System, method, program

Abstract

This system provides an efficient way to correct the layout of variable data. [Solution] A system capable of performing variable printing includes a display control means that controls the display of a screen for the user to confirm print data including variable data, and a correction means that corrects the layout of the variable data included in the print data, wherein the display control means controls the display of the results of corrections performed by the correction means by multiple methods as multiple layout candidates for the variable data on the screen.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a system, method, and program capable of performing variable printing.

Background Art

[0002] In commercial printing, proofing work is performed. That is, manuscript data is sent from the orderer to the printing company. The person in charge at the printing company edits the printing data based on the manuscript data from the orderer. The person in charge at the printing company requests the orderer to confirm whether there are any deficiencies in the editing result. The orderer confirms the printing data based on the request and notifies the printing company of the result.

[0003] On the other hand, in recent years, variable printing for replacing a document at a predetermined location of data has been widely performed. In Patent Document 1, when the printing area specified by the layout data and the printing area of the rasterized variable data are different, the form data, layout data, and variable data are processed so that the printing area of the rasterized variable data fits within the printing area specified by the layout data.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] When there is a defect in the layout of variable data for performing variable printing, proofing work for correcting the layout occurs. It is required to improve the efficiency in that proofing work.

[0006] The present invention aims to provide a system, method, and program that improve the efficiency of correcting the layout of variable data. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To solve the above problems, the system according to the present invention is a system capable of performing variable printing, comprising: display control means for controlling the display of a screen for allowing a user to confirm print data including variable data; and correction means for correcting the layout of the variable data included in the print data, wherein the display control means controls the display of the results of corrections performed by the correction means by multiple methods as multiple layout candidates for the variable data on the screen. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the efficiency of correcting the layout of variable data. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This diagram shows the system configuration. [Figure 2] This diagram shows the hardware configuration of an information processing device. [Figure 3] This is a block diagram showing the software configuration of a cloud server. [Figure 4] This is a block diagram showing the software configuration for the business card ordering server. [Figure 5] This is a diagram showing a variable data document. [Figure 6] This is a diagram showing variable data. [Figure 7] This is a diagram showing variable field data. [Figure 8] This is a diagram showing variable data for printing. [Figure 9] This flowchart shows the processes executed on the cloud server. [Figure 10]This is a diagram showing the job details screen. [Figure 11] This is a diagram showing the job details screen. [Figure 12] This is a diagram showing the variable editing screen. [Figure 13] This is a diagram showing the automatic correction dialog screen. [Figure 14] This is a diagram showing the variable proof screen. [Figure 15] This is a diagram showing the proof request email. [Figure 16] This is a flowchart showing the processes executed in the cloud server. [Figure 17] This is a diagram showing the job details screen. [Figure 18] This is a diagram showing the font size limit data. [Figure 19] This is a flowchart showing the processes executed in the cloud server. [Figure 20] This is a diagram showing the deletion line limit data. [Figure 21] This is a flowchart showing the processes executed in the cloud server. [Embodiments of the Invention]

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although a plurality of features are described in the embodiments, not all of these plurality of features are essential for the invention, and the plurality of features may be arbitrarily combined. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the same or similar configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations are omitted.

[0011] [First Embodiment] [System Configuration Diagram] Figure 1 is a diagram showing the system configuration in this embodiment. The system shown in Figure 1 is a system capable of variable printing, for example, a system capable of variable printing of business card information. The system shown in Figure 1 includes a printing room system 100 located in the printing room, a business card ordering system 120 located in a separate location from the printing room for placing business card orders, and a printing workflow service 110 located on the cloud. The business card ordering system 120 is a system that corresponds to the ordering party in commercial printing, for example, and the printing room system 100 is a system that corresponds to the printing company in commercial printing, for example.

[0012] In the printing room system 100, the printing staff computer (PC) 101 and the printer (printing device) 102 are connected to each other via a LAN (Local Area Network) 103 so that they can communicate with one another. In the business card ordering system 120, the business card ordering computer (PC) 121 and the business card ordering server 122 are connected to each other via a LAN 123 so that they can communicate with one another. In the printing workflow service 110, the cloud server 111 is connected to LAN 112. LAN 112, LAN 103, and LAN 123 are connected to the Internet 130 and can communicate with each other. For example, the printing workflow service 110 can execute processing in response to requests from the printing staff PC 101, the business card ordering PC 121, and the business card ordering server 122.

[0013] In variable data printing, depending on the variable data inserted into a variable field, the string represented by the variable data may not fit within the variable field. In such cases, the string represented by the variable data may overlap with other fields, or the string represented by the variable data may be cut off in the display, resulting in what is known as a layout breakdown. Traditionally, in proofing, the printing company edits the print data based on the data submitted by the client. The printing company then requests the client to check the edited results for any deficiencies, and the client checks the print data based on the request and notifies the printing company of the results. In this embodiment, the efficiency of the proofing process can be improved for both the client and the printing company.

[0014] [Hardware Configuration Diagram] Figure 2 shows an example of the hardware configuration of an information processing device. The PC 101 for the printing staff, the PC 121 for business card ordering, the business card ordering server 122, and the cloud server 111 in Figure 1 are configured to include the hardware configuration of the information processing device shown in Figure 2. In addition to the configuration shown in Figure 2, each device may have a configuration appropriate to the functions it can perform.

