Inspection systems and programs

Abstract

This method makes the inspection easier compared to performing print-related inspections of print data without using variable data representing the contents of variable parts extracted from the print data. [Solution] The inspection system includes a processor, which extracts variable data representing the content of variable parts from print data used for printing printed materials and having variable parts whose content differs for each print unit, and uses the variable data to perform an inspection of the print data.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an inspection system and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an inspection apparatus for inspecting printed matter. In this inspection apparatus, settings regarding collation inspection data for collating data formed on the printed matter are made, and collation inspection data for a plurality of locations on the printed matter are generated according to the set contents. Then, the printed matter is inspected by comparing the data read from the printed matter to be inspected with the generated corresponding collation inspection data.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] There exists an inspection apparatus etc. that inspects print data for printing printed matter, the print data having variable parts with different contents for each printing unit. In such an inspection apparatus, there are cases where the user inputs correct data indicating the contents of the variable parts, and the print data is inspected by comparing this correct data with the print data. An object of the present invention is to perform inspection more easily compared to the case of performing inspection regarding printing of print data without using variable data representing the contents of variable parts extracted from the print data.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The invention described in claim 1 is an inspection system comprising a processor, the processor extracts variable data representing the content of a variable part from print data used for printing printed material and having a variable part whose content differs for each print unit, and uses the variable data to perform an inspection of the print data relating to printing. The invention described in claim 2 is an inspection system according to claim 1, wherein the processor reads the read data obtained by reading the printed material printed using the print data, and compares it with the variable data extracted from the print data to perform the inspection. The invention described in claim 3 is an inspection system according to claim 1 in which the processor acquires reference data that serves as the basis for the inspection, and before printing the printed material using the print data, compares the variable data extracted from the print data with the reference data to perform the inspection. The invention described in claim 4 is an inspection system according to claim 3, wherein the reference data includes information indicating the order in which the contents of the variable unit are arranged, and the processor compares the variable data with the reference data to check the order in which the contents of the variable unit are arranged in the print data. The invention described in claim 5 is the inspection system according to claim 1, wherein the processor extracts the variable data in a different manner depending on the data format of the print data. The invention described in claim 6 is an inspection system according to claim 5, wherein the processor extracts elements specified by the user from among the elements constituting the print data as variable data when the print data is structured data or text data. The invention described in claim 7 is an inspection system according to claim 6, wherein the processor accepts a user's specification of an element for one print unit in the print data, and extracts an element corresponding to the element specified by the user in another print unit as the variable data for that other print unit. The invention described in claim 8 is an inspection system according to claim 5, wherein the processor extracts, as variable data, the elements to which a drawing method specified by the user is assigned when a drawing method used when printing the print data is assigned to the elements constituting the print data. The invention described in claim 9 is a program that enables a computer to perform the following functions: extract variable data representing the content of a variable part from print data for printing a printed material, which has a variable part whose content differs for each printing unit; and perform an inspection of the print data using the variable data. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the invention described in claim 1, the inspection can be performed more easily compared to the case in which inspections related to printing of print data are performed without using variable data representing the contents of variable parts extracted from print data. According to the invention described in claim 2, the inspection of printed materials can be performed more easily compared to the case in which the inspection of printed materials is performed using data entered separately from variable data. According to the invention described in claim 3, it becomes possible to inspect the contents of the variable parts to be printed on the printed material before printing the printed material. According to the invention described in claim 4, compared to the case where no inspection using variable data is performed before printing the printed material, the occurrence of printing the printed material with the contents of the variable parts in an incorrect order is suppressed. According to the invention described in claim 5, variable data can be extracted even when the data format of the print data is different. According to the invention described in claim 6, the user can specify the elements to be extracted as variable data. According to the invention described in claim 7, even if the user does not specify elements for other print units, elements of other print units can be extracted as variable data. According to the invention described in claim 8, even if the user does not specify an element, the element to which the drawing method is assigned can be extracted as variable data. According to the invention described in claim 9, the inspection can be performed more easily compared to the case in which inspections related to printing of print data are performed without using variable data representing the contents of the variable parts extracted from the print data. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] This diagram illustrates the configuration of a printing system to which this embodiment is applied. [Figure 2] This is a functional block diagram of a server device to which this embodiment is applied. [Figure 3] This diagram illustrates an example of print data received by the print instruction reception unit. [Figure 4] This diagram illustrates an example of a printed document produced based on print data. [Figure 5] This diagram shows an example of a functional block of a printing device. [Figure 6] This diagram shows an example of a settings screen for configuring the inspection area, which is one of the UI screens displayed by the display control unit. [Figure 7] This flowchart shows the procedure for generating inspection data performed by the inspection data generation unit to which this embodiment is applied. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example of inspection data generated by the inspection data generation unit. [Figure 9] This figure shows an example of a specification screen, which is one of the UI screens displayed by the display control unit, used to specify the elements to be extracted by the inspection data generation unit. [Figure 10] This figure shows an example of a specification screen, which is one of the UI screens displayed by the display control unit, used to specify the elements to be extracted by the inspection data generation unit. [Figure 11] This figure shows an example of a specification screen, which is one of the UI screens displayed by the display control unit, used to specify the elements to be extracted by the inspection data generation unit. [Figure 12] This is a functional block diagram of a server device to which Embodiment 2 is applied. [Figure 13] It is a diagram for explaining a pre - inspection performed by a pre - inspection unit of a server device.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Embodiment 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of a printing system 100 to which the present embodiment is applied. The printing system 1 shown in the figure includes a printing device 10 that performs printing of printed matter. The printing device 10 is communicably connected to server devices 20 and 30. The printing system 100 is an example of an inspection system. The network connecting the printing device 10 and the server devices 20 and 30 uses, for example, a LAN (= Local Area Network) or the Internet. However, the network may have a composite configuration of a LAN and the Internet.

[0009] Based on the obtained printing instruction, the printing device 10 prints an image on a sheet, which is an example of a recording medium. The printing instruction here is an instruction to execute printing and may include information such as the information of the image to be printed. In the present embodiment, the printing device 10 may obtain, as a printing instruction, an instruction to perform so - called variable printing in which printed matter with different printing contents is printed for each printing unit. The printing device 10 is, for example, a so - called production printer used for business printing and has a function capable of executing high - quality and high - speed printing processing. Also, the printing device 10 has a function of inspecting the printing result for printed matter. Further, the printing device 10 may have a function capable of executing post - processing according to the printing instruction. The post - processing here includes, for example, a process of binding a bundle of sheets, a process of folding a sheet, a process of cutting a sheet, a process of bookbinding, etc. Note that the printing device 10 is not limited to a production printer and may be applied to general printers (business printers, home printers, etc.).

