Image forming apparatus and information processing apparatus, and control methods thereof, and program

Abstract

Traditionally, print control has not taken into account the remaining tape amount. As a result, if the number of printable labels confirmed before printing is insufficient to meet the user's requirements, and the user does not have replacement consumable tapes, the user will not be able to print the desired number of labels. [Solution] An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a tape-shaped recording medium analyzes a received print job and obtains the remaining amount of the installed recording medium. Based on the analysis result and the remaining amount, it determines whether the recording medium will be less than a predetermined amount after executing the print job, or whether the recording medium will run out during the execution of the print job. If it is determined that the recording medium will be less than a predetermined amount or that the recording medium will run out, a screen is presented to the user to allow them to select a course of action.

Description

Technical Field

[0004]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, an information processing apparatus, a control method thereof, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] A tape printing apparatus (label printer) that prints labels on a tape fed from a tape roll is known. In such a printing apparatus, when the tape runs out during printing, the tape has to be replaced with a new one and the printing has to be restarted from the beginning. In such a case, the tape that has been printed up to that point is wasted.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes that in a communication terminal that can communicate with such a tape printing apparatus, the number of printable label sheets is calculated before a print instruction and notified to the user. Depending on the number of labels to be printed in a print job and the length of the remaining tape, if the user does not have a replacement consumable tape, it may not be possible to print all the required number of labels. Therefore, by allowing the user to confirm the number of printable labels before executing the printing, the user can review the string to be printed, reduce or adjust the characters, and ensure that all the required number of labels can be printed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, conventional technology does not perform print control that takes into account the remaining amount of tape. For example, if, after printing labels, the remaining tape is, for example, 0.5 cm, it does not take into account the case where the tape will definitely need to be replaced the next time it is used. As a result, the remaining 0.5 cm of tape is discarded, resulting in tape waste. Furthermore, the control does not take into account the number of labels that are insufficient compared to the number of labels the user wants to print, for example, if the number of printable labels is one or more less than the number the user wants. Therefore, if the number of printable labels confirmed before printing is insufficient for the number the user wants, and the user does not have replacement consumable tape, the user will not be able to print the desired number of labels.

[0006] The object of the present invention is to solve at least one of the problems of the prior art described above.

[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide a technology that enables efficient use of tape for printing, even when it is anticipated that the remaining tape will be insufficient after printing, preventing the printing of the specified number of pages, or when it is anticipated that a very small amount of tape will be left over. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To achieve the above objective, an image forming apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention has the following configuration. That is, An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a tape-shaped recording medium, An analysis means for analyzing received print jobs, An acquisition means for acquiring the remaining amount of the installed recording medium, A determination means for determining whether, based on the analysis results by the analysis means and the remaining amount obtained by the acquisition means, the recording medium will be less than a predetermined amount after the print job is executed, or whether a shortage of the recording medium will occur during the execution of the print job. The device is characterized by having a display means that, when the determination means determines that the recording medium is less than a predetermined amount or that there is a shortage of the recording medium, displays a screen for the user to select a course of action. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, even when it is anticipated that the remaining tape will be insufficient after printing and the specified number of pages cannot be printed, or when it is anticipated that a very small amount of tape will be left over, the tape can be used efficiently for printing.

[0010] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, the same or similar components are given the same reference numeral. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] The attached drawings are included in the specification and constitute part thereof, illustrating embodiments of the present invention and are used together with the description to explain the principles of the present invention. [Figure 1] A diagram illustrating a network configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] External view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] A block diagram illustrating the configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] A block diagram illustrating the configuration of a host terminal according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] A flowchart illustrating the processing performed by the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] A flowchart illustrating the font enlargement process in S516 by the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] A flowchart illustrating the font reduction process in S507 by the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 8]A diagram showing an example of a screen that notifies that the remaining amount of tape is insufficient and that the specified number of labels cannot be printed before starting a printing job in an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] A diagram showing an example of a screen that prompts the user to enlarge the font or change the font type to use up the tape because there will be 0.5 cm of tape remaining after printing before executing a printing job in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] A diagram showing an example where a character string overflows after displaying a print preview in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] A diagram showing an example of a print preview screen. [Figure 12] A diagram showing an example of a print preview screen. [Figure 13] A diagram showing an example of a print preview screen. [Figure 14] A diagram showing an example of a print preview screen. [Figure 15] A diagram showing an example of a print preview screen. [Figure 16] A diagram showing the format of a printing job according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] A diagram showing an example of a screen for setting conditions for displaying a screen for enlarging a font and changing the font type in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 18] A flowchart for explaining the process executed by a host terminal according to an embodiment that receives and executes a selection screen for selecting font enlargement / reduction and font type change from an image forming apparatus.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention 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. Further, in the accompanying drawings, the same or similar configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0013] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the image forming apparatus is a single-function printer with printing capabilities, but it is not limited to this. The image forming apparatus may be a copier equipped with printing capabilities and a reader for reading images on a document, or a multi-function device (MFP: Multi-Function Peripheral) with additional functions.

[0014] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating a network configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] An ONU (Optical Network Unit) is an optical network termination device that has the function of converting between optical signals and electrical digital signals of an optical network. In this embodiment, the router-integrated ONU 102 is connected to the internet 103 via an optical network.

