acquired tape width Wt0, and thereby acquires the print width Wtp of the tape TP attached to the tape printing device 100.

[0083] In step S120, the print control unit 280 receives input from the user via the input unit 220. The user inputs information about characters or symbols to be printed by the tape printing device 100 to the information processing device 200 via the input unit 220.

[0084] In step S140, print control unit 280 determines the print mode. Specifically, print control unit 280 determines whether to perform landscape printing, portrait printing, or landscape-oriented printing in accordance with instructions from the user input via input unit 220 (see FIGS. 5-7).

[0085] If it is determined in step S140 that horizontal printing is to be performed, data of the characters to be printed and an instruction to perform horizontal printing are sent to the tape printing device 100, and the process proceeds to step S162. If it is determined that vertical printing is to be performed, data of the characters to be printed, an instruction to perform vertical printing, and the magnification factor Mf for each character string set CS are sent to the tape printing device 100, and the process proceeds to step S164. If it is determined that vertical-horizontal printing is to be performed, data of the characters to be printed, an instruction to perform vertical-horizontal printing, and the magnification factor Mf for each character string set CS are sent to the tape printing device 100, and the process proceeds to step S166.

[0086] According to the fourth embodiment, the tape printing device 100 can be made to perform printing via the information processing device 200 without being limited by the hardware performance of the input unit 120 and display unit 130 provided in the tape printing device 100.

[0087] In addition, in the vertical printing performed by the tape printing device 100, characters in the character string set CS can be printed enlarged in the width direction while suppressing the occurrence of a situation in which characters that should be represented in a narrow shape are printed enlarged in the width direction to the extent that they are difficult to recognize as individual characters. As a result, unnatural blank spaces do not appear on either side of each column (see S164 in FIG. 8 and FIG. 11).

[0088] Furthermore, in the vertical-horizontal printing performed by the tape printing device 100, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a situation in which characters that should be represented in a narrow shape are printed enlarged in width to the extent that they are difficult to recognize as individual characters, while in the vertical-horizontal printing, it is possible to enlarge and print the characters of the character string set CS in width (see S166 in Figure 8 and Figure 14).

[0089] E. Other Embodiments: E1. Alternative Embodiment 1: (1) In the above embodiment, the width detection unit 110 is a sensor that detects the width of the tape TP based on the unevenness provided on the tape cartridge TPC (see the middle center part of FIG. 1 and the top left part of FIG. 2). However, the width detection unit 110 can also be an optical sensor that can detect the type of tape cartridge TPC and the width of the tape TP by reading a code label as a two-dimensional code attached to the side of the tape cartridge TPC attached to the tape printing device 100. The width detection unit 110 can also be a sensor that reads information from a memory chip provided on the tape cartridge TPC to detect the type of tape cartridge TPC and the width of the tape TP.

[0090] (2) In the above embodiment, the input unit 120 of the tape printing device 100 is a keyboard (see the lower right part of FIG. 1). However, the input unit of the tape printing device 100 can also be in other forms, such as a touch panel or a combination of a microphone and voice recognition software.

[0091] (3) In the fourth embodiment, the input unit 220 of the information processing device 200 is a touch panel (see the upper left part of FIG. 18). However, the input unit of the information processing device 200 may be other types, such as a keyboard or a combination of a microphone and voice recognition software.

[0092] (4) In the above embodiment, the display unit 130 of the tape printing device 100 is a liquid crystal display (see the middle right part of FIG. 1). However, the display unit of the tape printing device 100 may be in other forms, such as an organic EL display or electronic paper.

[0093] (5) In the fourth embodiment, the display unit 230 of the information processing device 200 is a liquid crystal display (see the middle left part of FIG. 18). However, the display unit of the information processing device 200 may be other types of display, such as an organic EL display or electronic paper.

[0094] (6) In the fourth embodiment, the communication unit 210 of the information processing device 200 communicates with the tape printing device 100 by Bluetooth (trademark) (see the upper left part of FIG. 18). However, the communication unit 210 of the information processing device 200 may be configured to communicate by other methods, such as infrared communication or wireless LAN.

[0095] (7) In the above embodiment, the type of tape cartridge TPC is uniquely determined according to the tape width Wt0 (see the upper center part of FIG. 1). However, for one tape width Wt0, there may be multiple types of tape cartridges TPC that house different lengths of tape TP.

[0096] In such an embodiment, the two-dimensional code attached to the side surface of the tape cartridge TPC can indicate the type of tape cartridge TPC. The print width information set Itw can store the print width Wtp in association with each type of tape cartridge TPC that can be attached to the tape printer 100 (see the middle right part of Figure 2). The control unit 180 can obtain the print width Wtp of the tape TP of the type of tape cartridge TPC attached to the tape printer 100 by referring to the print width information set Itw in the memory unit 190 based on the detected type of tape cartridge TPC.

[0097] (8) In the above embodiment, the magnification factor Mf is determined for each character string set CS (see S1646 in FIG. 10 and S1666 in FIG. 13). The character string set CS is a set of characters that satisfy the set condition including the sub-condition (b). (b) Characters that should be aligned along the direction Drc in which the characters should be read. That is, the character string set CS is a set of characters for one line.