[0015] The CPU (Central Processing Unit) 201 is a central processing unit that performs processing according to a specified program. The ROM (Read Only Memory) 202 is a non-volatile storage that can hold data and programs used in each of the processes described later. The RAM (Random Access Memory) 203 is a volatile storage that temporarily holds programs and data. The external storage device 204 is a non-volatile storage that holds programs and data. For example, the operation of each of the above devices in Figure 1 in this embodiment is achieved, for example, by the CPU 201 reading programs stored in the ROM 202 and external storage device 204 into the RAM 203 and executing them.

[0016] The input device 205 is, for example, a keyboard or pointing device, and accepts user input and transmits information corresponding to that user input to the CPU 201. The display 206 is, for example, a panel or display, and displays various user interface screens. The input device 205 and the display 206 may also be integrated into a single configuration, such as a touch panel. The network interface 207 connects to an external network and enables communication between the information processing device and external devices. The external network may be, for example, LAN 103, 112, 123, or the Internet 130. The network interface 207 may also have a configuration depending on the medium of the external network, such as wireless communication or wired communication.

[0017] [Software Configuration] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the software configuration of the cloud server 111. The software 300 of the cloud server 111 consists of a submission unit 301, a job processing unit 302, a variable editing unit 303, a variable proof processing unit 304, and a printing processing unit 305.

[0018] The submission unit 301 receives print order information from the business card order server 122 via LAN 112 and stores it in the external storage device 204 of the cloud server 111. The print order information includes at least variable original data 500, variable data 600, variable field data 700, the customer's name, and the customer's email address. The variable original data 500 will be described later using Figure 5. The variable data 600 will be described later using Figure 6. The variable field data 700 will be described later using Figure 7.

[0019] When the submission unit 301 saves print order information, it associates the date and time of saving (order date and time, submission time) with the job name and job ID and saves it as job data. The job name and job ID are determined as appropriate by the submission unit 301. In other words, job data is the print data corresponding to the print job.

[0020] The job processing unit 302 executes the processing of job data stored in the external storage device 204 of the cloud server 111. Processing of job data includes, for example, displaying a list of jobs, saving them, and deleting them.

[0021] The variable editing unit 303 executes variable editing processing of job data. In the variable editing processing, variable synthesis processing is performed based on the variable original 500, variable data 600, and variable field data 700. The variable synthesis processing is the process of creating variable print data 800. The variable editing unit 303 also executes processing in response to operations on the variable editing screen 1200 and the automatic correction dialog screen 1300. The process of creating variable print data 800 will be described later using Figure 8. The processing in response to operations on the variable editing screen 1200 and the automatic correction dialog screen 1300 will be described later using Figures 12 and 13.

[0022] The variable proof processing unit 304 executes processing in response to operations on the proof screen 1400 and processing to create and send an email 1500. Processing in response to operations on the proof screen 1400 will be described later using Figure 14. Processing to create and send an email 1500 will be described later using Figure 15.

[0023] The print processing unit 305 controls the printer 102 of the printing room system 100 to send the job data and execute printing. The print processing unit 305 may also send the job data to the printing staff PC 101. In that case, the printing staff PC 101 may control the printer 102 to execute printing.

[0024] Figure 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the software configuration of the business card ordering server 122. The software 400 of the business card ordering server 122 consists of a business card information input unit 401, a business card information creation unit 402, and a business card information transmission unit 403.

[0025] The business card information input unit 401 sends a screen to the business card ordering PC 121 for specifying business card order information, receives the business card order information from the business card ordering PC 121 via LAN 123, and stores it in the external storage device 204 of the business card ordering server 122. The business card order information includes at least a business card template identifier for identifying the variable original document 500 and the variable field data 700 corresponding to the variable original document 500, variable data 600, the customer's name, and the customer's email address.

[0026] The print order creation unit 402 creates print order information based on the business card order information stored in the external storage device 204 of the business card order server 122. Here, the variable original 500 and variable field data 700 are associated with a business card template identifier and stored in the external storage device 204 of the business card order server 122. The print order creation unit 402 identifies the variable original 500 and variable field data 700 based on the business card template identifier and creates print order information including the identified variable original 500, variable field data 700, variable data 600, customer name, and customer email address. The print order transmission unit 403 transmits the print order information created by the print order creation unit 402 to the cloud server 111 via LAN 123.

[0027] [Variable manuscript] Figure 5 shows an example of a variable data template 500. The variable data template 500 is the basic data representing a business card, with the company name 501 and address 502 placed on it. The variable data template 500 is data in an image format such as JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group), PNG (Portable Network Graphics), PDF (Portable Document Format), or SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics).

[0028] [Variable data] Figure 6 shows an example of variable data 600. Figure 6 shows an example of tabular data consisting of records with name, title, and affiliation to be printed on a business card, each with a record number. Here, an example of data containing 10 records with names such as "Taro Kimura," "Jiro Suzuki," and, abbreviated, "Ken Lewis Cambridge." Here, the \n in the affiliation string represents a line break. For example, if the string in Figure 6 were inserted into the variable field corresponding to the affiliation, it would be displayed as a four-line string. Variable data 600 can be tabular data such as TXT (text), CSV (comma-separated values), XML (extensible markup language), or JSON (JavaScript object notation). In this embodiment, name, title, and affiliation are described as examples of variable fields, but other variable fields may also be set.

