Program and control method

Abstract

To provide a technology that facilitates the selection of an appropriate font in an information processing device connected to a label printer. [Solution] PC1 connected to label printers 3A, 3B, and 3C runs the label creation application 41, which displays the editing screen 50 to the user interface 13 and accepts label editing. The editing screen 50 has a font selection field 71 that accepts font selection. The editing screen 50 is provided with a toggle button 72 that accepts switching operations between a first font list 71a that includes only printer-compatible fonts as options, and a second font list 71b that includes both printer-compatible and non-printer-compatible fonts as options.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The technical field disclosed in this specification relates to a program and a control method executable by an information processing apparatus connected to a label printer.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in an information processing apparatus, a configuration is known that accepts editing of a label layout and causes a label printer to print the edited label. For example, in Patent Document 1, in a document processing apparatus connected to a printer, printer font information included in the printer is read out, and based on the read printer font information, usable main body font information registered in the document processing apparatus main body is classified into a printer font group or a non-printer font group and is displayed on the document processing apparatus main body in an identifiable manner.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When performing printing on a label printer, it may be preferable to specify the font possessed by the label printer. In the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1, the font possessed by the label printer and the font possessed by the information processing apparatus are displayed in an identifiable manner. However, even with this configuration, there is a possibility that the user may select a font not possessed by the label printer, and there is room for improvement.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The program developed to solve the above-mentioned problems is executable by an information processing device connected to a label printer, and is a program having a label editing function, wherein the information processing device is configured to perform a display process that displays an editing screen for accepting label editing, on the user interface of the information processing device, the editing screen which has a font selection object for accepting font selection, and further enables the information processing device to accept a switching operation to switch between a first selection group and a second selection group for the options selectable by the font selection object, wherein the first selection group includes only printer-compatible fonts which are fonts possessed by the label printer, and the second selection group includes the printer-compatible fonts and non-printer-compatible fonts which are fonts which are fonts which are not possessed by the label printer.

[0006] A program with the above configuration accepts a switch operation to determine whether the font options available on the editing screen are a first group of options consisting only of printer-compatible fonts, or a second group of options that also includes non-printer-compatible fonts. Users who only want to use printer-compatible fonts can avoid selecting non-printer-compatible fonts by setting the font options available on the editing screen to the first group. On the other hand, it is also possible to set the font options available on the editing screen to the second group, so users who are not particular about using only printer-compatible fonts can switch to the second group of options to select fonts including non-printer-compatible fonts, without reducing the user's convenience when selecting fonts.

[0007] The methods, apparatus, and storage medium readable by the computer storing the program described above are also novel and useful. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The technology disclosed herein enables an information processing device connected to a label printer that facilitates the selection of an appropriate font.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0009] [Figure 1] It is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a personal computer equipped with a label creation application. [Figure 2] It is a flowchart explaining an example of a control procedure for label editing processing. [Figure 3] It is a flowchart explaining an example of a control procedure for toggle display control processing. [Figure 4A] It is a diagram explaining an example of an editing screen. [Figure 4B] It is a diagram explaining an example of an editing screen. [Figure 4C] It is a diagram explaining an example of an editing screen. [Figure 5] It is a flowchart explaining an example of a control procedure for editing processing. [Figure 6A] It is a diagram explaining an example of an editing screen. [Figure 6B] It is a diagram explaining an example of an editing screen. [Figure 6C] It is a diagram explaining an example of an editing screen. [Figure 6D] It is a diagram explaining an example of an editing screen. [Figure 7] It is a flowchart explaining an example of a control procedure for printing processing. [Figure 8] It is a flowchart explaining an example of a control procedure for transfer printing processing. [Figure 9] It is a diagram explaining an example of a font incompatibility notification.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, the apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. This embodiment discloses a program for causing an information processing apparatus connected to a label printer to perform label editing.

[0011] <Schematic Configuration of PC> As shown in FIG. 1, the PC1 includes a controller 10 including a CPU 11 and a memory 12. The PC1 includes a user interface (hereinafter referred to as "user IF") 13 and a communication interface (hereinafter referred to as "communication IF") 14, and these are electrically connected to the controller 10. The PC1 can be communicably connected to label printers 3A, 3B, and 3C. In the following description, when it is not necessary to particularly distinguish between the label printers 3A, 3B, and 3C and their components, the subscript such as "label printer 3" is appropriately omitted. The PC1 is an example of an "information processing device". The PC1 may be a smartphone or a tablet terminal. The label printer connectable to the PC1 is not limited to the label printers 3A, 3B, and 3C.

[0012] The CPU 11 executes various processes according to the program read from the memory 12 and based on the user's operation. Note that the controller 10 in FIG. 1 is a general term for the hardware and software used for the control of the PC1, and does not necessarily represent a single hardware actually existing in the PC1.