[0098] However, the magnification factor Mf may be set for a character string that should be arranged across two or more lines along the direction Drc in which the characters should be read. For example, the above subcondition (b) can be replaced with the following subcondition (b1) or (b2). (b1) Characters contained in the same paragraph. (b2) The characters are contained in the same label. It should be noted that a "label" is a section of the tape TP that is generated by the tape printing device 100 cutting off the tape TP after printing on the tape TP.

[0099] (9) In the above embodiment, the character string set CS is a set of characters that satisfies a set condition including the following subcondition (c): (c) The character has a character height Hc, which is the vertical size of the character, and a character width Wc that are different. This sub-condition (c) can be determined based on a comparison of the character height Hc and character width Wc of the rectangular area where each character is to be recorded, which are stored in the character shape data set CFS. On the other hand, the character shape data set CFS may store information in advance as to whether or not each character satisfies the above condition (c). Furthermore, when the character codes assigned to each character are sorted in ascending order, the range of character codes in which characters with the same character height Hc and character width Wc exist may be stored in advance in the storage unit 190 of the tape printing device 100 or the storage unit 290 of the information processing device 200.

[0100] (10) In the vertical printing of the first embodiment, the original enlargement ratio Mf0 is determined by the formula (1). However, in the vertical printing, the original enlargement ratio Mf0 may be determined by the following formula (3). Mf0=C1×Wtp / Wcmax (3) Here, C1 is a positive number less than 1. By adopting this mode, it is possible to prevent the characters from being printed across the entire tape width Wt0, making the characters difficult to read. C1 can be set to a value between 0.85 and 0.95, for example.

[0101] (11) In the first embodiment, in portrait-horizontal printing, the original magnification ratio Mf0 is determined by the formula (2). However, in portrait-horizontal printing, the original magnification ratio Mf0 may also be determined by the following formula (4). Mf0=C2×(Wtp / Ncr) / Wcmax (4) Here, C2 is a positive number less than 1. By adopting this mode, it is possible to prevent the characters from being printed without gaps in the tape width Wt0 direction, making the characters difficult to read. C2 can be set to a value of 0.85 to 0.95, for example.

[0102] (12) In the first embodiment, in portrait printing, the original magnification ratio Mf0 is determined by equation (1). In portrait-horizontal printing, the original magnification ratio Mf0 is determined by equation (2). However, the original magnification ratio Mf0 and the magnification ratio Mf can also be determined based on a table instead of an equation.

[0103] (13) In the first embodiment, the maximum value Mfmax of the magnification factor Mf is 2.0 for both portrait printing and portrait-horizontal printing. However, different values ​​can be used as the maximum value Mfmax of the magnification factor Mf for portrait printing and portrait-horizontal printing.

[0104] In vertical printing, what narrows as the character width Wc increases is the space between lines (see Figure 11). In vertical-horizontal printing, what narrows as the character width Wc increases is the space between characters (see Figure 14). For this reason, by setting different values ​​for the maximum value Mfmax of the magnification factor Mf for vertical printing and vertical-horizontal printing, it is possible to obtain print results that are easier to read in both vertical printing and vertical-horizontal printing. Similarly, different values ​​can be used for the minimum value Mfmin of the magnification factor Mf for vertical printing and vertical-horizontal printing.

[0105] (14) In the first embodiment, the magnification factor Mf is determined so as not to exceed a predetermined maximum value Mfmax (see S1646 in FIG. 10 and S1666 in FIG. 13). The magnification factor Mf can also be determined so as not to fall below a predetermined minimum value Mfmin.

[0106] (15) In the first embodiment, in vertical printing, one line of text is printed on one tape. However, two or more lines of text can also be printed on one tape. In such a case, prior to the processing of step S1646 in FIG. 10, the control unit 180 receives from the user via the input unit 120 the number Nlw of text strings that can be arranged in the width direction Dwt of the tape TP in vertical printing. The original magnification ratio Mf0 is determined by the following equation (5): Mf0=(Wtp / Nlw) / Wcmax ··· (5)

[0107] (16) In the first embodiment, in both vertical printing and vertical-horizontal printing, all characters included in the character string set CS are enlarged horizontally (see S1648 in FIG. 10 and S1668 in FIG. 13). For at least some character groups, such as alphabets, ON / OFF data for pixels representing enlarged character shapes may be stored in the character shape data set CFS. The same applies to character groups that become inappropriate as a result of enlargement or rotation, such as ".", ",", ".", and ",". In this specification, "enlarging a character" also encompasses the use of enlarged character data in place of the original character data.

[0108] E2. Alternative Embodiment 2: In the first embodiment, the magnification factor Mf is determined so as not to exceed a predetermined maximum value Mfmax (see S1646 in FIG. 10 and S1666 in FIG. 13). However, the magnification factor Mf may be determined to be any value obtained through a predetermined calculation process such as equation (1) or equation (2) without setting such an upper limit.