[0016] The image forming apparatus 100 is connected to a host terminal (information processing device) 101 via a local network (LAN) and receives print jobs from the host terminal 101 and performs printing.

[0017] The term "local network" is assumed to be a network in which the IPv4 addresses of the image forming apparatus 100 and the host terminal 101 are composed of Class A (10.0.0.0~10.255.255.255), Class B (172.16.0.0~172.31.255.255), and Class C (192.168.0.0~192.168.255.255), but is not limited to this. IPv6 addresses are also acceptable. In this case, link-local addresses starting with FE80:: are assumed, but are not limited to this. Furthermore, the connection method between the image forming apparatus 100 and the host terminal 101 may be USB or Bluetooth.

[0018] The printing method of the image forming apparatus 100 used in the embodiment may be an electrophotographic method, an inkjet method, a stencil printing method, or any other method. The components of the ink are not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, it is assumed that an aqueous pigment ink containing a colorant, water, and resin is used.

[0019] Furthermore, depending on the user's usage pattern, printing may also be performed from the host terminal (information processing device) 104 via the Internet 103. Hereafter, host terminal 101 will be used as an example, but the explanation can also be applied to host terminal 104. Also, the hardware configuration and roles of host terminals 101 and 104 are the same.

[0020] Figure 2 is an external view of the image forming apparatus 100 according to an embodiment. Note that the overall external view of the image forming apparatus 100 is merely one example of an embodiment. For example, it could be a large-format printing press mainly used for commercial purposes, or a large image forming apparatus used for industrial purposes.

[0021] The image forming apparatus 100 includes a print media storage unit 201, a printing consumables storage unit 202, a display operation unit 203, a cutter unit 204, and a paper discharge unit 205. The print media storage unit 201 stores print media (recording media) of various colors and patterns (e.g., tape-shaped label paper or label tape). The printing consumables storage unit 202 stores printing consumables such as ink cartridges and ink bottles of various colors. The display operation unit 203 is equipped with a user interface including a display unit, LEDs, keys, and a touch panel, and the user can instruct the execution and setting operations of each function via this display operation unit 203. It is also possible to execute each function and set various processes from the host terminal 101. In this case, it is assumed that various settings will be performed by executing functions on a setting application dedicated to the image forming apparatus 100 that is executed on the host terminal 101, or on a WebServer (RemoteUI) built into the image forming apparatus 100. The cutter unit 204 cuts the printed media. The paper output section 205 is the paper output slot for the printing medium.

[0022] Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 according to this embodiment.

[0023] The image forming apparatus 100 includes a controller unit 351 that controls the operation of the image forming apparatus 100 and an engine unit (printer engine) 352 that performs printing. The controller unit 351 includes a LAN interface unit 301, a CPU 302, a ROM 303, a RAM 304, an NVRAM 305, and a tape information storage unit 306. The CPU 302 controls the operation of the image forming apparatus 100 by loading the program stored in the ROM 303 into the RAM 304 and executing it. The ROM 303 stores the control execution code (program) and various data of the image forming apparatus 100 that are executed by the CPU 302. The RAM 304 functions as a work area for temporarily storing various data during the control operation of the CPU 302. The LAN interface unit 301 controls communication with the LAN and can communicate with the host terminal 101. The NVRAM 305 is a non-volatile memory that stores various data necessary for the maintenance of the image forming apparatus 100, as well as font information, remaining consumables, and information related to images for printing. The tape information storage unit 306 stores tape information for various colors, such as black, cyan, magenta, and yellow. The remaining tape amount, as described later, is stored in the tape information storage unit 306 or NVRAM 305 and is updated when printing is performed.

[0024] Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the host terminal 101 according to this embodiment.

[0025] The LAN interface unit 401 functions as an interface to externally connected devices via the LAN, and can control communication with the LAN to communicate with the image forming apparatus 100. The host terminal 101 is controlled by the CPU 402, and the ROM 403 is a non-volatile memory that stores various programs and data that run on the host terminal 101. The RAM 404 is a volatile memory used as a temporary work area when the CPU 402 executes various programs. The HDD 405 stores the basic software, such as the OS, software modules, and font information. The printer driver 406 is a device driver that sends print jobs to the image forming apparatus 100. The operation display unit 407 includes a display unit with touch panel functionality, a key operation unit, a pointing device, etc., and presents various screens to the user and accepts user operations via those screens.

[0026] Next, the process by which the image forming apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention enlarges or reduces the font or changes the font type while taking into account the remaining amount of tape will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 5.

[0027] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating the processing performed by the image forming apparatus 100 according to this embodiment. The processing shown in this flowchart is achieved by the CPU 302 executing a program loaded into the RAM 304.

[0028] In S501, the CPU 302 determines whether or not it has received a print job from the host terminal 101. If it determines that a print job has been received, it proceeds to S502; otherwise, it remains at S501 and waits for a print job to be received. In S502, the CPU 302 analyzes the received print job and obtains, for example, the text to be printed, the size of the text to be printed, the font type, and the ink colors to be used for printing as the analysis results. It is assumed that the format of the print job is a format uniquely defined by the manufacturer, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0029] Next, the process proceeds to S503, where the CPU 302 retrieves the remaining tape amount stored in the NVRAM 305. The timing for updating this stored tape amount is expected to be when printing is completed, or when the image forming apparatus 100 periodically detects the remaining tape amount and updates the tape amount in the NVRAM 305.