[0029] [Variable field data] Figure 7 shows an example of variable field data 700. Figure 7 shows an example of tabular data where each variable field on a business card has a record number, and each record consists of a record position, width and height of the variable field, and font name and font size of the characters displayed in the variable field. Here, an example is shown where three variable fields are defined: affiliation, position, and name. In other words, variable field data 700 can be described as variable field area setting information. Variable field data 700 is tabular data such as TXT (text), CSV (comma separated values), XML (extensible markup language), and JSON (JavaScript object notation).

[0030] [Variable print data] Figure 8 shows an example of variable print data 800. Variable print data 800 is variable print data created in the variable editing department 303 of the cloud server 111 using variable original 500, variable data 600, and variable field data 700.

[0031] This example shows how variable fields for affiliation, position, and name, as specified in variable field data 700, are created in variable manuscript 500, the first record specified in variable data 600 is extracted, and the data is placed in each variable field. Variable editing department 303 performs the above variable synthesis process for each record.

[0032] In Figure 8, the variable field corresponding to the affiliation (hereinafter referred to as the affiliation field) is set to "A Business Headquarters\nAA Development Center\nAA1 Development Department\nAA1 Development Section". The variable field corresponding to the job title (hereinafter referred to as the job title field) is set to "Chief Researcher". Furthermore, the variable field corresponding to the name (hereinafter referred to as the name field) is set to "Taro Kimura" using the specified font and font size. Here, the string in the affiliation field of the first record in variable data 600 is "A Business Headquarters\nAA Development Center\nAA1 Development Department\nAA1 Development Section", but the created image is "A Business Headquarters\nAA Development Center\nAA1 Development Department". This is because it did not fit within the size of the affiliation field set in variable field data 700. Figure 8 shows a case where part of the string to be inserted is not displayed, but it is also possible that the string to be inserted overlaps with other fields, as in image 1401 in Figure 14. These are known as layout errors. In this embodiment, the layout of variable data that has layout issues is corrected (corrected) by the cloud server 111 using multiple methods, and these corrected (corrected) versions are displayed to the user as proof screens. In this embodiment, "correction" and "correction" are treated as synonyms, but "correction" is sometimes used in particular when referring to the user.

[0033] Figure 10 shows an example of a job details screen 1000 created by the cloud server 111 in response to a job information display request from the printing PC 101. When the cloud server 111 sends the job details screen 1000 data to the requesting printing PC 101, the printing PC 101 displays the job details screen 1000 on the display 206.

[0034] Here, file 1003, indicated as Basefile.pdf, is a file containing variable data 500. File 1004, indicated as Datasource.csv, is a file containing variable data 600. File 1005, indicated as Datafield.csv, is a file containing variable field data 700. Submission time 1006, name 1007, email address 1008, and job name 1009 are information included in the print order information received by the cloud server 111 from the business card order server 122 and in the job data saved by the submission department 301.

[0035] When the variable edit button 1001 on the job details screen 1000 displayed on the display 206 of the printer's PC 101 is pressed, the printer's PC 101 sends a variable edit request to the cloud server 111 via LAN 103. When the cloud server 111 receives the variable edit request from the printer's PC 101 via LAN 112, it starts the flowchart shown in Figure 9.

[0036] Figure 9 is realized when the CPU 201 of the cloud server 111 reads the software 300 stored in the external storage device 204 into the RAM 203 and executes it.

[0037] In S901, CPU201 performs variable data synthesis. Here, for example, using the variable original 500, variable data 600, and variable field data 700, the variable editing unit 303 creates the variable print data 800 shown in Figure 8. Note that the process in Figure 9 is performed for one record. For example, the process in Figure 9 is performed for record 01 in Figure 6. Furthermore, the process in Figure 9 is repeatedly performed for each record.

[0038] In S902, CPU201 creates a variable editing screen and sends the data from that screen to the printing operator's PC101 via LAN112.

[0039] Figure 12 shows an example of a variable editing screen. The variable editing screen 1200 is displayed on the display 206 of the printer's PC 101. The left-hand area of ​​the variable editing screen 1200 displays the created variable print data 800. If the variable data does not fit within the variable field into which it is inserted, that variable field is highlighted. For example, in Figure 12, the field to which it belongs is highlighted by a border 1201. This allows the operator of the printer's PC 101 to recognize that there is a problem (layout disruption) in the layout of the variable print data 800.

[0040] In S903, the CPU201 determines whether the display of all variable data fits within each variable field. If it is determined that the display of all variable data does not fit, the process proceeds to S904. On the other hand, if it is determined that the display of all variable data fits, the process shown in Figure 9 is terminated.

[0041] In S904, an automatic correction dialog screen is created, and the data from this screen is sent to the printer's PC 101 via LAN 112. Then, CPU 201 waits for a response from the printer's PC 101.

[0042] Figure 13 shows an example of the automatic correction dialog screen 1300. The automatic correction dialog screen 1300 is displayed on the display 206 of the PC 101 for the printing operator. The automatic correction dialog screen 1300 is a screen that displays a message indicating that the variable data does not fit in the variable field and has a No button 1301 and a Yes button 1302 to ask whether or not to perform automatic correction. In other words, whether or not to perform automatic correction means whether or not to perform correction to fit the variable data into the variable field. When the PC 101 for the printing operator receives data for the automatic correction dialog screen 1300, it displays the automatic correction dialog screen 1300 on the display 206. When the No button 1301 or the Yes button 1302 is pressed on the automatic correction dialog screen 1300 via the input device 205 of the PC 101 for the printing operator, the response information of the button press is sent to the cloud server 111 via LAN 103. Although the automatic correction dialog screen 1300 was described as a separate screen from the variable editing screen 1200, the automatic correction dialog screen 1300 may also be integrated into the variable editing screen 1200.