[0109] E3. Alternative Embodiment 3: In the second embodiment, the control unit 180 determines, from among a plurality of magnification factor candidate values ​​Mfcj, the largest magnification factor candidate value Mfcj that does not exceed the original magnification factor Mf0 as the magnification factor Mf (see step S1646 in FIG. 10 and step S1666 in FIG. 13). However, as described in the first embodiment, the magnification factor Mf may be determined to be any value obtained through a predetermined calculation process.

[0110] E4. Alternative Embodiment 4: In the first embodiment, the set condition for determining the character string set CS includes the following sub-condition (c). (c) A character whose character height Hc, which is the vertical size of the character, and character width Wc are different. However, in at least one of portrait printing and portrait-horizontal printing, the aggregation condition may not include the sub-condition (c).

[0111] E5. Alternative Embodiment 5: In the first embodiment, in both vertical printing and vertical-horizontal printing, the determined magnification factor Mf is applied to all characters included in the character string set CS, and each character is magnified horizontally (see S1648 in FIG. 10 and S1668 in FIG. 13). However, it is also possible to configure such that characters are not magnified horizontally in at least one of vertical printing and vertical-horizontal printing.

[0112] E6. Alternative Embodiment 6: In the second embodiment, the control unit 180 executes horizontal-to-vertical printing when predetermined conditions are met for the multiple characters to be printed received from the user via the input unit 120 (see S140 and S166 in FIG. 8). However, as explained in the first embodiment, it is also possible to determine whether to execute horizontal printing, vertical printing, or horizontal-to-vertical printing in response to an instruction from the user input via the input unit 120 (see S140 in FIG. 8).

[0113] F. Other Forms: The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be realized in various forms without departing from the spirit thereof. For example, the present disclosure can also be realized in the following forms. The technical features in the above embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each form described below can be appropriately replaced or combined to solve some or all of the problems of the present disclosure or to achieve some or all of the effects of the present disclosure. Furthermore, if a technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it can be appropriately deleted.

[0114] (1) According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a tape printing device for printing on replaceably attached tape, the tape printing device including a width detection unit for detecting the tape width of the attached tape, an input unit for receiving input from a user, a memory unit for storing information, a printing unit for printing on the attached tape, and a control unit for controlling the tape printing device. The memory unit stores a character width information set that stores character widths, which are the horizontal dimensions of characters, in correspondence with each character, and a printing width information set that stores printing widths, which are the dimensions of the printable area on the tape in the width direction of the tape, in correspondence with each tape width of tape that can be attached to the tape printing device. When performing vertical printing to print a string of characters in a character arrangement in which the longitudinal direction of the tape is parallel to the upward direction of the characters and the longitudinal direction of the tape is parallel to the direction in which the characters should be read, the control unit determines an enlargement ratio for the string of characters along the width direction of the tape using the character width of the character with the largest character width in the string of characters set, which is obtained by referring to the character width information set based on each character included in the string of characters, and the printing width of the attached tape, which is obtained by referring to the printing width information set based on the tape width detected by the width detection unit, and prints the characters included in the string of characters set on the attached tape at the character width enlarged using the enlargement ratio, using the printing unit. The character string set is a set of characters that are to be printed and received from the user via the input unit, and that satisfy set conditions including that the characters should be arranged in the direction in which they are to be read. By adopting this configuration, characters in a character string set can be printed enlarged in the width direction while suppressing the occurrence of a situation in which characters that should be represented in a narrow shape are printed enlarged in the width direction to the extent that they are difficult to recognize as individual characters in vertical printing.

[0115] (2) In the tape printing device of the above aspect, the control unit may determine the magnification ratio so as not to exceed a predetermined maximum value. By adopting such an embodiment, even when a set of character strings is made up of narrow characters, it is possible to reliably prevent the characters included in the set of character strings from being printed enlarged in the width direction to the extent that they are difficult to recognize as individual characters.

[0116] (3) In the tape printing device of the above form, the memory unit may store a plurality of magnification candidate values ​​in advance, and the control unit may determine, as the magnification, the largest magnification candidate value among the plurality of magnification candidate values ​​that does not exceed the value obtained by dividing the printing width of the attached tape by the character width of the character having the largest character width in the set of character strings. In a tape printing device that prints characters by forming a group of dots on the tape, there are enlargement ratios that distort the shape of characters when enlarged, such as an enlargement ratio that is very close to an integer but is not an integer. However, in the above-described embodiment, by setting multiple candidate enlargement ratio values ​​that avoid such enlargement ratios, it is possible to print characters that do not distort the shape.

[0117] (4) In the tape printing device of the above aspect, the collection condition may include a condition that the character height, which is the vertical size of the character, is different from the character width. In such an embodiment, when a set of characters that should be arranged in the direction in which the characters are to be read includes characters with the same character height and character width, an appropriate magnification ratio is determined without being fixed to a constant value.