[0030] Next, proceeding to S504, the CPU 302 determines, based on the information analyzed in S502 and the remaining tape amount obtained in S503, whether a shortage of tape will occur during the execution of printing based on the received print job. If it is determined that a shortage of tape will occur, proceeding to S505, the CPU 302 displays a font reduction and font type selection screen on the display operation unit 203 as a countermeasure. It also notifies the host terminal 101 of the instruction to display the font reduction and font type selection screen. This is so that the host terminal 101 can change the size and font type of the print strings included in the print job by displaying the selection screen. Alternatively, it is so that the host terminal 101 can instruct the image forming apparatus 100 to change the size and font type of the print strings. This is the same as when sending a font enlargement or font type selection screen to the host terminal 101, as described below.

[0031] Next, the process proceeds to S506, where the CPU 302 determines whether font reduction has been selected. If it determines that font reduction has been selected, the process proceeds to S507, where the CPU 302 performs the font reduction process and then proceeds to S508. If it determines in S506 that font reduction has not been selected, the process proceeds to S508. The font reduction process in S507 will be described later with reference to the flowchart in Figure 7.

[0032] In S508, CPU302 determines whether a font type change has been requested on the font type selection screen. If a font type change has been requested, the process proceeds to S509, where the font type change process is performed to change to the selected font type, and then proceeds to S510. If S508 determines that a font type change has not been selected, the process proceeds to S510.

[0033] In the S510, the CPU 302 outputs the print preview screen to the display operation unit 203 and also notifies the host terminal 101 of the command to display the print preview screen. When notifying the host terminal 101, it is assumed that the image data will be reduced in size, the font type will be changed, and the image data will be converted to the manufacturer's proprietary format and compressed before being sent.

[0034] In S511, the CPU 302 determines whether it has received a print execution command from the display operation unit 203 or the host terminal 101. If a print execution command is received, the process proceeds to S512, where the CPU 302 executes printing based on the received print job and terminates the process. Alternatively, in S511, if the CPU 302 receives an instruction such as print cancellation without receiving a print execution command, it terminates the process without performing any printing.

[0035] On the other hand, in S504, CPU302 determines, based on the information analyzed from the print job and the acquired remaining tape amount, that there will be no shortage of tape during the execution of the print job, and proceeds to S513. That is, if it determines that there will be excess tape after the print job is executed, it proceeds to S513. In S513, CPU302 determines whether the remaining tape amount after the print job is below a predetermined amount, for example, 0.5 cm or less. Note that 0.5 cm is merely an example, and this value and unit are not limited to this, and the unit can be mm or m. Also, in order to determine that there is very little tape remaining, the condition may be that the ratio of remaining tape amount to total tape amount falls below a certain value. Furthermore, these units and specific values ​​may be configured to be arbitrarily set by the user.

[0036] If S513 determines that the remaining tape length is, for example, 0.5 cm or less, the process proceeds to S514, where the CPU 302 displays a font enlargement and font type selection screen on the display operation unit 203 as a countermeasure. It also notifies the host terminal 101 of the command to display the font enlargement and font type selection screen and proceeds to S515. This is a notification to the user to use up the tape, as 0.5 cm of tape will remain after printing, and the tape will need to be replaced the next time the image forming apparatus 100 is used. If S513 determines that the remaining tape length is greater than a predetermined amount, the process proceeds to S512, where printing based on the received print job is executed, and this process ends.

[0037] In S515, CPU302 determines whether font enlargement was selected on the selection screen. If it determines that font enlargement was selected, the process proceeds to S516, where CPU302 performs the font enlargement process and then proceeds to S517. The font enlargement process in S516 will be described later with reference to the flowchart in Figure 6. If it determines in S515 that font enlargement was not selected, the process proceeds to S517. In S517, CPU302 determines whether a font type change has been instructed. If a font type change has been instructed, the process proceeds to S518, where CPU302 performs the font type change process and then proceeds to S510. If it determines in S517 that a font type change has not been instructed, the process proceeds to S510. The processes in S510, S511, and S512 are the same as described above.

[0038] Furthermore, while processes such as reducing / enlarging font size and changing font type were described as processes performed by the image processing device 100, it is also acceptable for the host terminal 101 to perform these processes based on the selection on the displayed selection screen and then send the print job, including the changed settings, back to the image processing device 100.

[0039] As explained above, when a print job is executed, it is possible to determine before printing whether a tape shortage will occur during printing, and if a tape shortage is predicted, the user can be prompted to reduce the font size or change the font type. By reducing the font size or changing the font type to a font with smaller characters, the length of tape required for printing can be shortened while the content of the printed text remains the same. This prevents problems such as printing being interrupted due to insufficient tape during the execution of a print job, or wasted printed tape.

[0040] Furthermore, if it is predicted that the remaining tape after a print job will fall below a predetermined amount, the font for that print job will be enlarged or changed to a font type with a larger character size. This has the effect of almost completely using up the tape while keeping the content of the printed text the same, thereby reducing tape waste.