[0010] The printing device 10 includes a paper feeding unit 11 for feeding paper to be printed and a printing unit 12 for printing on the paper fed from the paper feeding unit 11. The printing device 10 also includes an ejection unit 13 for ejecting printed materials (printed paper) and an operation display unit 14 for the user or operator. The paper feeding unit 11 is comprised of multiple paper trays 11A, 11B, and 11C for feeding paper. Each of the paper trays 11A to 11C can feed paper of different sizes or the same size.

[0011] The printing unit 12 prints an image on paper, for example, by an electrophotographic method in which toner attached to a photosensitive material that has been exposed to electrostatic light is transferred to the paper to fix and form an image. Alternatively, the printing unit 12 may print an image on paper by an inkjet method in which ink is ejected onto the paper to form an image.

[0012] In this embodiment, the discharge device 13 is configured to include discharge trays 13A and 13B on which printed materials are sorted and discharged. Furthermore, the discharge device 13 is equipped with an inspection device 40 that performs inspections to verify the printing results of the printed materials. The inspection device 40 inspects the printed materials by comparing inspection data created from the print data by the server device 20 with scanned data of the printed materials printed based on the print data. Then, the discharge device 13 discharges the printed materials from either the discharge tray 13A or 13B according to the inspection results from the inspection device 40.

[0013] The operation display unit 14 includes a display unit that displays various images for operation and various information to notify the user. The operation display unit 14 also includes an input unit where various buttons are arranged to be used for input according to the operation images on the display unit. The operation display unit 14 may, for example, be configured as a touch panel, and the touch panel may have the functions of both the display unit and the input unit.

[0014] Furthermore, the printing apparatus 10 according to this embodiment is equipped with a scanning function that optically reads image data from original documents and printed materials, in addition to the function of printing images onto paper. The functions described for the printing device 10 are merely examples and do not preclude the inclusion of other functions.

[0015] Server devices 20 and 30 may be a single physical computer, or they may be implemented as distributed processing using multiple computers. In this embodiment, server devices 20 and 30 are configured as shared servers providing so-called cloud services, but they may also be on-premises servers. When server device 20 receives a print command from, for example, server device 30, it uses the print data included in the print command to generate image data representing the image to be printed on the paper. Then, server device 20 outputs the generated image data to the printer device 10. Furthermore, the server device 20 creates inspection data from the print data for use in inspection by the inspection device 40. Then, the server device 20 transfers the inspection data to the print device 10.

[0016] Figure 2 is a functional block diagram of the server device 20 to which this embodiment is applied. As shown in the figure, the server device 20 includes a print instruction receiving unit 21, an image processing unit 22, an inspection area setting unit 23, and an inspection data generation unit 24. Furthermore, the server device 20 includes an output unit 25 and a display control unit 26.

[0017] The print instruction receiving unit 21 receives print instructions sent from the user and manages the received print instructions. The print instructions received by the print instruction receiving unit 21 include print data for printing the printed material. Figure 3 illustrates an example of print data 50 received by the print instruction receiving unit 21. Figure 4 illustrates an example of a printed document 60 that is printed based on print data 50. Figures 3 and 4 show the print data 50 and printed materials 60 when the print instruction received by the print instruction receiving unit 21 (see Figure 2) relates to variable data printing. More specifically, they show the print data 50 and printed materials 60 when printing addresses for direct mail to be sent to customers as variable data printing. Figure 4 also shows the first and second pages of the three-page printed material 60 printed based on the print data 50.

[0018] As described above, variable data printing prints materials with different content for each print unit. A print unit is the processing unit of print data when a series of variable data printing operations are performed. For example, when printing materials with different content for each customer using variable data printing, a print unit corresponds to the print data for one customer. The printed material for each print unit may be one page or may span multiple pages. In this embodiment, we will explain using the case where the printed material for each print unit is one page as an example.

[0019] As shown in Figure 3, the print data 50 includes a fixed section 51 and a variable section 52. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, the printed material 60 on which the print data 50 is printed has an image 60A formed, which includes a fixed image 61 and a variable image 62. The fixed image 61 is the fixed portion 51 of the print data 50 that has been printed. The variable image 62 is inserted into a predetermined area of ​​the fixed image 61 and has the contents of the variable portion 52 printed on it.

[0020] The formatting section 51 is data relating to an image that is printed equally in the printed material regardless of the printing unit. In this embodiment, a formatted image 61 is printed on the printed material 60 based on the formatting section 51 of the print data 50. The fixed section 51 is not particularly limited, but examples include image data that includes an image that serves as the background for the variable image 62 printed based on the variable section 52, or images of decorations printed around the variable image 62.

[0021] The variable section 52 is data relating to an image that is printed with different content for each print unit in the printed material. In this embodiment, a variable image 62 is printed on the printed material 60 based on the variable section 52 of the print data 50. In addition, the elements constituting each item of the variable section 52 are inserted into the fixed image 61 for each print unit and printed on the printed material 60 as the variable image 62. The variable section 52 includes data for all print units included in the print instruction.

[0022] In this example, the variable section 52 is composed of data in XML (Extensible Markup Language) format. Specifically, in the variable section 52, each item and the elements that make up each item are associated using XML (Extensible Markup Language) format. In the variable part 52 shown in Figure 3, the tag <customer> and< / customer> The area enclosed by the symbols represents the data for one customer. In this example, the variable unit 52 contains data for three customers. In Figure 3, the data for each customer in the variable unit 52 is indicated by reference numerals 52A, 52B, and 52C. As described above, in this embodiment, one customer, which is an example of a printing unit, corresponds to one page of the printed material 60. Therefore, in this example, the variable image 62 for the first page of the printed material 60 is printed based on the data 52A of the variable unit 52. Similarly, the variable image 62 for the second page of the printed material 60 is printed based on the data 52B of the variable unit 52, and the variable image 62 for the third page of the printed material 60 is printed based on the data 52C of the variable unit 52.

[0023] The variable unit 52 includes items for identifying elements contained in each print unit, such as customer number (ID), name, postal code, address, and postal code. The postal code is a code used to classify the delivery destination of mail, and consists of a string of characters combining the postal code and the address display number. In the variable part 52 shown in Figure 3, the tag <id> and< / id> The area enclosed by and is the element corresponding to the customer number. Also, tags <name> and< / name> The area enclosed by and represents the element corresponding to the name. Also, tags <zip> and< / zip> The area enclosed by and is the element corresponding to the postal code. Also, tags<address> and< / address> The area enclosed by and is the element corresponding to the address. Also, tags <postalcode> and< / postalcode> The area enclosed by and represents the elements corresponding to the postal code.

[0024] The variable image 62 printed based on the variable unit 52 includes an image 62A representing the postal code, an image 62B representing the name, and an image 62C representing the address. The variable image 62 also includes a barcode image 62D in which the customer number is barcoded, and a barcode image 62E in which the postal code is barcoded.