[0118] (5) According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a tape printing device for printing on replaceably attached tape, the tape printing device including a width detection unit for detecting the tape width of the attached tape, an input unit for receiving input from a user, a memory unit for storing information, a printing unit for printing on the attached tape, and a control unit for controlling the tape printing device. The memory unit stores a character width information set that stores character widths, which are the horizontal dimensions of characters, in correspondence with each character, and a printing width information set that stores printing widths, which are the dimensions of the printable area on the tape in the width direction of the tape, in correspondence with each tape width of tape that can be attached to the tape printing device. When performing vertical-horizontal printing, which prints character strings in a character arrangement in which the longitudinal direction of the tape and the upward direction of the characters are parallel and the direction in which the characters should be read is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the tape, the control unit determines an enlargement ratio for the character string set along the width direction of the tape using the number of characters that can be arranged in the direction in which the characters should be read in vertical-horizontal printing, the character width of the character with the largest character width in the character string set, which is obtained by referring to the character width information set based on each character included in the character string set, and the printing width of the attached tape, which is obtained by referring to the printing width information set based on the tape width detected by the width detection unit, and prints the characters included in the character string set on the attached tape with the character width enlarged using the enlargement ratio, using the printing unit. The character string set is a set of characters that are to be printed and received from the user via the input unit, and that satisfy set conditions including that the characters should be arranged in the direction in which they are to be read. By adopting this configuration, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a situation in which characters that should be represented in a narrow shape are printed enlarged in the width direction to the extent that they are difficult to recognize as individual characters in vertical and horizontal printing, while also making it possible to print characters in a string of characters enlarged in the width direction in vertical and horizontal printing.

[0119] (6) In the tape printing device of the above form, the control unit may be configured to execute the vertical-horizontal printing when a determination condition is met, including that the number of characters to be printed in a row along the length of the tape, which are received from the user via the input unit, is the same at different positions along the width of the tape. By adopting this mode, the user can cause the tape printing device to perform portrait-horizontal printing without inputting an instruction to perform portrait-horizontal printing into the input unit.

[0120] (7) In the tape printing device of the above aspect, the collection condition may include a condition that the character height, which is the vertical size of the character, is different from the character width. In this manner, when a set of characters that should be arranged in the direction in which the characters are to be read includes characters that have the same character height and character width, an appropriate magnification ratio is determined without being fixed at a constant value.

[0121] (8) According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for controlling a tape printing device that prints on replaceably attached tape, the method comprising the steps of detecting a tape width that is the width of the attached tape, receiving input from a user, and printing on the attached tape. The memory unit provided in the tape printing device stores a character width information set that stores character width, which is the horizontal size of a character, in correspondence with each character, and a print width information set that stores print width, which is the dimension of the printable area on the tape in the width direction of the tape, in correspondence with each tape width of tape that can be attached to the tape printing device. When performing vertical printing to print a string of characters in a character arrangement in which the longitudinal direction of the tape is parallel to the upward direction of the characters and the longitudinal direction of the tape is parallel to the direction in which the characters are to be read, the printing process includes the steps of: determining an enlargement ratio for the string of characters along the width direction of the tape using the character width of the character having the largest character width in the string of characters, which is obtained by referring to the character width information set based on each character included in the string of characters; and the printing width of the attached tape, which is obtained by referring to the printing width information set based on the detected tape width; and printing the characters included in the string of characters on the attached tape with the character width enlarged using the enlargement ratio. The character string set is a set of characters that are received from a user and are to be printed, and that satisfy a set condition that includes that the characters should be arranged in the direction in which they are to be read.

[0122] (9) In the method for controlling a tape printing device according to the above aspect, the step of determining the magnification ratio may be a step of determining the magnification ratio so as not to exceed a predetermined maximum value.

[0123] (10) In the control method for a tape printing device of the above form, the memory unit may store a plurality of candidate magnification values ​​in advance, and the step of determining the magnification rate may be a step of determining, as the magnification rate, the largest candidate magnification value among the plurality of candidate magnification values ​​that does not exceed the value obtained by dividing the printing width of the attached tape by the character width of the character having the largest character width in the set of character strings.

[0124] (11) In the method for controlling a tape printing device according to the above aspect, the grouping condition may include a condition that the character height, which is the vertical size of the character, is different from the character width.

[0125] (12) According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a control method for a tape printer that prints on replaceable tape. The control method includes the steps of detecting a tape width, which is the width of the attached tape, receiving input from a user, and printing on the attached tape. A memory unit included in the tape printer stores a character width information set that stores character widths, which are the horizontal dimensions of characters, in association with each character, and a print width information set that stores print widths, which are the dimensions of a printable area on the tape in the width direction of the tape, in association with each tape width of tapes that can be attached to the tape printer. The printing process includes, when performing vertical-horizontal printing in which a string of characters is printed in a character arrangement in which the longitudinal direction of the tape and the upward direction of the characters are parallel and the direction in which the characters should be read is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the tape, the printing process includes the steps of: determining an enlargement ratio of the string set along the width direction of the tape using the number of characters that can be arranged in the direction in which the characters should be read in vertical-horizontal printing; the character width of the character having the largest character width in the string set, which is obtained by referring to the character width information set based on each character included in the string set; and the printing width of the attached tape, which is obtained by referring to the printing width information set based on the detected tape width; and printing the characters included in the string set on the attached tape with the character width enlarged using the enlargement ratio. The character string set is a set of characters that are received from a user and are to be printed, and that satisfy a set condition that includes that the characters should be arranged in the direction in which they are to be read.