[0013] The memory 12 of the PC1 in this embodiment stores various programs and various data including a label creation application program (hereinafter referred to as "label creation app") 41. The memory 12 is also used as a work area when various processes are executed.

[0014] [[ID=,11]] The CPU 11 may read the label creation app 41 from a storage medium readable by the CPU 11. As the storage medium readable by the CPU 11, for example, a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, a USB memory, etc. can be used.

[0015] The label creation app 41 is, for example, a program that receives a user's instruction via the user IF 13 and performs editing of an image to be printed and transmission of a print instruction to the label printer 3 based on the received instruction.

[0016] The label creation application 41 has a font file 42 that stores font information of fonts that can be used for text data. The font file 42 includes printer-compatible fonts, which are fonts that the label printer 3 has, and non-printer-compatible fonts, which the label printer 3 does not have. In Figure 1, "Font P○", such as Font P1, indicates a printer-compatible font, and "Font S○", such as Font S1, indicates a non-printer-compatible font. The font file 42 may contain all of the printer-compatible fonts that the label printer 3 connected to the PC1 has, or it may contain some of them.

[0017] The label creation application 41 can display a selection of fonts via the user interface 13 and accept the selection of a font. The label creation application 41 can also accept a switching operation to switch between a selection of fonts that only include printer-compatible fonts and a selection of fonts that include both printer-compatible and non-printer-compatible fonts.

[0018] The label creation application 41 can render the edited label data to generate print data, output that print data to the controlled label printer 3, and cause the destination label printer 3 to print based on the print data. Furthermore, this form of the label creation application 41 has a transfer printing function that outputs unrendered layout data, which shows the layout of the edited label data, to the controlled label printer 3, causes the destination label printer 3 to render the layout data, and causes the label printer 3 to print based on the image generated by the rendering. The label editing process, the process of switching font selections, the printing process, and the transfer printing process will be described later. The label creation application 41 is an example of a "program". The transfer printing function is an example of a "specific printing function".

[0019] User IF13 includes hardware that displays a screen for informing the user of information, and hardware that accepts user input. User IF13 may consist of separate hardware for operation and display functions, such as a keyboard and a display, or it may consist of a single piece of hardware for operation and display functions, such as a touch panel.

[0020] The communication interface 14 includes hardware for communicating with external devices. The communication standards for the communication interface 14 include Ethernet®, Wi-Fi®, and USB. PC1 may have multiple communication interfaces 14 that support multiple communication standards. The communication method may be wired or wireless.

[0021] <Label printer configuration> Label printer 3 is a device that prints images onto long printable media that will become labels. Label printers 3 differ in function and configuration depending on the model. For example, label printers 3A and 3B are equipped with font files 32A and 32B that store fonts, and are capable of rendering layout data that specifies the fonts contained in font files 32A and 32B. In other words, label printers 3A and 3B are compatible with the transfer printing function of the label creation application 41. On the other hand, label printer 3C is not equipped with font files and is not capable of rendering layout data. In other words, label printer 3C is not compatible with the transfer printing function of the label creation application 41. Label printers 3A and 3B are examples of "specific models".

[0022] Label printer 3A has a keyboard 31A for receiving information input and allows text editing via the device's controls. Label printer 3B does not have a keyboard and does not allow text editing via the device's controls. Label printer 3A is an example of a "first-class specified model," and label printer 3B is an example of a "second-class specified model."

[0023] <Label editing process> The label editing function described above will now be explained. When the label creation application 41 is launched on PC1 and an editing instruction is received, the CPU 11 uses the label creation application 41 to execute the label editing process shown in Figure 2. During the label editing process, the label is edited via the editing screen 50.

[0024] Specifically, the CPU 11 first determines whether the label printer 3 to be controlled has already been selected (S11). For example, if the label printer 3 to be controlled is registered in the label creation application 41, the CPU 11 determines that the label printer 3 has already been selected (S11:YES). In this case, the CPU 11 selects the already selected label printer 3 (S13) and proceeds to S14. On the other hand, if the label printer 3 has not already been selected (S11:NO), the CPU 11 accepts the selection of the label printer 3 (S12) and then proceeds to S14.

[0025] When the CPU 11 receives the selection of the label printer 3 to be controlled, it executes the toggle display control process shown in Figure 3 (S14). The toggle display control process controls the display of the toggle buttons on the editing screen used for editing labels.

[0026] For example, the editing screen 50 illustrated in Figure 4A includes a printer selection field 51, an edited image display area SA11, an editing settings area SA12, and various operation buttons.

[0027] The printer selection field 51 is an object that accepts the selection of the printer to be controlled. The editing screen 50 displays an image of the printer according to the selection in the printer selection field 51. For example, if label printer 3A is selected, image 52A is displayed; if label printer 3B is selected, image 52B is displayed; and if label printer 3C is selected, image 52C is displayed.