[0025] The data format of the variable section 52 is not particularly limited. For example, the variable section 52 can be structured data in a data format such as XML, PDF (Portable Document Format), or CSV (Comma Separated Values). Structured data is data in which the items of the variable section 52 are associated with the elements that make up each item. Furthermore, the variable part 52 may be text data in which the elements constituting each item are represented by strings.

[0026] Furthermore, when printing the variable image 62 of the printed material 60 by drawing the elements constituting each item of the variable section 52 in a predetermined manner, the variable section 52 may be data in which the items of the variable section 52 and the drawing method assigned to each item are associated. As an example of such data, the variable section 52 may be data in PDF / VT (Variable and Transactional) format. Also, as a drawing method assigned to each item, an example can be the font used when printing the elements of each item of the variable section 52. Examples of such fonts include barcode fonts that convert strings into barcodes for drawing.

[0027] Furthermore, the print data 50 includes layout information (not shown) relating to the arrangement of the variable image 62 in the image 60A to be printed on the printed material 60. The layout information includes positional information of the variable image 62 in image 60A. Positional information includes the coordinates and range (width, height) of the variable image 62 in image 60A. The layout information also includes drawing information relating to the manner in which the elements constituting each item of the variable part 52 are drawn in the variable image 62. Drawing information includes information such as the font type, font size, and number of characters, which is an example of a drawing method for drawing the elements of the variable part 52. Layout information may be included in the fixed section 51, in the variable section 52, or in the print data 50 separately from the fixed section 51 and the variable section 52. In this example, the formatting section 51 includes position information for the variable image 62 in image 60A. More specifically, the formatting section 51 includes position information 51A, 51B, 51C, 51D, and 51E indicating the positions in image 60A where the variable images 62A, 62B, 62C, 62D, and 62E are inserted.

[0028] Returning to Figure 2, the image processing unit 22 generates printable image data representing the images 60A to be printed on each page of the printed material 60, based on the print data 50 received by the print instruction receiving unit 21. The image processing unit 22, based on the print data 50, places the elements constituting each item of the variable section 52 onto the fixed section 51, and then performs rasterization. As a result, the image processing unit 22 generates printable image data, which is a rasterized image of image 60A including the fixed image 61 and the variable image 62.

[0029] The inspection area setting unit 23 sets the inspection area, which is the area in which the inspection device 40 inspects the printed material 60, into the print image data and generates inspection area information. The inspection area information includes positional information of the inspection area in the print image data. Furthermore, the inspection area setting unit 23 may generate inspection area information by associating supplementary information related to inspection with each inspection area set in the print image data. Supplementary information related to inspection may include the type of inspection performed in each inspection area, the accuracy of the inspection, and the name representing each inspection area. The process by which the inspection area setting unit 23 sets the inspection area and generates inspection area information will be explained in detail later.

[0030] The inspection data generation unit 24 generates inspection data to be used for inspection by the inspection device 40, based on the print data 50 received by the print instruction reception unit 21 and the inspection area information generated by the inspection area setting unit 23. The inspection data generation unit 24 extracts elements from the print data 50 that constitute the items in the variable section 52 for which an inspection area has been set, based on the inspection area information, and generates inspection data. The inspection data is an example of variable data that represents the contents of the variable section 52. For example, the inspection data can be CSV format data in which the extracted elements are separated by item. However, the inspection data is not limited to CSV format data. The process by which the inspection data generation unit 24 generates inspection data, and the generated inspection data, will be explained in detail later.

[0031] The output unit 25 outputs the printable image data generated by the image processing unit 22 to the printing device 10. The output unit 25 also outputs the inspection area information generated by the inspection area setting unit 23 to the inspection device 40. The output unit 25 also outputs the inspection data generated by the inspection data generation unit 24 to the inspection device 40.

[0032] The display control unit 26 controls the display of the UI screen in the operation display unit 14. As will be described in detail later, the display control unit 26 displays a settings screen as the UI screen for the user to set the inspection area to be inspected by the inspection device 40. The display control unit 26 also displays a selection screen as the UI screen for the user to select elements to be extracted as inspection data to be used for inspection by the inspection device 40 for the set inspection area.

[0033] Here, each function of the server device 20 is implemented by a CPU 20A, which is an example of a processor. The CPU 20A reads a program stored in ROM (Read Only Memory) 20B and executes the program using RAM (Random Access Memory) 20C as the working area. The program executed by the CPU 20A can be provided to the server device 20 while stored in a computer-readable recording medium such as a magnetic recording medium (magnetic tape, magnetic disk, etc.), an optical recording medium (optical disk, etc.), a magneto-optical recording medium, or semiconductor memory. Alternatively, the program executed by the CPU 20A may be downloaded to the server device 20 using a communication means such as the internet.

[0034] Furthermore, in this embodiment, each function of the server device 20 is implemented by software, but this is not limited to this, and may also be implemented by an ASIC (Application Specific IC).

[0035] Figure 5 shows an example of the functional blocks of the printing device 10. As shown in the figure, the printing device 10 includes an image data receiving unit 15, a printing control unit 16, a printed document scanning control unit 17, a scanned data transmission unit 18, and a paper ejection control unit 19. Furthermore, an inspection device 40 provided in the ejection device 13 (see Figure 1) of the printing device 10 performs inspection on the printed material printed according to the print instruction. The inspection device 40 includes an inspection data acquisition unit 41, a scan data acquisition unit 42, an inspection unit 43, and an inspection result transmission unit 44.

[0036] The image data receiving unit 15 receives print-ready image data generated by the image processing unit 22 of the server device 20. The print control unit 16 controls the printing unit 12 (see Figure 1). More specifically, the print control unit 16 controls the printing unit 12, which prints the printed material using the print image data received by the image data receiving unit 15.

[0037] The print scanning control unit 17 controls the scanning function that optically reads the image of the printed material as it is being transported from the printing unit 12 to the inspection device 40. The scan data transmission unit 18 transmits the scan data acquired by the scanning function to the inspection device 40.

[0038] The paper output control unit 19 sorts and discharges the printed materials into either the output tray 13A or the output tray 13B, depending on the results of the inspection by the inspection device 40. Specifically, the paper output control unit 19 discharges printed materials that have passed the inspection by the inspection device 40 from the output tray 13A, while discharges printed materials that have not passed the inspection by the inspection device 40 from the output tray 13B. The printing system 100 may also display the inspection results from the inspection device 40 on the operation display unit 14 (see Figure 1).

[0039] The inspection data acquisition unit 41 of the inspection device 40 acquires inspection area information and inspection data output from the output unit 25 (see Figure 2) of the server device 20. The inspection area information is generated by the inspection area setting unit 23 (see Figure 2) of the server device 20. The inspection data is generated by the inspection data generation unit 24 (see Figure 2) of the server device 20.

[0040] The scan data acquisition unit 42 acquires scan data transmitted from the scan data transmission unit 18 of the printing device 10. The scan data is data obtained by scanning a printed document 60 on which printable image data has been printed.