[0043] When the cloud server 111 receives response information from the printing PC 101 via LAN 112, the process proceeds to S905.

[0044] In S905, the CPU 201 determines whether the response information indicates that the Yes button 1302 or the No button 1301 was pressed. If it is determined that the No button 1301 was pressed, the process shown in Figure 9 is terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined that the Yes button 1302 was pressed, the process proceeds to S906.

[0045] In S906, CPU201 retrieves the variable field and variable data pair for variable data that does not fit within the display area of ​​the variable field.

[0046] In S907, the system focuses on a pair of variable fields and variable data to determine whether the string represented by the acquired variable data is multi-line. Specifically, for example, whether it is multi-line is determined based on the presence of newline characters \n within the string. If it is determined to be multi-line, the system proceeds to S908, focusing on a single pair. On the other hand, if it is determined not to be multi-line, the system proceeds to S909.

[0047] In S908, the CPU 201 calculates the number of lines of text that can be stored in the variable field. The CPU 201 then corrects the variable data by deleting lines so that the text fits within the variable field. Specifically, for example, the height of the field to which variable field data 700 belongs is 10 mm, and the font size is 8 pt (approximately 2.8 mm). Therefore, the number of lines that can be stored in that variable field is calculated to be 3 lines. For example, the belonging data of the first record of variable data 600, "A Business Headquarters\nAA Development Center\nAA1 Development Department\nAA1 Development Section", has 4 lines and will not fit in the belonging field as is. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is necessary to fit it into the 3 lines calculated as above. Here, the string is corrected to "A Business Headquarters\nAA Development Center\nAA1 Development Department" by leaving the first 3 lines, that is, by deleting some lines, in this case the bottom line. The CPU 201 saves the corrected variable data from S908 as the first correction candidate in the external storage device 204.

[0048] In S909, the CPU 201 calculates the font size required to fit the number of lines in the variable data string within the variable field and changes the font size set in the variable field. Specifically, for example, the affiliation data for the first record of variable data 600, "A Business Headquarters\nAA Development Center\nAA1 Development Department\nAA1 Development Section", has 4 lines, and the height of the affiliation field in variable field data 700 is 10 mm. Therefore, the font size required to fit those 4 lines of text within the variable field is calculated to be 7 pt (approximately 2.46 mm). The CPU 201 saves the corrected variable field data from S909 as a second correction candidate in the external storage device 204.

[0049] In S910, the CPU201 determines whether processing has been performed for all variable fields. If there are any unprocessed variable fields, the CPU201 focuses on the pair of that variable field and variable data and repeats the processing from S907. On the other hand, if it is determined that processing has been performed for all variable fields, the processing shown in Figure 9 is terminated.

[0050] When the CPU 201 of the cloud server 111 finishes processing for each record as shown in Figure 9, it creates data for a job details screen with the variable data created as the first correction candidate for each record and the variable field data created as the second correction candidate for each record attached, and sends the data on this screen to the PC 101 for the printing operator via LAN 112. The variable data created as the first correction candidate is, in other words, the corrected variable data. Similarly, the variable field data created as the second correction candidate is, in other words, the corrected variable field data.

[0051] Figure 11 shows an example of the job details screen after the processing shown in Figure 9 is completed. The job details screen 1100 differs from the job details screen 1000 in Figure 10 in that the files 1110, indicated by Datasource_autocorrected.csv, and 1111, indicated by Datafield_autocorrected.csv, have been added. The job details screen 1100 may also be updated, for example, based on the pressing of the Yes button 1302 on the Auto Correction dialog screen 1300.

[0052] File 1110, indicated by Datasource_autocorrected.csv, is variable data created and saved in S908 as a first correction candidate for each record. File 1111, indicated by Datafield_autocorrected.csv, is variable field data created and saved in S909 as a second correction candidate for each record. For example, file 1110 is variable data that includes records where string lines have been deleted. File 1110 may also include records that have not been corrected. Alternatively, for example, file 1111 is variable field data that includes records where font size correction has been performed. File 1111 may also include records that have not been corrected.

[0053] When the proof request button 1102 is pressed on the job details screen 1100 displayed on the display 206 of the printer's PC 101, a proof request is sent to the cloud server 111 via LAN 103. When the cloud server 111 receives the proof request from the printer's PC 101 via LAN 112, it starts the flowchart shown in Figure 16.

[0054] The flowchart shown in Figure 16 is realized when the CPU 201 of the cloud server 111 reads the software 300 stored in the external storage device 204 into the RAM 203 and executes it.

[0055] In S1601, CPU201 composes an email and sends it to PC121 for business card ordering.

[0056] Figure 15 shows an example of an email requesting proofing that is sent to the business card order PC 121. The recipient 1501 of email 1500 is the email address of the customer included in the print order information stored by the submission department 301 in the external storage device 204. In Figure 15, "Kimura.taro@dokosoko.co.jp" is shown as an example of the email. The customer name 1502, indicated as "Taro Kimura" in the email body, is the customer name included in the print order information stored by the submission department 301 in the external storage device 204. The date and time of the order included in the print order information stored by the submission department 301 in the external storage device 204 is "May 6, 2024 10:30". The URL 1504 is the URL for displaying the proof screen, and in Figure 15, "http: / / printwf.in-satsu.com / proof?jobid=12345" is shown as an example. Here, "http: / / printwf.in-satsu.com / proof" is the endpoint for the proof request, and "jobid=12345" is a parameter to identify the job to be proofed. The business card ordering PC 121 sends a proof request to the cloud server 111 by accessing this URL. After S1601, assume that URL 1504 was clicked on email 1500 on the business card ordering PC 121.