[0126] (13) In the control method for the tape printing device of the above embodiment, the printing step may be a step of executing the vertical-horizontal printing when a determination condition is satisfied, including that the number of characters to be printed in a row along the length of the tape received from the user is the same at different positions along the width of the tape.

[0127] (14) In the method for controlling a tape printing device according to the above aspect, the grouping condition may include a condition that the character height, which is the vertical size of the character, is different from the character width.

[0128] (15) According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an information processing device for causing a tape printing device that prints on a replaceably attached tape to execute printing, the information processing device including a communication unit that communicates with the tape printing device and receives a tape width from the tape printing device that is the width of the attached tape, an input unit that receives input from a user, a memory unit that stores information, and a print control unit that causes the tape printing device to execute printing on the attached tape via the communication unit. The memory unit stores a character width information set that stores character widths, which are the horizontal dimensions of characters, in correspondence with each character, and a printing width information set that stores printing widths, which are the dimensions of the printable area on the tape in the width direction of the tape, in correspondence with each tape width of tape that can be attached to the tape printing device. When performing vertical printing to print a string of characters in a character arrangement in which the longitudinal direction of the tape is parallel to the upward direction of the characters and the longitudinal direction of the tape is parallel to the direction in which the characters are to be read, the printing control unit performs the following processes: determining an enlargement ratio for the string of characters along the width direction of the tape using the character width of the character having the largest character width in the string of characters, which is obtained by referencing the character width information set based on each character included in the string of characters, and the printing width of the attached tape, which is obtained by referencing the printing width information set based on the tape width; and causing the tape printing device to print the characters included in the string of characters on the attached tape at the character width enlarged using the enlargement ratio. The character string set is a set of characters that are to be printed and received from the user via the input unit, and that satisfy set conditions including that the characters should be arranged in the direction in which they are to be read.

[0129] (16) According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an information processing device for causing a tape printing device that prints on a replaceable attached tape to execute printing, the information processing device including a communication unit that communicates with the tape printing device and receives a tape width from the tape printing device that is the width of the attached tape, an input unit that receives input from a user, a memory unit that stores information, and a print control unit that causes the tape printing device to execute printing on the attached tape via the communication unit. The memory unit stores a character width information set that stores character widths, which are the horizontal dimensions of characters, in correspondence with each character, and a printing width information set that stores printing widths, which are the dimensions of the printable area on the tape in the width direction of the tape, in correspondence with each tape width of tape that can be attached to the tape printing device. When performing vertical-horizontal printing, which prints a string of characters in a character arrangement in which the longitudinal direction of the tape and the upward direction of the characters are parallel and the direction in which the characters should be read is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the tape, the printing control unit performs the following steps: determine an enlargement ratio for the string set along the width direction of the tape using the number of characters that can be arranged in the direction in which the characters should be read in vertical-horizontal printing, the character width of the character having the largest character width in the string set, which is obtained by referencing the character width information set based on each character included in the string set, and the printing width of the attached tape, which is obtained by referencing the printing width information set based on the tape width; and cause the tape printing device to print the characters included in the string set on the attached tape at the character width enlarged using the enlargement ratio. The character string set is a set of characters that are to be printed and received from the user via the input unit, and that satisfy set conditions including that the characters should be arranged in the direction in which they are to be read.

[0130] (17) According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer program for causing a tape printer that prints on a replaceable attached tape to execute printing, the computer program causing the tape printer to perform functions of receiving input from a user, detecting a tape width that is the width of the attached tape, receiving input from the user, and printing on the attached tape. The memory unit provided in the tape printing device stores a character width information set that stores character width, which is the horizontal size of a character, in correspondence with each character, and a print width information set that stores print width, which is the dimension of the printable area on the tape in the width direction of the tape, in correspondence with each tape width of tape that can be attached to the tape printing device. The printing function includes, when performing vertical printing to print a string of characters in a character arrangement in which the longitudinal direction of the tape and the upward direction of the characters are parallel and the longitudinal direction of the tape and the direction in which the characters are to be read are parallel, a function to determine an enlargement ratio of the string of characters along the width direction of the tape using the character width of the character having the largest character width in the string of characters set, which is obtained by referencing the character width information set based on each character included in the string of characters, and the printing width of the attached tape, which is obtained by referencing the printing width information set based on the detected tape width, and a function to cause the tape printing device to print the characters included in the string of characters on the attached tape at the character width enlarged using the enlargement ratio. The character string set is a set of characters that are received from a user and are to be printed, and that satisfy a set condition that includes that the characters should be arranged in the direction in which they are to be read.