[0041] The inspection unit 43 uses the acquired inspection area information, inspection data, and scan data obtained by scanning the printed material 60 to inspect the printed material 60. In this embodiment, the inspection of the printed material 60 performed by the inspection unit 43 is an example of an inspection related to the printing of the print data 50. In this embodiment, the inspection unit 43 performs a comparison inspection of the printed material 60 to verify whether the content printed as a variable image 62 of the printed material 60 matches the content of the variable part 52 of the print data 50. In addition, the inspection unit 43 performs the comparison inspection of the printed material 60 by comparing the scanned data of the printed material 60 with inspection data. The type of inspection performed by the inspection unit 43 is not limited to a comparison inspection, as long as it is an inspection performed by comparing scanned data with inspection data. The inspections conducted by the inspection department 43 will be explained in detail later.

[0042] The inspection result transmission unit 44 transmits either inspection pass or inspection fail information to the printing device 10 as information indicating the inspection result by the inspection unit 43. As described above, the paper discharge control unit 19 of the printing device 10 distributes the inspected printed materials 60 to either the discharge tray 13A or the discharge tray 13B based on the information indicating the inspection result. Furthermore, the inspection result transmission unit 44 transmits the inspection results and information to identify the items of the inspected printed material 60 to the printing device 10. This allows the inspection results of the printed material 60 to be displayed on the operation display unit 14 (see Figure 1). Alternatively, the inspection result transmission unit 44 may transmit the inspection results to the server device 30 (see Figure 1) to notify users located away from the printing device 10 of the inspection results.

[0043] The functions of the printing device 10 and inspection device 40 described above are realized by a CPU, which is an example of a processor. The CPU reads a program stored in ROM and executes the program using RAM as the work area. The program executed by the CPU can be provided to the printing device 10 and inspection device 40 while stored in a computer-readable recording medium such as a magnetic recording medium, optical recording medium, magneto-optical recording medium, or semiconductor memory. Alternatively, the program executed by the CPU may be downloaded to the printing device 10 and inspection device 40 using a communication means such as the internet.

[0044] In this embodiment of the printing system 100, the server device 20 is connected upstream of the printing device 10, but this is not the only configuration. The printing system 100 may also include the functions of the server device 20 (see Figure 2) provided by the printing device 10.

[0045] Next, the process by which the inspection area setting unit 23 sets the inspection area and generates inspection area information will be described. As described above, the inspection area setting unit 23 in this embodiment sets the inspection area based on the user's operation on the UI screen displayed on the operation display unit 14 by the display control unit 26. Figure 6 shows an example of a setting screen 70, which is one of the UI screens displayed by the display control unit 26 and is used to set the inspection area.

[0046] The settings screen 70 includes an image display unit 71 that displays an image 60A (see Figure 4) to be printed on the printed document 60 (see Figure 4), based on the print image data generated by the image processing unit 22 (see Figure 2). In this example, if the print image data spans multiple pages, the image display unit 71 will display one image 60A based on the print image data for each page. In other words, if the variable section 52 (see Figure 3) of the print data 50 (see Figure 3) contains data for multiple customers, the image display unit 71 will display an image 60A based on the print image data generated based on the data for one customer in the variable section 52.

[0047] The inspection area setting unit 23 sets the inspection area in response to user operations on the image 60A displayed on the image display unit 71. In Figure 6, the range selected by user operations on the image 60A, i.e., the range set as the inspection area, is indicated by hatching. The user selects the portion of the image 60A displayed on the image display unit 71 that the inspection device 40 will inspect. In the example shown in Figure 6, barcode images 62D and 62E are selected as the portions to be inspected by the inspection device 40. The inspection area setting unit 23 sets the areas where the barcode images 62D and 62E selected by the user are formed as inspection areas. Hereinafter, the inspection area set in the area where barcode image 62D is formed will be referred to as the first inspection area 91. Similarly, the inspection area set in the area where barcode image 62E is formed will be referred to as the second inspection area 92.

[0048] The inspection area setting unit 23 then acquires positional information for the first inspection area 91 and the second inspection area 92. The positional information for the first inspection area 91 and the second inspection area 92 can be exemplified by the coordinates, width, and length of the first inspection area 91 and the second inspection area 92 in the printed material on which the image 60A is printed.

[0049] The settings screen 70 includes an inspection area display unit 72 that displays information about the inspection area. In this example, the inspection area display unit 72 displays the coordinates, width, and length of the first inspection area 91 and the second inspection area 92.

[0050] In addition, the inspection area display unit 72 displays supplementary information related to the inspection, specifically information about the type of inspection to be performed in the inspection area. In this example, the inspection area display unit 72 displays "Verification Inspection" as the type of inspection to be performed in the first inspection area 91 and the second inspection area 92. In addition, the inspection area display unit 72 displays the name of the inspection area as supplementary information related to the inspection. In this example, the inspection area display unit 72 displays "Customer Number" as the name of the first inspection area 91 set in the barcode image 62D. The inspection area display unit 72 also displays "Postal Barcode" as the name of the second inspection area 92 set in the barcode image 62E.

[0051] The settings screen 70 may be configured to allow the user to specify or change supplementary information related to the inspection in response to user operations on the inspection area display unit 72. In this case, the inspection area setting unit 23 acquires supplementary information set for each inspection area in response to operations on the inspection area display unit 72. In this example, the inspection area setting unit 23 acquires information regarding the type of inspection to be performed on each inspection area and the name representing each inspection area as supplementary information. The inspection area setting unit 23 then associates the positional information of each inspection area with the associated information of each inspection area to generate inspection area information.

[0052] Next, we will explain the process by which the inspection data generation unit 24 generates inspection data. Figure 7 is a flowchart showing the procedure for generating inspection data performed by the inspection data generation unit 24 to which this embodiment is applied. Figure 8 shows an example of inspection data generated by the inspection data generation unit 24. In this embodiment, the inspection data generation unit 24 extracts elements from the print data 50 that constitute the items in the variable section 52 for which an inspection area has been set, and generates inspection data.

[0053] First, the inspection data generation unit 24 acquires the print data 50 received by the print instruction reception unit 21 and the inspection area information generated by the inspection area setting unit 23 (step 101). In this example, as described above, the variable section 52 of the print data 50 includes customer number, name, postal code, address, and postal code as items that identify the data contained in each print unit. Furthermore, in the inspection area information, a first inspection area 91 is set in the area of ​​image 60A where a barcode image 62D corresponding to the customer number, which is one of the items of the variable part 52, is formed. Also, in the inspection area information, a second inspection area 92 is set in the area of ​​image 60A where a barcode image 62E corresponding to the postal code, which is one of the items of the variable part 52, is formed. The name assigned to the first inspection area 91 is "customer number", and the name assigned to the second inspection area 92 is "postal barcode".