[0057] In S1602, CPU201 receives a proof request from business card ordering PC121 via LAN112.

[0058] In S1603, CPU201 checks the value of the jobid parameter in the received proof request and determines whether it is a valid job ID. Specifically, for example, if a job with the job ID specified by jobid exists in the jobs stored in the external storage device 204 of the cloud server 111, it is determined to be a valid job ID. If it is determined to be a valid job ID, the process proceeds to S1604; if it is determined not to be a valid job ID, the process proceeds to S1610.

[0059] In S1604, a variable proof screen is created, and the data from that screen is sent to the business card ordering PC 121 via LAN 112.

[0060] Figure 14 shows an example of a variable proof screen. The variable proof screen 1400 is displayed on the display 206 of the business card ordering PC 121. Images 1401, 1402, and 1403 are displayed on the variable proof screen 1400 as layout candidates. Image 1401 is an image created based on file 1003, indicated by Basefile.pdf, file 1004, indicated by Datasouce.csv, and file 1005, indicated by Datafield.csv, which were submitted from the business card ordering server 122. Image 1402 is a first corrected image created based on file 1003, indicated by Basefile.pdf, file 1005, indicated by Datafield.csv, and file 1110, indicated by Datasouce_autocorrected.csv, which was created as a first correction candidate. Image 1403 is a second corrected image created based on file 1003, indicated by the submitted Basefile.pdf, file 1004, indicated by Datasource.csv, and file 1111, indicated by Datafield_autocorrected.csv, which was created as a second correction candidate. The variable proof screen 1400 also has radio buttons 1404 for selecting the first correction candidate corresponding to the first corrected image and radio buttons 1405 for selecting the second correction candidate corresponding to the second corrected image. In other words, Image 1402 is a print review image based on variable data corrected by the first correction method. In other words, Image 1403 is a print review image based on variable field data corrected by a second correction method different from the first correction method.

[0061] Checkbox 1406 is used to specify that the corrections made to the first correction candidate should be applied to all records. Checkbox 1406 is displayed in a way that makes it operable when radio button 1404 is selected. Near radio button 1404, the correction details (correction content) "Reduced the number of rows to belong to" are displayed. This allows the user to recognize the corrections made to the first correction image.

[0062] Checkbox 1407 is used to specify that the corrections made in the second correction candidate should be applied to all records. Checkbox 1407 is displayed in a way that makes it operable when radio button 1405 is selected. Near radio button 1405, the correction details (correction content) "Decreased the font size of the group" are displayed. This allows the user to recognize the corrections made in the second correction image.

[0063] Control 1408 is a control for selecting the record to display. In Control 1408, the denominator of the fraction indicates the total number of records, and the numerator indicates the number of the currently displayed record. Figure 14 shows a print review image for the first record. The display switches to the previous record in response to the user's leftward triangle operation, and the display switches to the next record in response to the user's rightward triangle operation. When the first record is displayed, the leftward triangle is displayed in a way that prevents operation, and when the last record is displayed, the rightward triangle is displayed in a way that prevents operation. When the user presses the close button 1409, the business card ordering PC 121 sends a proof response indicating no selection to the cloud server 111 and closes the screen in Figure 14. On the other hand, when radio buttons 1404 and 1405 and checkboxes 1406 and 1407 are appropriately selected, and the user presses the OK button 1410, a proof response indicating each selection is sent to the cloud server 111. In other words, the proof response includes the selection results for radio buttons and checkboxes for each record.

[0064] In S1605, CPU201 receives a proof response from business card ordering PC121 via LAN112.

[0065] In S1606, the CPU 201 determines, based on the received proof response, whether or not a record with a selected correction candidate exists. Specifically, for example, it determines whether or not a record with radio buttons 1404 and 1405 selected exists. If it is determined that a record with either correction candidate selected exists, the CPU 201 saves the information of the record that was determined to exist and the information of the selected correction candidate to the external storage device 204 and proceeds to S1607. The information of the selected correction candidate is, for example, information indicating whether the selected correction candidate is the first correction candidate or the second correction candidate. On the other hand, if it is determined that no record with a selected correction candidate exists, the process shown in Figure 16 is terminated.

[0066] In S1607, the CPU 201 determines whether to apply the correction to all records based on the received proof response. Specifically, for example, it determines whether there are records in which checkboxes 1406 and 1407 are selected. If it is determined that the correction should be applied to all records, the CPU 201 saves the information of the selected checkboxes to the external storage 204 and proceeds to S1608. On the other hand, if it is determined that neither checkboxes 1406 nor 1407 are selected, the process proceeds to S1609.

[0067] In S1608, CPU201 applies the correction corresponding to the correction candidate selected in S1606 to all records. Specifically, for example, if the correction candidate in S1606 is the first correction candidate, the text inserted into the member field of all records is corrected to 3 lines; if it is the second correction candidate, the font set in the member field of all records is corrected to 7pt.