[0028] The editing settings area SA12 is an area that accepts editing of objects selected by the object selection button group 53. Objects that can be selected by the object selection button group 53 include, for example, text objects and graphic objects. Figure 4A shows that a text object has been selected by the object selection button group 53, and the items for editing the text object are displayed in the editing settings area SA12. The items for editing the text object include, for example, a font selection field 71 that accepts font selection. Next to the font selection field 71, a toggle button 72 is displayed for switching between the fonts that can be selected in the font selection field 71. The font selection field 71 is an example of a "font selection object". The toggle button 72 is an example of a "toggle button object".

[0029] The editing screen 50 includes a print execution button 54 and a transfer print button 55. The print execution button 54 is an operator that accepts a print command to execute the print process described later. The transfer print button 55 is an operator that accepts a transfer print command to execute the transfer print process described later.

[0030] The toggle display control process will be explained based on Figure 3. The CPU 11 acquires the model information of the label printer 3 selected in S12 or S13 of Figure 2 (S31). The model information is information indicating the model of the label printer 3. S31 is an example of an "acquisition process" or "acquisition step". The CPU 11 may acquire the model information when the label printer 3 is selected and store it in memory 12, or it may access the selected label printer 3 when executing S31 and acquire the model information. In addition, when acquiring the model information, the CPU 11 also acquires information about the fonts that the selected label printer 3 has.

[0031] Based on the model information obtained in S31, the CPU 11 determines whether the selected label printer is a model that supports transfer printing (S32). For example, if label printer 3A or label printer 3B is selected, the CPU 11 has obtained model information in S31 indicating that it is a model that supports the transfer printing function, so it determines that the selected label printer is a model that supports transfer printing. If the CPU 11 determines that it is a model that supports transfer printing (S32: YES), it sets the toggle button 72 to be placed on the editing screen 50, as shown in Figure 4A (S33).

[0032] As shown in Figure 3, the CPU 11, which has placed the toggle button 72 on the editing screen 50, determines whether the selected label printer 3 is a model with a keyboard based on its capabilities information (S41). The capabilities information may be obtained when the label creation application 41 is started or when the PC 1 is started, or it may be obtained when the toggle display control process is executed. For example, label printer 3A is a model with a keyboard 31A. If label printer 3A is selected, the CPU 11 determines that it is a model with a keyboard based on the capabilities information of label printer 3A (S41: YES). Models with keyboards are expected to have a lot of text editing and rendering done on the label printer side, and it is assumed that printer-compatible fonts will be used. Therefore, if the model has a keyboard (S41: YES), the CPU 11 sets the initial state of the toggle button 72 to ON (S42) and terminates the toggle display control process. For example, as shown in Figure 4A, the CPU 11 indicates that the toggle button 72 is in the ON state by setting the display frame 72a to surround the toggle button 72 on the editing screen 50. When the toggle button 72 is ON, it means that the first font list 71a, which includes only printer-compatible fonts, can be displayed. The group of options shown in the first font list 71a is an example of the "first group of options".

[0033] For example, label printer 3B is a model that supports the transfer printing function, but it does not have a keyboard. Models without a keyboard are not intended for text editing on the label printer 3B side. In such models, even if there is a rendering function, the frequency of use of transfer printing is low, and the transfer printing function is expected to be used only in exceptional cases. Therefore, if the model does not have a keyboard (S41: NO), the CPU 11 sets the initial state of the toggle button 72 located on the editing screen 50 to off (S43), even though it is a model that supports the transfer printing function, and terminates the toggle display control process. For example, as shown in Figure 4B, the CPU 11 indicates that the toggle button 72 is in the off state by setting the display frame 72a not to be placed on the editing screen 50. The off state of the toggle button 72 means that the second font list 71b, which includes printer-compatible fonts and printer-incompatible fonts, can be displayed. The group of choices shown in the second font list 71b is an example of the "second group of choices".

[0034] Furthermore, label printer 3C is a model that does not support the transfer printing function. When label printer 3C is selected, CPU 11 does not obtain model information indicating that it is a model that supports the transfer printing function, and therefore determines that the selected label printer 3C is not a model that supports the transfer printing function. Models that do not support the transfer printing function do not need to be limited to printer-compatible fonts. Therefore, if it is not a model that supports the transfer printing function (S32: NO), CPU 11 sets it so that the toggle button 72 is not placed on the editing screen 50, as shown in Figure 4C (S36), and terminates the toggle display control process. In other words, the label creation application 41 is set so that it does not accept switching operations of the font selection group. When the toggle is hidden, the font selection field 71 is set so that only the second font list 71b can be displayed.