[0054] Next, the inspection data generation unit 24 sets the page number n of the inspection data to 1 (n=1) (step 102). Next, the inspection data generation unit 24 obtains data for the variable section 52 corresponding to page number n from the print data 50 acquired in step 101 (step 103). In this example, the inspection data generation unit 24 obtains data 52A for the first page from the variable section 52 of the print data 50.

[0055] Next, the inspection data generation unit 24 extracts elements belonging to the items for which the inspection area is set from the data of the variable unit 52 acquired in step 103, based on the inspection area information acquired in step 101 (step 104). In this example, the inspection data generation unit 24 extracts the customer number element, which is an item in the first inspection area 91, from the data 52A on the first page of the variable unit 52. In addition, the inspection data generation unit 24 uses the tag in data 52A as an element of the customer number, which is an item in the first inspection area 91. <id> and< / id> Extract the string "22387" enclosed in < and .

[0056] In step 104, the inspection data generation unit 24 extracts elements belonging to the items for which the inspection area is set, using different methods depending on the data format of the variable section 52 of the print data 50. Furthermore, the inspection data generation unit 24 determines the elements to be extracted using different methods depending on the data format of the variable section 52. The process by which the inspection data generation unit 24 determines the elements to be extracted according to the data format of the variable section 52 will be explained in detail later.

[0057] Next, the inspection data generation unit 24 determines whether or not element extraction has been completed for all inspection areas set by the inspection area setting unit 23 (step 105). If element extraction is not complete for all inspection areas (NO in step 105), the inspection data generation unit 24 returns to step 104 and continues processing. In this example, the inspection data generation unit 24 extracts the elements of the postal code, which are items of the second inspection area 92, from the data 52A on the first page of the variable unit 52. In addition, the inspection data generation unit 24 uses tags in the variable unit 52 as elements of the postal code, which are items of the second inspection area 92. <postalcode> and< / postalcode> Extract the string "1070052 9-7-3" enclosed in < and .

[0058] On the other hand, if element extraction is completed for all inspection areas (YES in step 105), the inspection data generation unit 24 determines whether or not element extraction for items for which inspection areas have been set has been completed for all pages included in the variable unit 52 (step 106).

[0059] If element extraction is not complete for all pages (NO in step 106), the inspection data generation unit 24 updates the page number n to n+1 (n=n+1) (step 107). Then, the inspection data generation unit 24 returns to step 103 and continues processing. In this example, the inspection data generation unit 24 extracts the string "25873" from data 52B on the second page of variable unit 52 as an element of the customer number, which is an item in the first inspection area 91, similar to data 52A. The inspection data generation unit 24 also extracts the string "2208668 6-1" from data 52B of variable unit 52 as an element of the postal code, which is an item in the second inspection area 92. Furthermore, the inspection data generation unit 24 extracts the string "32550" from the data 52C on the third page of the variable unit 52 as an element of the customer number, which is an item in the first inspection area 91. In addition, the inspection data generation unit 24 extracts the string "2430494 2274" from the data 52C of the variable unit 52 as an element of the postal code, which is an item in the second inspection area 92.

[0060] If element extraction is complete for all pages (YES in step 106), the inspection data generation unit 24 generates inspection data based on the elements extracted in step 104 and outputs it to the inspection device 40 via the output unit 25 (step 108). With the above steps completed, the inspection data generation unit 24 terminates the series of processes.

[0061] As shown in Figure 8, the inspection data generated by the inspection data generation unit 24 of this embodiment includes elements extracted for items in which inspection areas have been set, a page number, and a name representing each inspection area. To add to this, the inspection data shown in Figure 8 includes the names of the first inspection area 91, "Customer Number," and the second inspection area 92, "Postal Barcode," as the names of each inspection area. The elements extracted from the first inspection area 91, "22387," "25873," and "32550," are arranged in the Customer Number column to correspond to the page numbers. Similarly, the elements extracted from the second inspection area 92, "1070052 9-7-3," "2208668 6-1," and "2430494 2274," are arranged in the Postal Barcode column to correspond to the page numbers.

[0062] As described above, the inspection data generation unit 24 determines the elements to be extracted in step 104 in different ways depending on the data format of the variable unit 52. The inspection data generation unit 24 determines the elements to be extracted in step 104 based on user specifications via the UI screen displayed on the operation display unit 14 (see Figure 1) by the display control unit 26 (see Figure 2). The method by which the inspection data generation unit 24 determines the elements to be extracted will be described below for each data format of the variable unit 52 (see Figure 3). First, we will explain the case where the variable part 52 is structured data such as XML format, PDF format, or CSV format. Figure 9 shows an example of a specification screen 81, which is one of the UI screens displayed by the display control unit 26, for specifying elements to be extracted by the inspection data generation unit 24. Figure 9 shows a specification screen 81 for specifying elements to be extracted for the second inspection area 92.

[0063] The designated screen 81 includes an item display unit 811 that displays the items to which the elements extracted by the inspection data generation unit 24 belong. Furthermore, on the designated screen 81, when the user operates the selection button 812, a selection unit 813 is displayed for selecting elements to be extracted by the inspection data generation unit 24. In the selection section 813, the items of the variable section 52 of the print data 50 and the elements that make up each item are displayed in a table format. Specifically, in the first row of the table in the selection section 813, the items of the variable section 52 are displayed as Customer Number (ID), Name, Zip Code, Address, and Postal Code. Then, in the second to fourth rows of each column of the table in the selection section 813, the elements belonging to each item are displayed in order of page number.

[0064] The user specifies the elements to be extracted for the second inspection area 92 by selecting a column from the table displayed in the selection unit 813. In this example, the user selects the Postal Code column and specifies the elements "1070052 9-7-3", "2208668 6-1", and "2430494 2274" belonging to the Postal Code as the elements to be extracted for the second inspection area 92.

[0065] The inspection data generation unit 24 determines the elements "1070052 9-7-3", "2208668 6-1", and "2430494 2274", which belong to the postal code specified by the user through an operation on the selection unit 813, as elements to be extracted for the second inspection area 92. In this case, the inspection data generation unit 24 extracts the strings "1070052 9-7-3", "2208668 6-1", and "2430494 2274" as elements of the postal code, which is an item in the second inspection area 92, in step 104 described above.

[0066] Next, we will explain the case where the variable part 52 is text data. Figure 10 shows an example of a specification screen 82, which is one of the UI screens displayed by the display control unit 26, and is used to specify elements to be extracted by the inspection data generation unit 24. Figure 10 shows a specification screen 82 for specifying elements to be extracted for the second inspection area 92.

[0067] The designated screen 82 includes a text display unit 821 that indicates the position of the element specified by the user in the variable part 52. Furthermore, on the designated screen 82, when the user operates the selection button 822, a selection unit 823 is displayed for selecting elements to be extracted by the inspection data generation unit 24. In the selection section 823, the elements corresponding to the data 52A on the first page of the variable section 52 are displayed in text format. The user specifies the elements to be extracted for the second inspection area 92 by selecting a string from the text displayed in the selection area 823. In this example, the user specifies the string "1070052 9-7-3" on the 5th line as the elements to be extracted for the second inspection area 92.