[0068] In S1609, the CPU 201 performs variable synthesis processing based on the corrected variable data and the corrected variable field data, and saves the result of the variable synthesis processing to the external storage device 204. If it is determined in S1607 that neither checkbox 1406 nor checkbox 1407 is selected, the variable synthesis processing is performed for each record based on the selected correction candidates. The result of the variable synthesis processing is created as a file.

[0069] In S1610, CPU201 creates a warning screen (not shown) indicating that the job ID is invalid, sends the data from this screen to the business card ordering PC121 via LAN112, and then terminates the process shown in Figure 16.

[0070] When the CPU 201 of the cloud server 111 finishes processing as shown in Figure 16, it creates data for a job details screen with the file created by the variable data synthesis process attached in S1609, and sends the data from that screen to the PC 101 for the printing operator via LAN 112.

[0071] Figure 17 shows an example of the job details screen displayed on the printer's PC 101 after the variable data synthesis process is completed in S1609. The job details screen 1700 may be displayed, for example, by updating the job details screen 1100, or by accessing the cloud server 111 from the printer's PC 101. The job details screen 1700 differs from the job details screen 1100 in Figure 11 in that, in addition to the files displayed in Figure 11, a file 1712, indicated as Proofed.pdf, which was created by the variable data synthesis process in S1609, has been created. The user of the printer's PC 101 can print the print data containing the proven variable data on the printer 102 by selecting the file 1712 indicated as proofed.pdf and pressing the print button 1713.

[0072] As described above, according to this embodiment, the person in charge at the printing company only needs to select automatic correction in S904 as the task of creating correction candidates on the printing person's PC 101. Similarly, the user on the ordering side only needs to select correction candidates in S1604 as the task of proofreading. In this way, the proofreading process between the printing company and the ordering side is simplified and efficiency is improved.

[0073] [Second Embodiment] The second embodiment will now be described in terms of its differences from the first embodiment. In this embodiment, restrictions are specified when correcting variable field data. This prevents inappropriate corrections from being made when creating correction candidates.

[0074] Figure 18 shows an example of font size limit data 1800. Font size limit data 1800 shows an example of the lower limit of the font size that can be set in each variable field. In other words, font size limit data 1800 is limit information regarding the size of the characters represented by variable data 600.

[0075] The font size limit data 1800, along with the variable original data 500 and variable field data 700, is associated with a business card template identifier and stored in the external storage device 204 of the business card order server 122. The CPU 201 of the business card order server 122 identifies the variable original data 500, variable field data 700, and font size limit data 1800 from the business card template identifier, and creates print order information including the identified variable original data 500, variable field data 700, variable data 600, font size limit data 1800, the customer's name, and the customer's email address. The print order transmission unit 403 transmits the print order information created by the print order creation unit 402 to the cloud server 111 via the LAN 123.

[0076] The cloud server 111 receives print order information from the business card order server 122 via the LAN 112 using the submission unit 301 and stores it in the cloud server 111's external storage device 204. The print order information includes at least the variable original 500 in Figure 5, the variable data 600 in Figure 6, the variable field data 700 in Figure 7, the font size limit data 1800 in Figure 18, the customer's name, and the customer's email address. When the submission unit 301 saves the print order information, it associates the date and time of saving (order date and time) with the job name and job ID and saves it as job data. The job name and job ID are determined appropriately by the submission unit 301.

[0077] In this embodiment, the processing flow shown in the flowchart of Figure 19 is implemented instead of the flowchart in Figure 9.

[0078] The flowchart shown in Figure 19 is realized when the CPU 201 of the cloud server 111 reads the software 300 stored in the external storage device 204 into the RAM 203 and executes it.

[0079] The flowchart in Figure 19 differs from the flowchart in Figure 9 in that processes S1901 to S1904 are executed instead of process S909.

[0080] In S1901, CPU201 calculates the font size required to fit the number of lines of the string represented by the variable data within the field. Specifically, for example, the affiliation data for the first record of variable data 600, "A Business Headquarters\nAA Development Center\nAA1 Development Department\nAA1 Development Section", has 4 lines, and the height of the affiliation field in variable field data 700 is 10 mm, so the font size required to fit the string within the field is calculated to be 7 pt (approximately 2.46 mm).

[0081] In S1902, the CPU 201 determines whether or not font size limit data 1800 is stored in the external storage device 204. If it is determined that it is stored, the CPU 201 reads the font size limit data 1800 and determines whether or not a limit is specified for the variable field currently being processed. If it is determined that a limit is specified for the variable field currently being processed, the process proceeds to S1903. On the other hand, if it is determined that font size limit data 1800 is not stored, or if font size limit data 1800 is stored but no limit is specified for the variable field currently being processed, the process proceeds to S1904.

[0082] In S1903, CPU201 determines whether the font size calculated in S1901 satisfies the limit condition read in S1902. In the example above, the font size calculated in S1901 is 7pt, and the limit (lower limit of font size) corresponding to "affiliation" read in S1902 is 8pt, so it is determined that the limit condition is not met. If it is determined that the limit condition is met, the process proceeds to S1904; if it is determined that the limit condition is not met, the process proceeds to S910.

[0083] In S1904, the CPU 201 corrects the font size of the variable field to the font size calculated in S1901, and saves the corrected variable field data as a second correction candidate to the external storage device 204.

[0084] As described above, according to this embodiment, the font size limit data 1800 can prevent inappropriate corrections.