[0131] (18) According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer program for causing a tape printer that prints on a replaceable attached tape to execute printing, the computer program causing the tape printer to realize a function of detecting a tape width that is the width of the attached tape, a function of receiving input from a user, and a function of printing on the attached tape. The memory unit provided in the tape printing device stores a character width information set that stores character width, which is the horizontal size of a character, in correspondence with each character, and a print width information set that stores print width, which is the dimension of the printable area on the tape in the width direction of the tape, in correspondence with each tape width of tape that can be attached to the tape printing device. The printing function includes, when performing vertical-horizontal printing in which a character string is printed in a character arrangement in which the longitudinal direction of the tape and the upward direction of the characters are parallel and the direction in which the characters should be read is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the tape, a function to determine an enlargement ratio of the character string set along the width direction of the tape using the number of characters that can be arranged in the direction in which the characters should be read in vertical-horizontal printing, the character width of the character having the largest character width in the character string set obtained by referring to the character width information set based on each character included in the character string set, and the printing width of the attached tape obtained by referring to the printing width information set based on the detected tape width, and a function to cause the tape printing device to print the characters included in the character string set on the attached tape at the character width enlarged using the enlargement ratio. The character string set is a set of characters that are received from a user and are to be printed, and that satisfy a set condition that includes that the characters should be arranged in the direction in which they are to be read.

[0132] The present disclosure can be realized in various forms other than a tape printing device, a control method for a tape printing device, an information processing device, and a program, such as an engraving device, a control method for an engraving device, a computer program for realizing the control method, a non-transitory recording medium on which the computer program is recorded, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0133] 100... tape printing device, 110... width detection unit, 120... input unit, 130... display unit, 160... printing unit, 180... control unit, 190... memory unit, 200... information processing device, 210... communication unit, 220... input unit, 230... display unit, 280... print control unit, 290... memory unit, A105... arrow indicating tape cartridge installation, CS... character string set, Dlt... longitudinal direction, Drc... direction in which characters should be read, Dvc... upward direction of characters, Dwt... width direction of tape, Hc... vertical size of characters , Icw...character width information set, Itw...printing width information set, Mf...magnification rate, Mfc1-Mfc6...candidate magnification rate values, Mfmax...maximum magnification rate, Nclt...number of characters to be printed side by side in the longitudinal direction of the tape, Ncr...number of characters that can be arranged in the direction in which the characters should be read, Ncwt...number of characters to be printed side by side in the width direction of the tape, TP...tape, TPC...tape cartridge, Wc...character width, Wcmax...character width, Wt0...tape width, Wtp...printing width.

Claims

1. A tape printing device that prints on replaceably attached tapes, a width detection unit that detects the width of the attached tape; an input unit for receiving input from a user; a storage unit that stores information; a printing unit that prints on the attached tape; a control unit that controls the tape printing device, The storage unit A character width information set that stores character widths, which are the horizontal dimensions of characters, in association with each character; a printing width information set that stores a printing width, which is a dimension of a printable area on the tape in the width direction of the tape, in association with each tape width of a tape that can be attached to the tape printing device; The control unit When performing vertical printing to print a character string with a character arrangement in which the longitudinal direction of the tape and the upward direction of the characters are parallel, and the longitudinal direction of the tape and the direction in which the characters are to be read are parallel, a character width of a character having the maximum character width in the character string set, which is obtained by referring to the character width information set based on each character included in the character string set; and a printing width of the attached tape obtained by referring to the printing width information set based on the tape width detected by the width detection unit; and determining an expansion ratio of the set of character strings along the width direction of the tape using printing the characters included in the character string set on the attached tape with the character width enlarged using the enlargement ratio by the printing unit; A tape printing device, wherein the character string set is a set of characters to be printed received from a user via the input unit and which satisfy set conditions including that the characters are characters that should be arranged in the direction in which they should be read.

2. 2. The tape printing device according to claim 1, The control unit determines the magnification ratio so as not to exceed a predetermined maximum value.

3. 2. The tape printing device according to claim 1, the storage unit stores a plurality of enlargement ratio candidate values ​​in advance, The control unit A tape printing device determines, as the enlargement rate, the largest enlargement rate candidate value among the plurality of enlargement rate candidate values ​​that does not exceed the value obtained by dividing the printing width of the attached tape by the character width of the character having the largest character width in the set of character strings.

4. 2. The tape printing device of claim 1, The set conditions include a condition that the character height, which is the vertical size of the character, is different from the character width.

5. A tape printing device that prints on replaceably attached tapes, a width detection unit that detects the width of the attached tape; an input unit for receiving input from a user; a storage unit that stores information; a printing unit that prints on the attached tape; a control unit that controls the tape printing device, The storage unit A character width information set that stores character widths, which are the horizontal dimensions of characters, in association with each character; a printing width information set that stores a printing width, which is a dimension of a printable area on the tape in the width direction of the tape, in association with each tape width of a tape that can be attached to the tape printing device; The control unit When performing vertical-horizontal printing in which a character string is printed in a character arrangement in which the longitudinal direction of the tape and the upward direction of the characters are parallel and the direction in which the characters should be read is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the tape, In the vertical-horizontal printing, the number of characters that can be arranged in the direction in which the characters should be read; a character width of a character having the maximum character width in the character string set, which is obtained by referring to the character width information set based on each character included in the character string set; and a printing width of the attached tape obtained by referring to the printing width information set based on the tape width detected by the width detection unit; and determining an expansion ratio of the set of character strings along the width direction of the tape using printing the characters included in the character string set on the attached tape with the character width enlarged using the enlargement ratio by the printing unit; A tape printing device, wherein the character string set is a set of characters to be printed received from a user via the input unit and which satisfy set conditions including that the characters are characters that should be arranged in the direction in which they should be read.