[0068] When the inspection data generation unit 24 receives a user specification of elements for one page of data, which is an example of a single printing unit in the variable unit 52, it determines that the specified elements will be extracted by the inspection data generation unit 24 for all pages. The inspection data generation unit 24 determines the string "1070052 9-7-3" specified by the user through an operation on the selection unit 823 as an element to be extracted for the second inspection area 92. Furthermore, the inspection data generation unit 24 also determines elements from other pages of the postal code, which is the item to which the string "1070052 9-7-3" belongs, as elements to be extracted for the second inspection area 92. In this example, the inspection data generation unit 24 determines the strings "2208668 6-1" and "2430494 2274", which belong to the postal code in data 52B and 52C, as elements to be extracted for the second inspection area 92. In this case, the inspection data generation unit 24 extracts the strings "1070052 9-7-3", "2208668 6-1", and "2430494 2274" as elements of the postal code, which is an item in the second inspection area 92, in step 104 described above.

[0069] Next, we will explain the case where the variable unit 52 is data in which the items of the variable unit 52 and the drawing method assigned to each item are associated. Figure 11 shows an example of a specification screen 83, which is one of the UI screens displayed by the display control unit 26, and is used to specify elements to be extracted by the inspection data generation unit 24. Figure 11 shows a specification screen 83 for specifying elements to be extracted for the second inspection area 92.

[0070] The designated screen 83 includes a font display unit 831 which displays the name of the font, which is an example of a drawing method for drawing the items of the variable unit 52. On the selection screen 83, operating the tab on the font display unit 831 displays the font selection unit 833, which allows the user to select a font from a list to draw the items of the variable unit 52.

[0071] The user selects a font from the list of fonts displayed in the font selection unit 833 to draw each item in the variable unit 52. In this example, the user has selected "JP-Postal-Bacode," one of the fonts that draws postal codes as barcodes, as the font to draw the items in the second inspection area 92.

[0072] The inspection data generation unit 24 assigns a drawing method to each element constituting each item of the variable unit 52. When a drawing method is specified by the user, the unit determines the elements belonging to the item to which this drawing method is assigned as elements to be extracted. In addition, when a predetermined drawing method is specified by the user, the inspection data generation unit 24 determines the elements belonging to the item to which this drawing method is assigned as elements to be extracted. An example of a predetermined drawing method is a font that requires inspection by the inspection device 40 on the image produced by converting a string.

[0073] In this example, the inspection data generation unit 24 determines that the elements "1070052 9-7-3", "2208668 6-1", and "2430494 2274", which belong to the postal code for which "JP-Postal-Bacode" is selected as the font, will be extracted for the second inspection area 92. In this case, the inspection data generation unit 24 extracts the strings "1070052 9-7-3", "2208668 6-1", and "2430494 2274" as elements of the postal code, which is an item in the second inspection area 92, in step 104 described above.

[0074] Next, the inspection performed by the inspection device 40 of this embodiment will be described. The inspection device 40 uses the inspection data generated by the inspection data generation unit 24 of the server device 20 to inspect the printed material 60. In addition, the inspection device 40 uses the inspection data as correct answer data indicating the contents of the variable part 52 of the print data 50 to inspect the printed material 60 printed based on the print data 50.

[0075] Specifically, the inspection device 40 has an inspection data acquisition unit 41 that acquires inspection area information and inspection data from the server device 20. Additionally, a scan data acquisition unit 42 acquires scan data obtained by scanning the printed material 60. Furthermore, the scan data acquisition unit 42 acquires scan data obtained by scanning the image 60A printed on the printed material 60. In this example, since the print data 50 contains data for 3 pages and 3 pages of printed material 60 are printed, the scan data acquisition unit 42 acquires scan data for 3 pages. The scan data is an example of read data obtained by reading the printed material 60.

[0076] The inspection unit 43 decodes the image 60A of the scanned data for each page that is set as an inspection area, based on the inspection area information. In this example, the inspection unit 43 decodes the barcode image 62D set in the first inspection area 91 of the scanned data image 60A for each page and obtains the string corresponding to the barcode image 62D. Similarly, the inspection unit 43 decodes the barcode image 62E set in the second inspection area 92 of the scanned data image 60A for each page and obtains the string corresponding to the barcode image 62E.

[0077] Then, the inspection unit 43 compares the string obtained by decoding the scan data with the elements extracted from the variable unit 52 in the inspection data for each inspection area, and performs an inspection of the image set in the inspection area. Specifically, the inspection unit 43 compares the decoded string from the barcode image 62D with the string extracted as the customer number element, which is an item in the first inspection area 91 of the inspection data. In this way, the inspection unit 43 inspects the barcode image 62D of the printed material 60. Similarly, the inspection unit 43 compares the decoded string from the barcode image 62E with the string extracted from the inspection data as an element of the postal code, which is an item in the second inspection area 92. This allows the inspection unit 43 to inspect the barcode image 62E of the printed material 60.

[0078] For example, if the string obtained by decoding the scanned data matches an element extracted from the variable unit 52 in the inspection data, the inspection unit 43 determines that the printed document 60 corresponding to the scanned data has passed inspection. Conversely, if the string obtained by decoding the scanned data does not match an element extracted from the variable unit 52 in the inspection data, the inspection unit 43 determines that the printed document 60 corresponding to the scanned data has failed inspection.

[0079] Incidentally, when inspecting a printed document 60 that has been printed based on print data 50 having a variable section 52, the user may input correct data that indicates the elements constituting each item of the variable section 52, in addition to the print data 50. In this case, the printed document 60 is inspected by comparing the strings obtained by decoding the scanned data with the correct data input by the user. In this configuration, for example, if the order in which elements are arranged in the correct data entered by the user differs from the order in the variable section 52 of the print data 50, it may not be possible to accurately inspect the printed material 60. Furthermore, even if the printed material 60 is printed correctly based on the print data 50, the string obtained by decoding the scanned data of the printed material 60 may not match the elements of the correct data, resulting in a failure to pass inspection. In this case, discarding the printed material 60 that has been determined to fail inspection may result in the waste of paper and other materials used to print the printed material 60.

[0080] In contrast, in this embodiment, the inspection data generated by extracting the elements constituting each item of the variable section 52 from the print data 50 is used as the correct answer data. As a result, the order in which the elements are arranged in the inspection data, which is the correct answer data, is the same as the order in the variable section 52 of the print data 50. Consequently, the printing system 1 can inspect the printed material 60 more accurately compared to when the inspection of the printed material 60 is performed using correct answer data entered by the user separately from the print data 50.