[0035] Returning to Figure 2, the CPU 11 displays the editing screen 50 (S15). The CPU 11 displays the toggle button 72 and the display frame 72a on the editing screen 50 according to the settings of the toggle display control process. Specifically, if the label printer 3 to be selected is a model that supports transfer printing and has a keyboard, the toggle button 72 is displayed in the ON state; if the label printer 3 to be selected is a model that supports transfer printing but does not have a keyboard, the toggle button 72 is displayed in the OFF state; and if the label printer 3 to be selected is not a model that supports transfer printing, the toggle button 72 is hidden. S15 is an example of a "display process" and a "display step".

[0036] The CPU 11 determines whether or not it has received an editing operation related to text on the editing screen 50 (S21). If the CPU 11 determines that it has received an editing operation related to text (S21: YES), it executes the text editing process (S22) and proceeds to S23. Editing operations related to text include, for example, adding a text object, entering text, switching the toggle button 72, and selecting a font. The text editing process is executed each time an editing operation related to text is received, and the text is edited according to the operation. The text editing process will be described later. If the CPU 11 determines that it has not received an editing operation related to text (S21: NO), it skips S22 and proceeds to S23.

[0037] The CPU 11, having proceeded to S23, determines whether it has accepted any other operations. For example, if an object other than a text object is selected in the object selection button group 53 of the editing screen 50 shown in Figure 4A, or if the operation of the print execution button 54 shown in Figure 4A is accepted, or if the operation of the transfer print button 55 is accepted, the CPU 11 determines that it has accepted any other operations (S23:YES), executes the processing corresponding to each operation (S24), and proceeds to S25. The processing executed in response to the operation of the print execution button 54 and the processing executed in response to the operation of the transfer print button 55 will be described later. If the CPU 11 does not accept any other operations (S23:NO), it skips S24 and proceeds to S25.

[0038] In S25, the CPU 11 decides whether or not to finish editing the label data (S25). The CPU 11 continues editing the label until it receives a finish command to finish editing the label on the editing screen 50 (S25: NO). On the other hand, when the CPU 11 receives a finish command via the editing screen 50, it decides to finish editing (S25: YES) and terminates the label editing process.

[0039] <Text editing process> The text editing process described above will be explained based on Figure 5. The CPU 11 determines whether the text editing operation is a toggle operation that switches the toggle button 72 (S51).

[0040] For example, as shown in Figure 4A, if label printer 3A is selected and text object TO1 is also selected, CPU 11 initially displays the editing screen 50 with the toggle button 72 in the ON state. When the toggle button 72 is ON, CPU 11 accepts operation of the pull-down button in the font selection field 71 and displays the first font list 71a on the editing screen 50. The first font list 71a includes only printer-compatible fonts (fonts P1, P2) that are available on the label printer 3A as font options. This allows the user to easily select one printer-compatible font that the label printer 3A can render (for example, "font P2").

[0041] When the toggle button 72, which is in the ON state as shown in Figure 4A, is switched to the OFF state as shown in Figure 6A (S51: YES), the CPU 11 switches the first font list 71a to the second font list 71b (S52). The second font list 71b includes fonts that are compatible with the label printer 3A (fonts P1, P2) and fonts that are not compatible with the label printer 3A (fonts S1~S6, P3), i.e., fonts stored in the font file 42, as a set of font options. As a result, when the user edits labels that will not be transferred and printed, i.e., labels that do not need to be edited on the label printer 3A, they can turn off the toggle button 72 and select a font that is not compatible with the printer (for example, "font S5") from the second font list 71b, improving convenience.

[0042] Furthermore, for example, as shown in Figure 4B, if label printer 3B is selected and text object TO2 is also selected, CPU 11 initially displays the editing screen 50 with the toggle button 72 in the off state. When the toggle button 72 is in the off state, CPU 11, upon receiving an operation on the pull-down button in the font selection field 71, displays a second font list 71b on the editing screen 50, which includes printer-compatible fonts (fonts P1, P3) that are present in label printer 3B and font-incompatible fonts (fonts S1~S6, P2) that are not present in label printer 3B. In other words, it displays a font list of fonts held by the font file 42 of PC1. This makes it possible to include printer-incompatible fonts in the font selection even if the controlled object is label printer 3B which supports the transfer printing function, thus avoiding a reduction in user convenience.

[0043] When the toggle button 72, which is in the off state as shown in Figure 4B, is switched to the on state as shown in Figure 6B (S51: YES), the CPU 11 switches the second font list 71b to the first font list 71a, which contains only the printer-compatible fonts (fonts P1 and P3) of the label printer 3B (S52). This allows the user to easily select fonts that the label printer 3B can render when selecting the label printer 3B for transfer printing.

[0044] In this case, as shown in Figure 4B, if one of the printer-incompatible fonts is selected, and the toggle button 72 is switched from the off state to the on state, the second font list 71b is switched to the first font list 71a, and as shown in Figure 6B, one of the fonts included in the first font list 71a (in Figure 6B, "Font P1") may be forcibly selected. At this time, a dialog box 75 indicating that the font selection has been switched may be displayed on the editing screen 50. The CPU 11 becomes able to accept another operation via the editing screen 50 when the OK button 76 of the dialog box 75 is operated.