[0041] Next, the font enlargement process of S516 described above will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 6. While the explanation uses the font size enlargement process as an example, the process is basically the same when changing the font type.

[0042] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating the font enlargement process in S516 performed by the image forming apparatus 100 according to this embodiment. The process shown in this flowchart is realized by the CPU 302 executing the program loaded into RAM 304.

[0043] In S601, the CPU 302 analyzes the received print job and obtains the number of prints (N) from the information such as the total number of pages, the number of copies, and the number of printed pages listed in the header. Next, in S602, the CPU 302 obtains the remaining label length (P) from the tape information storage unit 306 or NVRAM 305. Note that these processes are the same as those in S502 and S503 in Figure 5, so if the results of the analysis process in S502 and S503 and the remaining tape length are stored in, for example, RAM 304, they can be used. In that case, S601 and S602 can be omitted. Next, in S603, the CPU 302 calculates the length of one label (M) from the length of the print string, font size, and font type obtained in S601.

[0044] Then, proceeding to S604, CPU302, since font enlargement is selected in the selection screen of S514, increases the font size and proceeds to S609. In S608, for example, increasing the font size by +1 enlarges it by one size. Also, if the font size is to be enlarged to a size specified by the user (for example, 8 points larger), the process is performed as font size = (font size + 8).

[0045] Then, proceeding to S605, CPU302 determines whether the enlarged font size is greater than the maximum font size. In this case, the maximum value is, for example, the maximum font size that can be printed on the label to be printed, or the maximum size arbitrarily set by the user. If it is determined that the font size is greater than the maximum value, the enlargement process ends and the process returns to S517. Therefore, in this case, the font size has been enlarged to the size before reaching the maximum value, but the condition that less than 0.5 cm of tape remains has not been met.

[0046] If the CPU 302 determines in S605 that the font size is less than or equal to the maximum value, it proceeds to S606, where it recalculates the length (M) of one label based on the enlarged font size. Then, in S607, the CPU 302 determines whether the value of {remaining label quantity (P) - number of printed labels (N) × recalculated length of one label (M)} is less than a predetermined value, for example, 0.5 cm. If it is determined to be less than the predetermined value, for example, less than 0.5 cm, the tape is almost used up, so this process ends and the process proceeds to S517.

[0047] Meanwhile, in S607, if CPU302 determines that the length is not less than 0.5cm, it returns to S604 and further increases the font size. Then, in S605, if it determines that the font size is less than or equal to the maximum value, it proceeds to S606 again, and CPU302 recalculates the length (M) of one label. This process is repeated until the value of {remaining labels (P) - number of prints (N) × recalculated length of one label (M)} is less than 0.5cm, and when CPU302 determines that it is less than 0.5cm, this process ends.

[0048] Similarly, in the font type change process of S518, the font type is changed in S604, then S605 is skipped and the process proceeds to S606, and based on the changed font type... This can be achieved by first calculating the length of one label, and then determining in S607 whether the remaining label length (P) is less than 0.5 cm.

[0049] Next, the font reduction process in S507 in the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figure 7. Here, as an example, the process of reducing the font size will be described, but the same process will apply when changing the font type. Furthermore, some explanations that overlap with the font enlargement process will be omitted.

[0050] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating the font reduction process in S507 by the image forming apparatus 100 according to this embodiment. The process shown in this flowchart is realized by the CPU 302 executing the program loaded into RAM 304. The processes in S701 to S703 are the same as S601 to S604 in Figure 6, so their explanation is omitted.

[0051] Here, since a font reduction is instructed, CPU302 reduces the font size in S704. For example, it reduces the font size by -1 to make it slightly smaller. If the font size is to be reduced to a user-specified size (for example, 4 points smaller), the process is performed as font size = (font size - 4). Then, proceeding to S705, CPU302 determines whether the reduced font size is smaller than the minimum value. This minimum value defines the smallest font size that can be used as a label. This minimum value may be set arbitrarily by the user, or it may be predetermined. If it is determined that the reduced font size is smaller than the minimum value, this process ends and proceeds to S510 in Figure 5. Therefore, in this case, the font size has been reduced to the size before the minimum value, but since printing is not possible due to the remaining tape, the user is asked to decide whether to print or not on the print preview screen.

[0052] If the reduced font size is determined to be larger than the minimum value, the process proceeds to S706, where the CPU 302 recalculates the length of one label (M) based on the reduced font size in S708. Then, in S707, the CPU 302 determines whether the value of {number of prints (N) × length of one label (M)} exceeds the remaining label quantity (P). If it does not exceed this value, i.e., if all the labels specified in the print job can be printed, this process ends. On the other hand, if it is determined in S707 that the value exceeds the remaining label quantity (P), the process returns to S704 and the font size is reduced. Then, in S706, the CPU 302 recalculates the length of one label (M) based on the reduced font size. This process is repeated until the value of {number of prints (N) × length of one label (M)} does not exceed the remaining label quantity (P). Thus, CPU302 terminates this process when it determines that the font size is greater than the minimum value and that the value of {number of prints (N) × length of one label (M)} no longer exceeds the remaining number of labels (P).

[0053] This process determines, before starting a print job, whether it can be executed with the current amount of tape remaining. If it determines that it cannot be executed due to insufficient tape, it reduces the font size of the text to be printed to shorten the tape length required for printing. This ensures that the print job can be executed and the desired labels can be printed reliably.