6. 6. The tape printing device of claim 5, The control unit performs the vertical-horizontal printing when a determination condition is met, including that the number of characters to be printed in a row along the longitudinal direction of the tape, among the multiple characters to be printed received from the user via the input unit, is the same at different positions along the width direction of the tape.

7. 6. The tape printing device of claim 5, The set conditions include a condition that the character height, which is the vertical size of the character, is different from the character width.

8. A method for controlling a tape printing device that prints on replaceably attached tapes, comprising: detecting a tape width, which is the width of the attached tape; receiving input from a user; and printing on the attached tape, The storage unit of the tape printing device includes: A character width information set that stores character widths, which are the horizontal dimensions of characters, in association with each character; a printing width information set that stores a printing width, which is a dimension of a printable area on the tape in the width direction of the tape, in association with each tape width of a tape that can be attached to the tape printing device; The printing step includes: When performing vertical printing to print a character string with a character arrangement in which the longitudinal direction of the tape and the upward direction of the characters are parallel, and the longitudinal direction of the tape and the direction in which the characters should be read are parallel, a character width of a character having the maximum character width in the character string set, which is obtained by referring to the character width information set based on each character included in the character string set; and a printing width of the attached tape obtained by referring to the printing width information set based on the detected tape width; determining an expansion rate of the set of character strings along the width direction of the tape using printing characters included in the character string set on the attached tape with the character width enlarged using the enlargement ratio; A method for controlling a printing device, wherein the character string set is a set of characters that are received from a user and are to be printed, and that satisfy set conditions including that the characters are to be arranged in the direction in which they are to be read.

9. 9. A method for controlling a tape printing apparatus according to claim 8, comprising: A control method for a printing device, wherein the step of determining the enlargement ratio is a step of determining the enlargement ratio so as not to exceed a predetermined maximum value.

10. 9. A method for controlling a tape printing apparatus according to claim 8, comprising: the storage unit stores a plurality of enlargement ratio candidate values ​​in advance, The step of determining the magnification ratio includes: A control method for a printing device, comprising the step of determining, as the enlargement rate, the largest enlargement rate candidate value among the plurality of enlargement rate candidate values ​​that does not exceed the value obtained by dividing the printing width of the attached tape by the character width of the character having the largest character width in the set of character strings.

11. 9. A method for controlling a tape printing apparatus according to claim 8, comprising: The control method for a printing device, wherein the grouping condition includes a condition that the character height, which is the vertical size of the character, is different from the character width.

12. A method for controlling a tape printing device that prints on replaceably attached tapes, comprising: detecting a tape width, which is the width of the attached tape; receiving input from a user; and printing on the attached tape, The storage unit of the tape printing device includes: A character width information set that stores character widths, which are the horizontal dimensions of characters, in association with each character; a printing width information set that stores a printing width, which is a dimension of a printable area on the tape in the width direction of the tape, in association with each tape width of a tape that can be attached to the tape printing device; The printing step includes: When performing vertical-horizontal printing in which a character string is printed in a character arrangement in which the longitudinal direction of the tape and the upward direction of the characters are parallel and the direction in which the characters should be read is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the tape, In the vertical-horizontal printing, the number of characters that can be arranged in the direction in which the characters should be read; a character width of a character having the maximum character width in the character string set, which is obtained by referring to the character width information set based on each character included in the character string set; and a printing width of the attached tape obtained by referring to the printing width information set based on the detected tape width; determining an expansion rate of the set of character strings along the width direction of the tape using printing characters included in the character string set on the attached tape with the character width enlarged using the enlargement ratio; A method for controlling a printing device, wherein the character string set is a set of characters that are received from a user and are to be printed, and that satisfy set conditions including that the characters are to be arranged in the direction in which they are to be read.

13. 13. A method for controlling a tape printing apparatus according to claim 12, comprising: A control method for a printing device, wherein the printing step is a step of performing the vertical-horizontal printing when a determination condition is met, including that the number of characters to be printed in a row in the longitudinal direction of the tape among the multiple characters to be printed received from the user is the same at different positions in the width direction of the tape.

14. 13. A method for controlling a tape printing apparatus according to claim 12, comprising: The control method for a printing device, wherein the grouping condition includes a condition that the character height, which is the vertical size of the character, is different from the character width.