[0045] Furthermore, if one of the printer-incompatible fonts is selected and the system switches to the first font list 71a by toggling button 72, CPU 11 may leave the font selection field 71 blank, meaning no font is specified. In addition, in dialog box 75, the system may ask the user whether or not to switch the font selection, and if the user selects not to switch, CPU 11 may cancel the toggling operation that switches toggle button 72 from the off state to the on state.

[0046] As shown in Figure 4C, if the toggle button 72 is not displayed on the editing screen 50, the toggle button 72 will not be switched. In this case (S51:NO), the CPU 11 skips S52 and proceeds to S53.

[0047] As shown in Figure 5, the CPU 11, which proceeds to S53, determines whether the editing operation on the text is a modification of the text object (S53).

[0048] For example, if text objects TO2 and TO3 are added to the label shown in Figure 4A, as shown in Figure 6C, CPU 11 determines that the text object has been modified, as shown in Figure 5. CPU 11 also determines that the text object has been modified if text object TO2 is deleted.

[0049] When the text object is changed (S53:YES), CPU 11 changes the selected text object while maintaining the current selection of label printer 3 (S59), and then proceeds to S61. In this case, CPU 11 does not execute the toggle display control process in S56, and therefore maintains the display state of the toggle button 72. For example, the toggle button 72 remains in the ON state and is displayed on the editing screen 50.

[0050] On the other hand, if, for example, the selection of text object TO1 in the editing screen 50 shown in Figure 4A is not changed (S53: NO), the CPU 11 determines whether the editing operation related to the text is a change of label printer 3 or not (S54).

[0051] For example, if the label printer 3 is changed in the printer selection field 51 of the editing screen 50 (S54: YES), the CPU 11 changes the selected printer. When the CPU 11 changes the selected printer (S55), it executes the toggle display control process shown in Figure 3 (S56) and switches the display of the toggle button 72 according to the initial state of the changed label printer 3 (S57). For example, if the controlled object is changed from label printer 3A to label printer 3B, the CPU 11 sets the toggle button 72 to the off state and displays the toggle button 72 on the editing screen 50 without the display frame 72a. Also, for example, if the controlled object is changed from label printer 3A to label printer 3C, the CPU 11 does not display the toggle button 72 and the display frame 72a on the editing screen 50. Furthermore, for example, if the controlled object is changed from label printer 3B to label printer 3A, the CPU 11 adds the display frame 72a to the toggle button 72. After that, the CPU 11 proceeds to S61.

[0052] The CPU 11 determines whether it has accepted any other text editing operations (S61) if it has not changed the text object or the printer (S54:NO, S555:NO), if it has changed the text object (S59), or if it has changed the display of the toggle button 72 (S57). If the CPU 11 determines that it has accepted any other text editing operations (S61:YES), it edits the text according to the editing operation (S62) and terminates the text editing process. For example, if the CPU 11 accepts an operation to input text such as a string or date while a text object is selected (S61:YES), it converts the entered text to the font selected in the font selection field 71 and places it on the text object (S62). On the other hand, if the CPU 11 determines that it has not accepted any other text editing operations (S61:NO), it skips S62 and terminates the text editing process.

[0053] The CPU 11 executes text editing processing in response to editing operations related to text, so that, for example, as shown in Figure 6C, multiple text objects TO1, TO2, and TO3 can be placed in the printable area of ​​the label data. The CPU 11 selects one of the multiple text objects TO1, TO2, and TO3 (in Figure 6C, text object TO3) (S53), and accepts the specification of a font (for example, "font P2"), and can accept the switching operation of the toggle button 72 (for example, in Figure 6D, the toggle button 72 is switched from the on state to the off state) (S51:YES, S52). Subsequently, even if the selection of a text object is switched to another text object (for example, in Figure 6D, text object TO2) (S53:YES), the CPU 11 maintains the selection of the label printer 3A (S54) and continues to display the first font list 71a.

[0054] Thus, the label creation application 41 displays a font list for each label, rather than for each of the multiple text objects TO1, TO2, and TO3. Therefore, the label creation application 41 can avoid mixing printer-compatible fonts and non-compatible fonts in a single label data file and select a font suitable for the selected label printer 3A.

[0055] <Printing process> The printing process described above will be explained with reference to Figure 7. When the CPU 11 receives an operation of the print execution button 54 on the editing screen 50, it renders the label data edited on the editing screen 50 to generate print data (S81) and outputs it to the label printer 3 selected in the printer selection field 51 (S82). The label printer 3, having received the print data, performs printing based on the print data and creates the label.