[0054] Furthermore, if reducing the font size too much causes problems such as difficulty in reading, S705 will determine whether the font size is too small, that is, whether the reduced font size is smaller than a predetermined amount (minimum value). If the reduced font size is smaller than the predetermined amount, a print preview screen will be displayed, and the user will be asked whether or not to print.

[0055] Figure 8 shows an example of a screen in an image forming apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, which displays to the user before the start of a print job that the number of labels specified in the print job cannot be printed due to insufficient remaining tape.

[0056] This example shows a case where only one page of the specified number of pages in a print job fails to print (it gets cut off midway). It also displays messages prompting the user to reduce the font size or change the font type. Through this screen, the user can choose whether or not to reduce the font size or change the font type.

[0057] On this screen, the user can press or click the print preview 801 to display a print preview screen on the display operation unit 203 of the image forming apparatus 100, showing the result after reducing the font size or changing the font type. When this screen is displayed on the host terminal 101, this print preview screen is displayed by the printer driver 406 of the host terminal 101. If the user does not want to reduce the font size or change the font type, they can click the cancel button 802 to close this screen and move to another screen.

[0058] Figure 9 shows an example screen in an embodiment of the present invention that prompts the user to enlarge the font or change the font type to use up the tape, because 0.5 cm of tape will remain after printing, before the print job is executed. Here, it is shown that 1.5 cm of printable space remains to use up the tape without waste.

[0059] Through this screen, the user can choose whether or not to enlarge the font or change the font type. To facilitate the change of font type, the current font type and the new font type can be displayed. After instructing the user to enlarge the font or change the font type, pressing or clicking the print preview 901 displays a preview screen showing the enlarged or changed font. This print preview screen is displayed on the display operation unit 203 of the image forming apparatus 100 or on the printer driver 406 of the host terminal 101. If the user does not wish to enlarge the font or change the font type, they can click the cancel button 902 to close this screen and move to another screen.

[0060] Figures 13 and 15 show examples of print preview screens where the font size or font type has been changed to use up the tape.

[0061] Figure 13 shows an example of a print preview screen when printing the text "Test Print" on each label, with a font size of 28 and the font type MSP Gothic.

[0062] Figure 15 also shows an example of a print preview screen when printing the text "Test Print" on each label, with a font size of 20 and the font type Meiryo. On any screen, pressing the print button will start printing, and pressing the cancel button will cancel printing.

[0063] Figure 10 shows an example in which, after displaying a print preview, the text overflows in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0064] Figure 10 shows an example of a print preview screen when printing the string "Test Print ABC" on each label, with a font size of 24 and the font type Yu gosikku UI Semibold. Here, we show an example where we tried to print eight "Test Print ABC" labels, but the last "BC" on the eighth label was cut off.

[0065] Here, pressing the print button 1001 starts printing, and pressing the cancel button 1002 cancels printing. Pressing or clicking the cancel button 1002 returns you to the previous screen, i.e., the screen shown in Figure 8 or Figure 9. Then, pressing or clicking the print preview 801 in Figure 8 again displays the print preview screen. From this point onward, the print execute and cancel buttons on the print preview screen perform the same actions.

[0066] This print preview screen may be displayed side-by-side with, for example, the screen shown in Figure 8 or Figure 9. In this case, if the print preview button in Figure 8 or Figure 9 is pressed or clicked again while the print preview screen is already displayed, it is assumed that the contents of the preview screen will be updated and displayed according to the instructions on the screen shown in Figure 8 or Figure 9.

[0067] Figure 11 shows an example in which, in an embodiment of the present invention, the font type is changed from the state in Figure 10 and the string is contained within the remaining tape.

[0068] In Figure 10, the text to be printed on each label is "Test Print ABC", the font size is 24, and the font type is YuGothicUISemibold. However, in Figure 10, the text does not fit within the remaining tape, so in Figure 11, the font size remains 24, but the font type is changed to TwCenMt. This makes it possible to print all eight labels. If the print execution button 1101 is pressed, printing will start, and if the cancel button 1101 is pressed, printing will be canceled and it is possible to return to the screen, for example, in Figure 8 or Figure 9.

[0069] Figure 12 shows an example in which, in an embodiment of the present invention, the tape has approximately 0.5 cm of excess length after the preview display is executed.

[0070] Here, we attempted to print eight labels with the text "Test Print," but 0.5 cm of tape remained at the end of the eighth label. This means that tape replacement will likely be necessary the next time the labels are used, potentially leading to the wasteful discarding of tape.

[0071] Figure 13 shows an example where the font size is changed from 24 to 28 in the state shown in Figure 12, and the tape is used up.

[0072] In Figure 12, the text to be printed is "Test Print," with a font size of 24 and a font type of MS P Gothic. Here, we demonstrate an example of using the tape efficiently by changing the font size to 28 without changing the font type.

[0073] Figure 14, similar to Figure 12, shows an example where 0.5 cm of tape remains when attempting to print eight labels with the text "Test Print".

[0074] Figure 15 shows an example where, from the state in Figure 14, the font size remains the same, but the font type is changed from YuGothicUISemibold to Meiryo, thereby reducing the amount of tape left over and using up the tape.