[0081] [Embodiment 2] Next, Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described. Note that the same reference numerals are used for components similar to those in Embodiment 1, and detailed explanations are omitted here. In the printing system 1 of Embodiment 1, the inspection device 40 uses the inspection data generated by the inspection data generation unit 24 as correct answer data to inspect the printed material 60 printed based on the print data 50. In contrast, in the printing system 1 of Embodiment 2, the server device 20 acquires reference data that serves as the basis for inspecting the printed material 60 using the print data 50. Then, before the printing of the printed material 60 by the printing device 10, the server device 20 performs a pre-inspection by comparing the inspection data generated by the inspection data generation unit 24 with the reference data.

[0082] Figure 12 is a functional block diagram of a server device 20 to which Embodiment 2 is applied. Figure 13 illustrates the pre-inspection performed by the pre-inspection unit 28 of the server device 20. Figure 13 shows the variable portion 52 of the print data 50 and the reference data 90 acquired by the reference data acquisition unit 27 and used for inspection by the pre-inspection unit 28.

[0083] As shown in Figure 12, the server device 20 includes a print instruction receiving unit 21, an image processing unit 22, an inspection area setting unit 23, and an inspection data generation unit 24. The server device 20 also includes an output unit 25 and a display control unit 26. Furthermore, the server device 20 includes a reference data acquisition unit 27 and a pre-inspection unit 28.

[0084] The reference data acquisition unit 27 acquires reference data 90 sent from the user. The reference data 90 is data created by the user or the like, separately from the print data 50, and is data that indicates the elements that constitute each item in the variable section 52 of the print data 50 for which an inspection area has been set. For example, the reference data 90 can be data in CSV format or XML format. In this example, the reference data 90 associates the elements constituting each item for which an inspection area is set with the name of the inspection area. More specifically, as shown in Figure 13, the reference data 90 associates the customer number element, which is the item for which the first inspection area 91 is set, with the name of the first inspection area 91, "customer number". Similarly, the reference data 90 associates the postal code element, which is the item for which the second inspection area 92 is set, with the name of the second inspection area 92, "postal barcode". In the standard data 90, the elements of the customer number, which is the item for which the first inspection area 91 is set, are arranged in accordance with the page number. Similarly, in the standard data 90, the elements of the postal code, which is the item for which the second inspection area 92 is set, are arranged in accordance with the page number. In addition, the standard data 90 includes information indicating the order in which the elements constituting each item for which an inspection area is set in the variable section 52 are arranged.

[0085] The pre-inspection unit 28 performs a pre-inspection by comparing the inspection data generated by the inspection data generation unit 24, which extracts elements constituting items with set inspection areas from the variable parts 52 of the print data 50, with the reference data 90. In addition, the pre-inspection unit 28 performs a pre-inspection by comparing the inspection data with the reference data 90 before the printing device 10 prints the printed material 60 based on the print data 50. In this embodiment, the pre-inspection performed by the pre-inspection unit 28 is an example of an inspection related to the printing of the print data 50.

[0086] Here, the extraction of elements constituting the items for which the inspection area has been set by the inspection data generation unit 24, and the generation of inspection data are performed in the same manner as in Embodiment 1. In other words, the inspection data generation unit 24 extracts elements belonging to the items set in the first inspection area 91 and the second inspection area 92 of the variable unit 52. Specifically, the inspection data generation unit 24 extracts the strings "22387", "25873", and "32550", which are elements of the customer number (ID), an item set in the first inspection area 91 of the variable unit 52. In addition, the inspection data generation unit 24 extracts the strings "1070052 9-7-3", "2208668 6-1", and "2430494 2274", which are elements of the postal code, an item set in the second inspection area 92 of the variable unit 52.

[0087] As shown in Figure 13, the pre-inspection unit 28 compares the elements extracted from the variable unit 52 as inspection data for each page of the variable unit 52 with the elements of the reference data 90. Specifically, the pre-inspection unit 28 compares the elements extracted from the data 52A on the first page of the variable unit 52 with the elements on the first page of the reference data 90. Similarly, the pre-inspection unit 28 compares the elements extracted from the data 52B on the second page of the variable unit 52 with the elements on the second page of the reference data 90. Furthermore, the pre-inspection unit 28 compares the elements extracted from the data 52C on the third page of the variable unit 52 with the elements on the third page of the reference data 90.

[0088] The pre-inspection unit 28 determines that the inspection is successful if the elements extracted from the variable unit 52 as inspection data match the elements of the reference data 90. Conversely, the pre-inspection unit 28 determines that the inspection is unsuccessful if the elements extracted from the variable unit 52 as inspection data do not match the elements of the reference data 90.

[0089] The pre-inspection unit 28 can make a pass or fail judgment for all pages included in the variable unit 52 at once. In this case, the pre-inspection unit 28 determines that the inspection is passed if all the elements extracted from the variable unit 52 as inspection data match all the elements in the standard data 90. In other words, the pre-inspection unit 28 determines that the inspection is passed if the order in which the elements of the items for which each inspection area is set in the variable unit 52 matches the order in which the elements are set in the standard data 90.

[0090] Furthermore, the pre-inspection unit 28 may make a pass or fail judgment for each page contained in the variable unit 52. In other words, the pre-inspection unit 28 determines that a page passes if the elements extracted from the variable unit 52 as inspection data match the elements of the standard data 90. On the other hand, the pre-inspection unit 28 determines that a page fails the inspection if the elements extracted from the variable unit 52 as inspection data do not match the elements of the standard data 90.

[0091] In the printing system 1 of Embodiment 2, the pre-inspection unit 28 performs an inspection using reference data 90, and if it is determined that the inspection is successful, the printing device 10 prints the printed material 60 based on the print data 50. Then, in the printing system 1, after the printing device 10 prints the printed material 60, the inspection device 40 inspects the printed material 60 using the reference data 90 and the scanned data obtained by scanning the printed material 60. In addition, the inspection device 40 uses the reference data 90 as the correct answer data instead of the inspection data in Embodiment 1 to inspect the printed material 60.

[0092] As explained in Embodiment 1, if the order in which elements are arranged in the reference data 90 used as correct answer data differs from the order in the variable section 52 of the print data 50, it may not be possible to accurately inspect the printed material 60. In addition, even if the printed material 60 is printed correctly based on the print data 50, the strings obtained by decoding the scanned data of the printed material 60 may not match the elements of the reference data 90, resulting in a failure to inspect.

[0093] In contrast, in this embodiment, during the pre-inspection by the pre-inspection unit 28, printing of the printed material 60 by the printing device 10 is performed only when the elements extracted from the variable unit 52 as inspection data match the elements of the reference data 90. As a result, the printing system 1 can suppress the inspection failure by the inspection device 40 even though the printing of the printed material 60 is performed correctly based on the print data 50, thereby enabling more accurate inspection of the printed material 60.