[0056] In this printing process, labels edited using the label creation application 41 are rendered by the label creation application 41 and not by the label printer 3. Therefore, even if the edited labels include labels that are not compatible with the label printer 3, the label printer 3 can still print the labels properly.

[0057] <Transfer and Printing Process> The transfer and printing process described above will be explained with reference to Figure 8. When the CPU 11 receives an operation on the transfer and printing button 55 on the editing screen 50, it uses the label creation application 41 to execute the transfer and printing process shown in Figure 8.

[0058] CPU 11 determines whether the edited label data contains text objects with printer-incompatible fonts specified (S71). If the edited label data does not contain text objects with printer-incompatible fonts specified (S71: NO), CPU 11 outputs the layout data to the selected label printer 3 in S74 (S74) and terminates the transfer printing process.

[0059] When the controlled object is a label printer 3A, the label printer 3A waits for a print command input via the keyboard 31A. The label printer 3A displays the received layout data on its display unit and accepts operations using the keyboard 31A to add or delete text objects from the layout data, or to change the text set in the text objects included in the layout data. When the label printer 3A receives a print execution command via the keyboard 31A or other operation unit, it renders the modified layout data and prints the rendered image. Therefore, users can edit the text of the layout data and print it using the label printer 3A at the site where the label printer 3A is installed, enabling highly flexible printing. The label printer 3A may also execute printing automatically without requiring input of a print execution command.

[0060] For example, if the controlled object is a label printer 3B, the label printer 3B, upon receiving the layout data, renders the received layout data and prints the rendered image. The label printer 3B may also perform printing in response to the operation of a print button on the unit itself or from an operation on a PC.

[0061] Furthermore, if the label printer 3C is selected as the target in the editing screen 50, the CPU 11 does not display the transfer print button 55 on the editing screen 50, as shown in Figure 4C. In other words, the transfer print process is not executed when the label printer 3C is selected. Therefore, even if the label creation application 41 has selected the label printer 3C and a font that is not compatible with the printer is specified in the label, the PC1 will render the label using the fonts available on the PC1 and output it to the label printer 3C, thus enabling the label printer 3C to perform appropriate printing.

[0062] As shown in Figure 8, if the edited label data contains a text object with a printer-incompatible font specified (S71: YES), the CPU 11 uses the user IF 13 to notify the user of the font incompatibility (S72) and proceeds to S73. S72 is an example of a "guidance process," "warning process," and "guidance step."

[0063] Figure 9 shows an example of a font incompatibility notification. For example, the transfer print screen 80 shown in Figure 9 displays a printer display field 81 that shows the selected printer and a preview screen 82 of the label data to be printed. In this configuration, with label printer 3A selected, the font "Font S5", which is an incompatible font for the printer, is set in text objects TO1, TO2, and TO3. Since the label data is set to an incompatible font for the printer, the CPU 11 displays a font incompatibility notification 83 on the transfer print screen 80. The font incompatibility notification 83 includes a warning 83a that the specified incompatible font for the printer will not be printed properly. The font incompatibility notification 83 also includes guidance 83b that the font list in the font selection field 71 can be switched to the first font list 71a by switching the toggle button 72. The transfer print screen 80 includes a transfer button 85 and a cancel button 86.

[0064] As shown in Figure 8, when the CPU 11 receives a transfer execution instruction in response to the operation of the transfer button 85 (S73: transfer execution instruction), it uses the communication IF 14 to output layout data containing text objects with printer-incompatible fonts to the selected label printer 3A (S74), and terminates the transfer printing process. The layout data is data that has not been rendered. S74 is an example of "output processing" and "output step".

[0065] When label printer 3A receives layout data containing unsupported fonts, it converts the unsupported fonts to one of its supported fonts (for example, "Font P1") during rendering, and then renders and prints the data. As a result, the print output may not be what the user intended.

[0066] On the other hand, when the CPU 11 receives a cancellation instruction in response to the operation of the cancel button 86 (S73: Transfer execution instruction), it terminates the transfer printing process without outputting the layout data to the selected label printer 3A. For example, a user can avoid unintended printing by checking the warning 83a, realizing that they cannot print labels as intended, and operating the cancel button 86.

[0067] Furthermore, warning 83a may include information that notifies the user of text objects that have specified an unsupported font. This would allow the user to easily identify text objects that have specified an unsupported font, even if the font specification differs for each text object.

[0068] Based on the instructions 83b, the user can switch the toggle button 72 from the off state to the on state. When the toggle button 72 is switched to the on state, the first font list 71a is displayed in the font selection field 71. For example, the user changes the font "Font S5" specified in the text objects TO1, TO2, and TO3 to the printer-compatible font "Font P2" and restarts the transfer print. The label printer 3A renders and prints the layout data. As a result, it can be expected that the label printer 3A will render and print the layout data containing only the text objects for which the printer-compatible font is specified, and that the user will perform the printing as intended.