[0075] Figure 16 shows the format of a print job according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0076] This print job is assumed to be generated by the printer driver 406 on the host terminal 101 at the time of printing and to be written in a manufacturer-specific format. Note that Figure 16 is merely an example; in reality, this content is assumed to be compressed and encrypted using the manufacturer's proprietary compression method.

[0077] Figure 16 shows an example of printing a total of 8 labels by printing the string "Test Print ABC" on each label. In this example, the font type for the text on each label is set to "MSP Gothic" and the font size to 24.

[0078] Figure 17 shows an example of a screen for setting the conditions for displaying the font enlargement and font type change screens in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0079] This setting can be configured in the printer driver 406 of the image forming apparatus 100 or the host terminal 101. In other words, this screen can be displayed on either the image forming apparatus 100 or the host terminal 101. In the example screen in Figure 17, it is possible to set the system to display a screen for font enlargement or font type change depending on how much tape is left after printing is complete.

[0080] In Figure 17, you can specify the remainder length and its unit. In the example in Figure 17, the length value is set to 0.5 and its unit to cm. If the OK button is pressed here, the settings on this screen will be set as the conditions for displaying the font enlargement and font type change screens. If the Cancel button is pressed, the settings on this screen will be discarded.

[0081] Figure 18 is a flowchart illustrating the process that a host terminal 101 according to this embodiment receives and executes a selection screen from the image forming apparatus 100 for selecting font enlargement / reduction and font type change. The process shown in this flowchart is realized by the CPU 402 executing a program loaded into RAM 404. Alternatively, this process may be performed by the host terminal 101 receiving information such as remaining tape amount from the image forming apparatus 100 in advance when the image forming apparatus 100 generates a print job for printing labels.

[0082] First, in S1801, the CPU 402 obtains the number of sheets to print (N), the length of each label (M), and the remaining tape amount in the image forming apparatus 100 (P). The number of sheets to print (N) and the length of each label (M) can be calculated from the text to be printed, the font size, and the font type, but the remaining tape amount (P) is obtained from the image forming apparatus 100.

[0083] Next, the process proceeds to S1802, where the CPU 402 determines whether PM × N is less than a predetermined amount, for example, 0.5 cm, resulting in a large excess, or whether M × N > P, indicating insufficient tape remaining. If the CPU determines that there is no shortage of tape remaining and that the remaining tape after printing is longer than the predetermined amount, the process proceeds to S1814. In S1814, the CPU 402 creates a print job to print the desired label and sends it to the image forming apparatus 100.

[0084] On the other hand, if S1802 determines that there is insufficient tape remaining, or that the amount of tape remaining after printing is less than a predetermined amount, the process proceeds to S1803. In S1803, the CPU 402 displays a selection screen on the operation display unit 407 as a way to deal with the situation, for example, as shown in Figures 8 and 9 above, allowing the user to select font size or font type. Then, the subsequent processing is executed according to the user's selection on that selection screen.

[0085] First, in S1804, CPU402 determines whether font enlargement is selected. If font enlargement is selected, the process proceeds to S1805, where the font enlargement process is executed in the same manner as the flowchart in Figure 6, and then proceeds to S1806. If font enlargement is not selected in S1804, the process also proceeds to S1806.

[0086] In S1806, CPU402 determines whether font reduction is selected. If font reduction is selected, the process proceeds to S1807, where the font reduction process is executed in the same manner as the flowchart in Figure 7, and then proceeds to S1808. If font reduction is not selected in S1806, the process also proceeds to S1808.

[0087] In S1808, CPU402 determines whether a font type change is selected. If a font type reduction is selected, the process proceeds to S1809, where the font is changed to the user-specified font type and then to S1810. If a font type change is not selected in S1808, the process also proceeds to S1810. As mentioned above, the font type change process in S1809 not only changes to the user-specified font type but also determines whether printing is possible with the current tape remaining using that specified font type. Alternatively, it is desirable to also determine whether the tape could be used up with minimal margins after printing and to perform a font type change process accordingly.

[0088] In S1810, the CPU 402, for example, after sending a print job and performing the above-mentioned processing, determines whether to create and send a new print job that can be printed using the remaining tape, or, if there is little margin, will use up the tape. If it determines to create and send a new print job, it proceeds to S1811 and creates a new print job with the font size or font type changed from the previously sent print job. Then, proceeding to S1812, the CPU 402 sends the created print job to the image forming apparatus 100 and terminates this process. If, in S1810, it determines not to create a new print job, it proceeds to S1813 and the CPU 402 creates a command to change the font size and / or font type. Then, proceeding to S1810, the CPU 402 sends the created command to the image forming apparatus 100 and terminates this process.

[0089] As described above, according to the embodiment, before printing, it is possible to determine whether a small amount of tape will remain after printing, resulting in tape waste, or whether the remaining tape will run out during printing, causing the print job to stop and resulting in wasted output. If tape waste is expected or if the remaining tape will run out during printing, the font size and font type can be changed to reduce tape waste and ensure that all labels containing the string specified in the job are printed.

[0090] In addition to the embodiments described above, the overall length of the string may also be changed, for example, by changing the spacing between characters or the pitch.