[0085] [Third Embodiment] The third embodiment will now be described in terms of its differences from the first and second embodiments. In this embodiment, restrictions are specified when correcting variable data. This prevents inappropriate corrections from being made when creating correction candidates.

[0086] Figure 20 shows an example of the delete row restriction data 2000. The delete row restriction data 2000 shows an example in which row numbers that cannot be deleted are specified in each variable field. In other words, the delete row restriction data 2000 is restriction information regarding rows that cannot be deleted from the string consisting of multiple lines represented by the variable data 600.

[0087] The delete line restriction data 2000, along with the variable original document 500 and variable field data 700, is associated with a business card template identifier and stored in the external storage device 204 of the business card order server 122. The CPU 201 of the business card order server 122 identifies the variable original document 500, variable field data 700, and delete line restriction data 2000 from the business card template identifier, and creates print order information including the identified variable original document 500, variable field data 700, variable data 600, delete line restriction data 2000, customer name, and customer email address. The print order transmission unit 403 transmits the print order information created by the print order creation unit 402 to the cloud server 111 via LAN 123.

[0088] The cloud server 111 receives print order information from the business card order server 122 via the LAN 112 using the submission unit 301 and stores it in the cloud server 111's external storage device 204. The print order information includes at least the variable original 500 in Figure 5, the variable data 600 in Figure 6, the variable field data 700 in Figure 7, the deletion line restriction data 2000 in Figure 20, the customer's name, and the customer's email address. When the submission unit 301 saves the print order information, it associates the date and time of saving (order date and time) with the job name and job ID and saves it as job data. The job name and job ID are determined appropriately by the submission unit 301.

[0089] In this embodiment, the processing flow shown in the flowchart in Figure 21 is implemented instead of the flowchart in Figure 9.

[0090] The flowchart shown in Figure 21 is realized when the CPU 201 of the cloud server 111 reads the software 300 stored in the external storage device 204 into the RAM 203 and executes it.

[0091] The flowchart in Figure 21 differs from the flowchart in Figure 9 in that processes S2101 to S2104 are executed instead of process S908.

[0092] In S2101, CPU201 calculates the number of lines of strings that can be stored in the variable field.

[0093] Specifically, for example, the height of the field to which variable field data 700 belongs is 10 mm, and the font size is 8 pt (approximately 2.8 mm), so the number of rows that can be stored in the variable field is calculated to be 3 rows.

[0094] In S2102, the CPU 201 determines whether or not the deletion restriction data 2000 is stored in the external storage device 204. If it is determined that it is stored, the CPU 201 reads the deletion restriction data 2000 and determines whether or not a restriction is defined in the variable field currently being processed. If it is determined that a restriction is defined in the variable field currently being processed, the process proceeds to S2103. On the other hand, if it is determined that the deletion restriction data 2000 is not stored, or if the deletion restriction data 2000 is stored but no restriction is defined in the variable field currently being processed, the process proceeds to S2104.

[0095] In S2103, CPU201 determines whether the number of rows calculated in S2101 satisfies the constraint conditions read in S2102. In the example above, the data for the affiliation of the first record in variable data 600, "A Business Headquarters\nAA Development Center\nAA1 Development Department\nAA1 Development Section", has 4 rows. On the other hand, in the variable field "Affiliation" of the row deletion restriction data 2000, rows "1, 2, and 3" are set as non-deletable. Therefore, it is determined that the constraint conditions are satisfied if row 4 is deleted, resulting in "A Business Headquarters\nAA Development Center\nAA1 Development Department". In other words, if it is determined that the constraint conditions are satisfied because correction is possible, the process proceeds to S2104; if it is determined that the constraint conditions are not satisfied because correction is not possible, the process proceeds to S909.

[0096] In S2104, the CPU 201 corrects the variable data by deleting rows and saves the corrected variable data as a second correction candidate to the external storage device 204.

[0097] As described above, according to this embodiment, the deletion restriction data 2000 can prevent inappropriate corrections.

[0098] The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that implements one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and by having one or more processors in the computer of that system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., an ASIC) that implements one or more functions.