[0069] <Summary> As explained above, the label creation application 41 in this form accepts a switch operation to either set the font selection options available on the editing screen 50 to a first font list 71a that includes only printer-compatible fonts, or to set it to a second font list 71b that includes both printer-compatible and non-printer-compatible fonts. Users who only want to use printer-compatible fonts can avoid selecting non-printer-compatible fonts by setting the font selection options available on the editing screen 50 to the first font list 71a. On the other hand, it is also possible to set the font selection options available on the editing screen 50 to the second font list 71b, so users who are not particular about using only printer-compatible fonts can switch to the second font list 71b to select fonts including non-printer-compatible fonts, without reducing the user's convenience when selecting fonts.

[0070] Furthermore, if the controlled label printer 3C does not support the transfer printing function, there is no need to limit the font selection to printer-compatible fonts. In this case, the label creation application 41 hides the toggle button 72. This prevents users who do not need to be limited to printer-compatible fonts from unintentionally switching the toggle button 72 and limiting the font selection to printer-compatible fonts.

[0071] The embodiments disclosed herein are merely illustrative and do not limit the present invention in any way. Therefore, the technology disclosed herein can naturally be improved and modified in various ways without departing from its essence.

[0072] The font incompatibility notification shown in S72 of Figure 8 may display either warning 83a or guidance 83b on the user interface 13. Alternatively, warning 83a and guidance 83b may be displayed on separate screens.

[0073] For example, the font incompatibility notification shown in S72 of Figure 8 may be omitted. However, the label creation application 41 displays the guidance 83b on the user interface 13, which is expected to encourage the use of the switching operation from the next time onward. In addition, the label creation application 41 can prevent unintended printing by displaying the warning 83a on the user interface 13.

[0074] For example, steps S41 to S43 in Figure 3 may be omitted. However, even for models that support transfer printing, there are some models where it is not necessary to limit the selection to printer-compatible fonts. For example, the label printer 3B, which does not have a keyboard, does not have a keyboard and is not intended for editing layout data, so there will be many print jobs that do not require editing on the printer side, and the need to limit the selection to printer-compatible fonts is low. Therefore, even for the label printer 3B, which is a model that supports transfer printing and allows switching of the toggle button 72, the label creation application 41 can provide an editing screen 50 that is more suitable for actual operation by controlling whether the initial state of the font selection object is the first font list 71a or the second font list 71b.

[0075] For example, step S56 in Figure 5 may be omitted, and the display state of the toggle button 72 does not need to be automatically switched based on the initial state of the changed printer. However, if the label printer 3 to be controlled is changed, the label creation application 41 can provide an editing screen suitable for the current controlled device by determining whether or not the toggle button 72 can be switched and the initial values ​​of the font selection object options according to the model of the changed label printer 3.

[0076] For example, step S54 in Figure 5 may be omitted, and the first font list 71a and the second font list 71b may be switched in response to changes in the text object. However, the label creation application 41 can avoid selecting an inappropriate font by switching the selectable options in the font selection object for each label, rather than for each text object.

[0077] For example, the switching operation between the first font list 71a and the second font list 71b is not limited to the operation of the toggle button 72; it can be done by operating icons or selecting options in a menu.

[0078] Furthermore, in any flowchart disclosed in the embodiments, the execution order of any multiple processes in any multiple steps can be arbitrarily changed or executed in parallel, as long as no inconsistencies arise in the processing content.

[0079] Furthermore, the processes disclosed in the embodiments may be executed by a single CPU, multiple CPUs, hardware such as an ASIC, or a combination thereof. Also, the processes disclosed in the embodiments can be implemented in various forms, such as a recording medium or method that stores a program for executing the process. [Explanation of symbols]

[0080] 1 PC 3, 3A, 3B, 3C Label Printers 13 User Interface 41 Label creation app

Claims

1. A program that can be executed by an information processing device connected to a label printer and has a label editing function, The aforementioned information processing device, An editing screen that accepts label editing, wherein a font selection object that accepts font selection is placed on the editing screen, is displayed on the user interface of the information processing device by executing a display process. The aforementioned information processing device further includes: The font selection object is configured to accept a switching operation to determine whether the selectable options constitute a first group of options or a second group of options, wherein the first group of options includes only printer-compatible fonts, which are fonts possessed by the label printer, and the second group of options includes both printer-compatible fonts and non-printer-compatible fonts, which are fonts not possessed by the label printer. A program configured in such a way.

2. A program according to claim 1, The aforementioned information processing device, The system executes an acquisition process to obtain model information indicating the model of the label printer. If the model information obtained in the acquisition process is a specific model, the editing screen that enables the switching operation is displayed on the user interface of the information processing device. If the model information obtained in the acquisition process is not the specified model, the switching operation is disabled, and the editing screen, in which the selectable options in the font selection object are the second set of options, is displayed on the user interface of the information processing device. A program configured in such a way.