[0091] (Other embodiments) 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.

[0092] This specification and drawings disclose the following image forming apparatus and information processing apparatus, as well as control methods and programs thereof.

[0093] <Item 1> An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a tape-shaped recording medium, An analysis means for analyzing received print jobs, An acquisition means for acquiring the remaining amount of the installed recording medium, A determination means for determining whether, based on the analysis results by the analysis means and the remaining amount obtained by the acquisition means, the recording medium will be less than a predetermined amount after the print job is executed, or whether a shortage of the recording medium will occur during the execution of the print job. If the determination means determines that the recording medium is less than a predetermined amount or that there is a shortage of the recording medium, the presentation means presents a screen to allow the user to select a course of action. An image forming apparatus characterized by having the following features.

[0094] <Item 2> The image forming apparatus according to item 1, characterized in that the aforementioned countermeasure includes at least one of enlarging, reducing, and changing the font type of the string of characters included in the print job.

[0095] <Item 3> The image forming apparatus according to item 1 or 2, further comprising a preview display means for displaying a print preview screen with the font size and / or font type changed by the action method selected on the aforementioned screen.

[0096] <Item 4> The image forming apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 3, characterized in that the method for dealing with the situation when it is determined that the recording medium is less than a predetermined amount includes a first method of increasing the length of the printed string by increasing the font size or changing the font type.

[0097] <Item 5> The image forming apparatus according to item 4, characterized in that the first method involves performing font enlargement after executing the print job until it is predicted that there will be almost no remaining material on the recording medium.

[0098] <Item 6> The image forming apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 3, characterized in that the method for dealing with the situation when it is determined that there is a shortage of the recording medium includes a second method for reducing the length of the printed string by reducing the font size or changing the font type.

[0099] <Item 7> The image forming apparatus according to item 6, characterized in that the second method reduces the font size to one that can be printed using the remaining amount of the recording medium.

[0100] <Item 8> The image forming apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 7, further comprising setting means for setting the predetermined amount.

[0101] <Item 9> An information processing device that can communicate with an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a tape-shaped recording medium, and transmits a print job to the image forming apparatus to cause it to print, An acquisition means for acquiring the remaining amount of the recording medium attached to the image forming apparatus, A determination means for determining whether, based on the data of the print job and the remaining amount obtained by the acquisition means, the amount of recording medium remaining after the print job is executed is less than a predetermined amount, or whether a shortage of the recording medium occurs during the execution of the print job. If the determination means determines that the recording medium is less than a predetermined amount or that there is a shortage of the recording medium, the presentation means presents a screen to allow the user to select a course of action. An information processing device characterized by having the following features.

[0102] <Item 10> The information processing apparatus according to item 9, characterized in that the aforementioned method of handling includes at least one of enlarging, reducing, and changing the font type of the string included in the print job.

[0103] <Item 11> The information processing apparatus according to item 9 or 10, further comprising a preview display means for displaying a print preview screen with the font size and / or font type changed by the action selected on the aforementioned screen.

[0104] <Item 12> The information processing apparatus according to any one of items 9 to 11, characterized in that the method for dealing with the situation when it is determined that the recording medium is less than a predetermined amount includes a first method of increasing the length of the printed string by increasing the font size or changing the font type.

[0105] <Item 13> The information processing apparatus according to item 12, characterized in that the first method performs font enlargement after executing the print job until it is predicted that there is almost no remaining space on the recording medium.

[0106] <Item 14> The information processing apparatus according to any one of items 9 to 11, characterized in that the method for dealing with the situation when it is determined that there is a shortage of the recording medium includes a second method for reducing the length of the string when it is printed by reducing the font size or changing the font type.

[0107] <Item 15> The information processing apparatus according to item 14, characterized in that the second method reduces the font size to a size that can be printed using the remaining amount of the recording medium.

[0108] <Item 16> The information processing apparatus according to any one of items 9 to 15, further comprising setting means for setting the predetermined amount.

[0109] <Item 17> The information processing apparatus according to any one of items 9 to 16, further comprising means for recreating the print job in accordance with the handling method selected by the user.

[0110] <Item 18> A control method for an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a tape-shaped recording medium, The analysis means of the image forming apparatus includes an analysis step of analyzing a received print job, The acquisition means of the image forming apparatus includes an acquisition step of acquiring the remaining amount of the recording medium that is installed, The determination means of the image forming apparatus includes a determination step in which it determines, based on the analysis results from the analysis step and the remaining amount obtained in the acquisition step, whether the recording medium will be less than a predetermined amount after executing the print job, or whether a shortage of the recording medium will occur during the execution of the print job. The image forming apparatus's presentation means includes a presentation step in which, when the determination step determines that the recording medium is less than a predetermined amount or that there is a shortage of the recording medium, it presents a screen to allow the user to select a course of action. A control method characterized by having the following features.

[0111] <Item 19> A control method for an information processing device that can communicate with an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a tape-shaped recording medium, and that transmits a print job to the image forming apparatus to cause printing, The acquisition means of the information processing device includes an acquisition step of acquiring the remaining amount of the recording medium attached to the image forming apparatus, The determination means of the information processing device includes a determination step of determining, based on the data of the print job and the remaining amount obtained in the acquisition step, whether the recording medium will be less than a predetermined amount after the print job is executed, or whether a shortage of the recording medium will occur during the execution of the print job. The information processing device's presentation means includes a presentation step that, when the determination step determines that the recording medium is less than a predetermined amount or that there is a shortage of the recording medium, presents a screen to allow the user to select a course of action. A control method characterized by having the following features.