[0099] This embodiment includes the following systems, methods, and programs. (Item 1) A system capable of performing variable printing, A display control means that controls the display of a screen for the user to confirm print data including variable data, Correction means for correcting the layout of the variable data included in the print data, It has, The display control means controls the display on the screen as multiple layout candidates for the variable data, based on the results of corrections performed by the correction means using multiple methods. A system characterized by the following features. (Item 2) The system according to item 1, characterized in that the correction means corrects the layout of the variable data if the display of the variable data does not fit in the field into which the variable data is inserted. (Item 3) The system according to item 2, characterized in that the correction of the layout of the variable data is a process for fitting the display of the variable data into the field. (Item 4) The system according to item 3, characterized in that the plurality of methods include modifying the variable data in order to fit the display of the variable data into the field. (Item 5) The system according to item 4, characterized in that the modification of the variable data is to delete some of the lines when the string represented by the variable data consists of multiple lines. (Item 6) The system according to item 5, characterized in that the correction means modifies the variable data based on first restriction information regarding row deletion. (Item 7) The system described in item 6, characterized in that the first restriction information represents rows that cannot be deleted. (Item 8) The system according to any one of items 4 to 7, characterized in that the plurality of methods include changing the settings of the field in order to fit the display of the variable data into the field. (Item 9) The system according to item 8, characterized in that changing the settings of the field means changing the size of the characters represented by the variable data inserted into the field. (Item 10) The system according to item 9, characterized in that the correction means changes the setting of the field based on second limitation information regarding the size of the characters. (Item 11) The system according to item 10, characterized in that the second limitation information represents the lower limit of the character size. (Item 12) The system includes a first information processing device having the display control means and the correction means, a second information processing device, and a third information processing device. The second information processing device transmits the print order information from the user to the first information processing device. The first information processing device creates the print data based on the print order information. The correction means of the first information processing device corrects the layout of the variable data included in the print data if the display of the variable data does not fit in the field into which the variable data is inserted. A system according to any one of items 1 to 11, characterized by the features described herein. (Item 13) The system according to item 12, characterized in that the first information processing device transmits a message screen indicating that the display of the variable data does not fit in the field into which the variable data is inserted to the third information processing device. (Item 14) The system according to item 13, characterized in that the third information processing device transmits a request for correction of the layout of the variable data to the first information processing device based on the receipt of the message screen. (Item 15) The system according to item 14, characterized in that the display control means of the first information processing device transmits data of the screen to the second information processing device so that the screen including the plurality of layout candidates is displayed as a proof screen on the second information processing device. (Item 16) The system according to item 15, characterized in that the second information processing device receives a selection from the user on the proof screen from the plurality of layout candidates and transmits the result of the selection to the first information processing device. (Item 17) Based on receiving the result of the selection, the first information processing device transmits print data corresponding to the result of the selection to the third information processing device. The third information processing device controls the printing device based on the print data corresponding to the selection result. The system described in item 16, characterized by the features described herein. (Item 18) The system according to any one of items 1 to 17, characterized in that the aforementioned print data is data representing business card information. (Item 19) A method performed in a system capable of performing variable printing, A display control process that controls the display of a screen for the user to confirm print data including variable data, A correction step for correcting the layout of the variable data included in the print data, It has, In the display control step, the system controls the display of the results of the corrections performed by the multiple methods in the correction step as multiple layout candidates for the variable data on the screen. A method characterized by the following: (Item 20) A program for causing a computer to function as one of the means of the systems described in any one of items 1 through 18.

[0100] The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, claims are attached to disclose the scope of the invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0101] 101 PC for printing staff: 111 Cloud server: 121 PC for business card ordering: 122 Business card ordering server: 201 CPU: 202 ROM: 203 RAM

Claims

1. A system capable of performing variable printing, A display control means that controls the display of a screen for the user to confirm print data including variable data, Correction means for correcting the layout of the variable data included in the print data, It has, The display control means controls the display on the screen as multiple layout candidates for the variable data, based on the results of corrections performed by the correction means using multiple methods. A system characterized by the following features.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the correction means corrects the layout of the variable data if the display of the variable data does not fit in the field into which the variable data is inserted.

3. The system according to claim 2, characterized in that the correction of the layout of the variable data is a process for fitting the display of the variable data into the field.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of methods include modifying the variable data in order to fit the display of the variable data into the field.

5. The system according to claim 4, characterized in that the modification of the variable data is to delete some of the lines when the string represented by the variable data consists of multiple lines.

6. The system according to claim 5, characterized in that the correction means modifies the variable data based on first restriction information regarding row deletion.

7. The system according to claim 6, characterized in that the first restriction information represents a row that cannot be deleted.

8. The system according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of methods include changing the settings of the field in order to accommodate the display of the variable data in the field.

9. The system according to claim 8, characterized in that changing the settings of the field means changing the size of the characters represented by the variable data inserted into the field.

10. The system according to claim 9, characterized in that the correction means changes the setting of the field based on second limitation information relating to the size of the characters.

11. The system according to claim 10, characterized in that the second restriction information represents the lower limit of the character size.

12. The system includes a first information processing device having the display control means and the correction means, a second information processing device, and a third information processing device. The second information processing device transmits the print order information from the user to the first information processing device. The first information processing device creates the print data based on the print order information. The correction means of the first information processing device corrects the layout of the variable data included in the print data if the display of the variable data does not fit in the field into which the variable data is inserted. The system according to feature 1.

13. The system according to claim 12, characterized in that the first information processing device transmits a message screen indicating that the display of the variable data does not fit in the field into which the variable data is inserted to the third information processing device.

14. The system according to claim 13, characterized in that the third information processing device transmits a request to the first information processing device for correction of the layout of the variable data based on the receipt of the message screen.

15. The system according to claim 14, characterized in that the display control means of the first information processing device transmits data of the screen to the second information processing device so that the screen including the plurality of layout candidates is displayed as a proof screen on the second information processing device.

16. The system according to claim 15, characterized in that the second information processing device receives a selection from the user on the proof screen from the plurality of layout candidates and transmits the result of the selection to the first information processing device.

17. Based on receiving the result of the selection, the first information processing device transmits print data corresponding to the result of the selection to the third information processing device. The third information processing device controls the printing device based on the print data corresponding to the selection result. The system described in claim 16.

18. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the aforementioned print data is data representing business card information.

19. A method performed in a system capable of performing variable printing, A display control process that controls the display of a screen for the user to confirm print data including variable data, A correction step for correcting the layout of the variable data included in the print data, It has, In the display control step, the system controls the display of the results of the corrections performed by the multiple methods in the correction step as multiple layout candidates for the variable data on the screen. A method characterized by the following:

20. A program for causing a computer to function as each means of the system according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

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