[0094] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. It is clear from the claims that various modifications or improvements to the embodiments described above are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0095] In this embodiment, each process is executed on any computer. Furthermore, any computer may execute these processes using a processor as hardware, a program as software, or a combination thereof. In that case, the processor is configured to work in cooperation with the program to execute the various processes in this embodiment, and can function as a unit or means in this embodiment. Also, the execution order of the processes by the processor is not limited to the order described and may be changed as appropriate. Any computer may be a general-purpose computer, a computer designed for a specific purpose, a workstation, or any other system capable of executing each process.

[0096] A processor may consist of one or more hardware components, and the type of hardware is not limited. For example, a processor may consist of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), a programmable logic device such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), a dedicated circuit for executing a specific process such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a GPU (Graphic Processing Unit), or an NPU (Neural Processing Unit). Furthermore, the type of hardware may be a combination of different types of hardware. When multiple hardware components are configured to execute one or more processes of a given processor, these components may reside in physically separate devices or in the same device. Also, in any embodiment, the order of each process performed by the processor is not limited to the order described above and may be changed as appropriate. Hardware is composed of electrical circuits (circuitry) that combine circuit elements such as semiconductor elements.

[0097] Furthermore, the program may be firmware or software such as microcode. Alternatively, the program may be, for example, a set of program modules, each function of which may be implemented by a processor configured to perform its respective function. The program may be program code or multiple code segments stored on one or more non-temporary computer-readable media (e.g., storage media or other storage). The program may be divided and stored on multiple non-temporary computer-readable media located on physically separate devices. Program code or code segments may represent any combination of procedures, functions, subprograms, routines, subroutines, modules, software packages, classes, or instructions, data structures, or program statements. Program code or code segments may be connected to other code segments or hardware circuits by sending and receiving information, data, arguments, parameters, or memory contents. Furthermore, the present invention can also be applied to programs and program products.

[0098] <Note> (((1))) An inspection system comprising a processor, wherein the processor extracts variable data representing the content of a variable part from print data used for printing printed materials and having variable parts whose content differs for each print unit, and uses the variable data to perform an inspection of the print data. (((2))) The inspection system according to (((1))), wherein the processor reads the read data obtained by reading the printed material printed using the print data, and compares it with the variable data extracted from the print data to perform the inspection. (((3))) The inspection system according to (((1))), wherein the processor acquires reference data that serves as the basis for the inspection, and before printing the printed material using the print data, compares the variable data extracted from the print data with the reference data to perform the inspection. (((4))) The inspection system according to (((3))), wherein the reference data includes information indicating the order in which the contents of the variable unit are arranged, and the processor compares the variable data with the reference data to check the order in which the contents of the variable unit are arranged in the print data. (((5))) The inspection system according to any one of (((1))) to (((4))) wherein the processor extracts the variable data in a different way depending on the data format of the print data. (((6))) The inspection system according to (((5))), wherein the processor extracts, when the print data is structured data or text data, an element specified by the user from among the elements constituting the print data as the variable data. (((7))) The inspection system according to (((6))), wherein the processor accepts the user's specification of an element for one print unit in the print data, and extracts the element corresponding to the element specified by the user for another print unit as the variable data for that other print unit. (((8))) The inspection system according to (((5))), wherein the processor, when a drawing method used when printing the print data is assigned to the elements constituting the print data, extracts the elements to which a drawing method specified by the user is assigned as the variable data. (((9))) A program that enables a computer to perform the following functions: extract variable data representing the content of a variable part from print data for printing a printed document, which has a variable part whose content differs for each print unit; and perform a print-related inspection of the print data using the variable data.

[0099] According to the inspection system described in (((1))), inspection can be performed more easily compared to the case where inspection of print data is performed without using variable data representing the contents of variable parts extracted from print data. According to the inspection system described in (((2))), the inspection of printed materials can be performed more easily compared to the case where printed materials are inspected using data entered separately from variable data. According to the inspection system described in (((3))), it becomes possible to inspect the contents of the variable parts to be printed on the printed material before printing the printed material. According to the inspection system described in (((4))), compared to the case where inspection using variable data is not performed before printing the printed material, the likelihood of the printed material being printed with the contents of the variable parts in an incorrect order is suppressed. According to the inspection system described in (((5))), variable data can be extracted even if the data format of the printed data is different. According to the inspection system related to (((6))), the user can specify the elements to be extracted as variable data. According to the inspection system related to (((7))), even if the user does not specify elements for other print units, elements of other print units can be extracted as variable data. According to the inspection system related to (((8))), even if the user does not specify an element, elements to which a rendering method has been assigned can be extracted as variable data. According to the program described in (((9))), the inspection can be performed more easily compared to the case where inspection of the print data is performed without using variable data representing the contents of the variable parts extracted from the print data. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0100] 10…Printing device, 20, 30…Server device, 21…Print instruction reception unit, 22…Image processing unit, 23…Inspection area setting unit, 24…Inspection data generation unit, 25…Output unit, 26…Display control unit, 40…Inspection device, 41…Inspection data acquisition unit, 42…Scan data acquisition unit, 43…Inspection unit, 44…Inspection result transmission unit, 50…Print data, 51…Standardized unit, 52…Variable unit, 60…Printed material, 100…Printing system

Claims

1. Equipped with a processor, The aforementioned processor, From print data used for printing printed materials, which has variable parts whose content differs for each print unit, variable data representing the content of the variable part is extracted. Using the aforementioned variable data, an inspection of the printing of the print data is performed. Inspection system.

2. The inspection system according to claim 1, wherein the processor performs the inspection by comparing the read data obtained by reading the printed material printed using the print data with the variable data extracted from the print data.

3. The processor acquires reference data that serves as the basis for the inspection, Before printing the printed material using the aforementioned print data, the inspection is performed by comparing the variable data extracted from the said print data with the reference data. The inspection system according to claim 1.

4. The aforementioned reference data includes information indicating the order in which the contents of the variable unit are arranged. The processor compares the variable data with the reference data to check the order in which the contents of the variable parts are arranged in the print data. The inspection system according to claim 3.

5. The inspection system according to claim 1, wherein the processor extracts the variable data in a different way depending on the data format of the print data.

6. The inspection system according to claim 5, wherein the processor extracts, when the print data is structured data or text data, an element specified by the user from among the elements constituting the print data as the variable data.

7. The inspection system according to claim 6, wherein the processor accepts a user's specification of an element for one print unit in the print data, and extracts an element corresponding to the element specified by the user for another print unit as the variable data for that other print unit.

8. The inspection system according to claim 5, wherein the processor, when a drawing method used when printing the print data is assigned to an element constituting the print data, extracts the element to which a drawing method specified by the user is assigned as the variable data.

9. For computers, A function for extracting variable data representing the content of a variable part from print data for printing a printed material, which has variable parts whose content differs for each print unit, A function to perform printing-related inspections of the print data using the aforementioned variable data. A program that achieves this.

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