15. An information processing device that causes a tape printing device that prints on a replaceably attached tape to perform printing, a communication unit that communicates with the tape printing device and receives a tape width, which is the width of the attached tape, from the tape printing device; an input unit for receiving input from a user; a storage unit that stores information; a print control unit that causes the tape printing device to print on the attached tape via the communication unit, The storage unit A character width information set that stores character widths, which are the horizontal dimensions of characters, in association with each character; a printing width information set that stores a printing width, which is a dimension of a printable area on the tape in the width direction of the tape, in association with each tape width of a tape that can be attached to the tape printing device; The print control unit When performing vertical printing to print a character string with a character arrangement in which the longitudinal direction of the tape and the upward direction of the characters are parallel, and the longitudinal direction of the tape and the direction in which the characters are to be read are parallel, a character width of a character having the maximum character width in the character string set, which is obtained by referring to the character width information set based on each character included in the character string set; and a printing width of the attached tape obtained by referring to the printing width information set based on the tape width; determining an expansion rate of the set of character strings along the width direction of the tape using the a process of causing the tape printing device to print characters included in the character string set on the attached tape with the character width enlarged using the enlargement ratio; An information processing device, wherein the character string set is a set of characters that are to be printed and received from a user via the input unit, and that satisfy set conditions including that the characters are to be arranged in the direction in which they are to be read.

16. An information processing device that causes a tape printing device that prints on a replaceably attached tape to perform printing, a communication unit that communicates with the tape printing device and receives a tape width, which is the width of the attached tape, from the tape printing device; an input unit for receiving input from a user; a storage unit that stores information; a print control unit that causes the tape printing device to print on the attached tape via the communication unit, The storage unit A character width information set that stores character widths, which are the horizontal dimensions of characters, in association with each character; a printing width information set that stores a printing width, which is a dimension of a printable area on the tape in the width direction of the tape, in association with each tape width of a tape that can be attached to the tape printing device; The print control unit When performing vertical-horizontal printing in which a character string is printed in a character arrangement in which the longitudinal direction of the tape and the upward direction of the characters are parallel and the direction in which the characters should be read is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the tape, In the vertical-horizontal printing, the number of characters that can be arranged in the direction in which the characters should be read; a character width of a character having the maximum character width in the character string set, which is obtained by referring to the character width information set based on each character included in the character string set; and a printing width of the attached tape obtained by referring to the printing width information set based on the tape width; determining an expansion rate of the set of character strings along the width direction of the tape using the a process of causing the tape printing device to print characters included in the character string set on the attached tape with the character width enlarged using the enlargement ratio; An information processing device, wherein the character string set is a set of characters that are to be printed and received from a user via the input unit, and that satisfy set conditions including that the characters are to be arranged in the direction in which they are to be read.

17. A computer program for causing a tape printing device to perform printing on a replaceably attached tape, comprising: The ability to receive input from the user, a function of detecting a tape width, which is the width of the attached tape; The ability to receive input from the user, a function of printing on the attached tape in the tape printing device; The storage unit of the tape printing device includes: A character width information set that stores character widths, which are the horizontal dimensions of characters, in association with each character; a printing width information set that stores a printing width, which is a dimension of a printable area on the tape in the width direction of the tape, in association with each tape width of a tape that can be attached to the tape printing device; The function of printing is When performing vertical printing to print a character string with a character arrangement in which the longitudinal direction of the tape and the upward direction of the characters are parallel, and the longitudinal direction of the tape and the direction in which the characters are to be read are parallel, a character width of a character having the maximum character width in the character string set, which is obtained by referring to the character width information set based on each character included in the character string set; and a printing width of the attached tape obtained by referring to the printing width information set based on the detected tape width; determining a magnification ratio of the set of character strings along the width direction of the tape using the a function of causing the tape printing device to print characters included in the character string set on the attached tape with the character width enlarged using the enlargement ratio; A computer program, wherein the character string set is a set of characters that are received from a user and are to be printed, and that satisfy set conditions including that the characters are to be arranged in a direction in which they are to be read.

18. A computer program for causing a tape printing device to perform printing on a replaceably attached tape, comprising: a function of detecting a tape width, which is the width of the attached tape; The ability to receive input from the user, a function of printing on the attached tape in the tape printing device; The storage unit of the tape printing device includes: A character width information set that stores character widths, which are the horizontal dimensions of characters, in association with each character; a printing width information set that stores a printing width, which is a dimension of a printable area on the tape in the width direction of the tape, in association with each tape width of a tape that can be attached to the tape printing device; The function of printing is When performing vertical-horizontal printing in which a character string is printed in a character arrangement in which the longitudinal direction of the tape and the upward direction of the characters are parallel and the direction in which the characters should be read is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the tape, In the vertical-horizontal printing, the number of characters that can be arranged in the direction in which the characters should be read; a character width of a character having the maximum character width in the character string set, which is obtained by referring to the character width information set based on each character included in the character string set; and a printing width of the attached tape obtained by referring to the printing width information set based on the detected tape width; determining a magnification ratio of the set of character strings along the width direction of the tape using the a function of causing the tape printing device to print characters included in the character string set on the attached tape with the character width enlarged using the enlargement ratio; A computer program, wherein the character string set is a set of characters that are received from a user and are to be printed, and that satisfy set conditions including that the characters are to be arranged in a direction in which they are to be read.

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