[0112] <Item 20> A program characterized by causing a computer to execute each step of the control method described in item 16 or 17.

[0113] The present 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, the following claims are attached to make the scope of the invention public. [Explanation of symbols]

[0114] 100…Image forming apparatus, 101, 104…Host terminal, 103…Internet, 203…Display and operation unit, 302…CPU (image forming apparatus), 306…Tape information storage unit, 351…Controller unit, 352…Engine unit, 402…CPU (host terminal), 407…Operation display unit

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a tape-shaped recording medium, An analysis means for analyzing received print jobs, An acquisition means for acquiring the remaining amount of the installed recording medium, A determination means for determining whether, based on the analysis results by the analysis means and the remaining amount obtained by the acquisition means, the recording medium will be less than a predetermined amount after the print job is executed, or whether a shortage of the recording medium will occur during the execution of the print job. If the determination means determines that the recording medium is less than a predetermined amount or that there is a shortage of the recording medium, the presentation means presents a screen to allow the user to select a course of action. An image forming apparatus characterized by having the following features.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the aforementioned method of handling the issue includes at least one of enlarging, reducing, and changing the font type of the string of characters included in the print job.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a preview display means for displaying a print preview screen with the font size and / or font type changed by the action method selected on the aforementioned screen.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the method for dealing with the situation when it is determined that the recording medium is less than a predetermined amount includes a first method of increasing the length of the printed string by increasing the font size or changing the font type.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that the first method involves enlarging the font after the print job has been executed until it is predicted that there will be almost no remaining material on the recording medium.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the method for dealing with the situation when it is determined that there is a shortage of the recording medium includes a second method of reducing the length of the printed string by reducing the font size or changing the font type.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that the second method reduces the font size to one that can be printed using the remaining amount of the recording medium.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising setting means for setting the predetermined amount.

9. An information processing device that can communicate with an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a tape-shaped recording medium, and transmits a print job to the image forming apparatus to cause it to print, An acquisition means for acquiring the remaining amount of the recording medium attached to the image forming apparatus, A determination means for determining whether, based on the data of the print job and the remaining amount obtained by the acquisition means, the amount of recording medium remaining after the print job is executed is less than a predetermined amount, or whether a shortage of the recording medium occurs during the execution of the print job. If the determination means determines that the recording medium is less than a predetermined amount or that there is a shortage of the recording medium, the presentation means presents a screen to allow the user to select a course of action. An information processing device characterized by having the following features.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that the aforementioned method of handling includes at least one of enlarging, reducing, and changing the font type of the string of characters included in the print job.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9 or 10, further comprising a preview display means for displaying a print preview screen with the font size and / or font type changed according to the action method selected on the aforementioned screen.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that the method for dealing with the situation when it is determined that the recording medium is less than a predetermined amount includes a first method of increasing the length of the printed string by increasing the font size or changing the font type.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that the first method performs font enlargement after executing the print job until it is predicted that there is almost no remaining space on the recording medium.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that the method for dealing with the situation when it is determined that there is a shortage of the recording medium includes a second method for reducing the length of the printed string by reducing the font size or changing the font type.

15. The information processing apparatus according to claim 14, characterized in that the second method reduces the font size to a size that can be printed using the remaining amount of the recording medium.

16. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising setting means for setting the predetermined amount.

17. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising means for recreating the print job in accordance with the handling method selected by the user.

18. A control method for an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a tape-shaped recording medium, The analysis means of the image forming apparatus includes an analysis step of analyzing a received print job, The acquisition means of the image forming apparatus includes an acquisition step of acquiring the remaining amount of the recording medium that is installed, The determination means of the image forming apparatus includes a determination step in which it determines, based on the analysis results from the analysis step and the remaining amount obtained in the acquisition step, whether the recording medium will be less than a predetermined amount after executing the print job, or whether a shortage of the recording medium will occur during the execution of the print job. The image forming apparatus's presentation means includes a presentation step in which, when the determination step determines that the recording medium is less than a predetermined amount or that there is a shortage of the recording medium, it presents a screen to allow the user to select a course of action. A control method characterized by having the following features.

19. A control method for an information processing device that can communicate with an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a tape-shaped recording medium, and that transmits a print job to the image forming apparatus to cause printing, The acquisition means of the information processing device includes an acquisition step of acquiring the remaining amount of the recording medium attached to the image forming apparatus, The determination means of the information processing device includes a determination step of determining, based on the data of the print job and the remaining amount obtained in the acquisition step, whether the recording medium will be less than a predetermined amount after the print job is executed, or whether a shortage of the recording medium will occur during the execution of the print job. The information processing device's presentation means includes a presentation step that, when the determination step determines that the recording medium is less than a predetermined amount or that there is a shortage of the recording medium, presents a screen to allow the user to select a course of action. A control method characterized by having the following features.

20. A program characterized by causing a computer to execute each step of the control method described in claim 18 or 19.

Images