3. A program according to claim 2, The aforementioned information processing device, It is possible to execute an output process that outputs layout data showing the layout of the label edited on the editing screen, and the said layout data is unrendered data, and the label printer has models that support a specific printing function and models that do not support the said specific printing function, and the said specific printing function is a function in which the label printer renders the said layout data output by the output process and prints based on the print image generated by the rendering, The aforementioned information processing device further includes: The model that supports the aforementioned specific printing function is designated as the aforementioned specific model. A program configured in such a way.

4. A program according to claim 3, The aforementioned information processing device, When an instruction is given to output the layout data containing a text object with a printer-incompatible font specified, the user interface of the information processing device is instructed to display a notification indicating that the font selection object can be switched to the first selection group by the switching operation. A program configured in such a way.

5. A program according to claim 3, The aforementioned information processing device, When an instruction is given to output the layout data containing a text object with the specified printer-incompatible font, a warning process is executed to display a warning on the user interface of the information processing device that the specified printer-incompatible font will not be printed. A program configured in such a way.

6. A program according to claim 2, The aforementioned specified models include the first specified model and the second specified model. The aforementioned information processing device, If the model indicated in the model information acquired in the acquisition process is the first specific model, the switching operation is enabled, and the editing screen, in which the initial state of the selectable options in the font selection object is the first group of options, is displayed on the user interface of the information processing device. If the model indicated in the model information acquired in the acquisition process is the second specific model, the switching operation is enabled, and the editing screen, in which the initial state of the selectable options in the font selection object is the second group of options, is displayed on the user interface of the information processing device. A program configured in such a way.

7. A program according to claim 6, The aforementioned information processing device, It is possible to execute an output process that outputs layout data showing the layout of the label edited on the editing screen, and the said layout data is unrendered data, and the label printer has models that support a specific printing function and models that do not support the said specific printing function, and the said specific printing function is a function in which the label printer renders the said layout data output by the output process and prints based on the print image generated by the rendering, The aforementioned information processing device further includes: A model that supports the specified printing function and has a keyboard that accepts text input is designated as the first specified model, and a model that supports the specified printing function but does not have the keyboard is designated as the second specified model. A program configured in such a way.

8. A program according to claim 6, The aforementioned information processing device, Allows the system to accept changes to the controlled label printer. The aforementioned information processing device further includes: When the label printer to be controlled is changed by the aforementioned modification operation, the system determines whether or not to enable the switching operation according to the model of the changed label printer, and further determines whether the initial state of the selectable options in the font selection object should be the first set of options or the second set of options. A program configured in such a way.

9. A program according to claim 1, The aforementioned information processing device, The editing screen allows multiple text objects to be placed on a label, and allows the font selection of each text object using the font selection object. Even if the selection is changed to another of the multiple text objects after the switching operation has been performed with one of the multiple text objects selected, the selectable options in the font selection object are not changed. A program configured in such a way.

10. A program according to claim 1, The aforementioned information processing device, The editing screen on which the toggle button object that accepts the switching operation is placed is displayed on the user interface of the information processing device. A program configured in such a way.

11. A method for controlling an information processing device connected to a label printer, The process includes a display step of displaying an editing screen that accepts label editing, wherein a font selection object that accepts font selection is placed on the editing screen, on the user interface of the information processing device, The aforementioned display step further: The font selection object can accept a switching operation to change whether the selectable options are a first group of options or a second group of options, wherein the first group of options includes only printer-compatible fonts that the label printer has, and the second group of options includes both printer-compatible fonts and non-printer-compatible fonts that the label printer does not have. Control method.

12. A control method for an information processing device according to claim 11, The process includes an acquisition step to obtain model information indicating the model of the label printer, The aforementioned display step further: If the model indicated in the model information acquired in the acquisition step is a specific model, the editing screen that enables the switching operation is displayed on the user interface of the information processing device. If the model information obtained in the acquisition step is not a specific model, the switching operation is disabled, and the editing screen, in which the selectable options in the font selection object are the second set of options, is displayed on the user interface of the information processing device. Control method.

13. A control method for an information processing device according to claim 12, The output step includes outputting layout data showing the layout of the label edited on the editing screen, wherein the layout data is unrendered data, and the label printer includes models that support a specific printing function and models that do not support the specific printing function, wherein the specific printing function is a function in which the label printer renders the layout data output by the output step and prints based on the print image generated by the rendering. The aforementioned display step further: The model that supports the aforementioned specific printing function is referred to as the aforementioned specific model. Control method.

14. A control method for an information processing device as described in claim 13, When an instruction is given to output the layout data which includes a text object with a specified printer-incompatible font, the information processing device includes a guidance step in which it displays a message on the user interface indicating that the font selection object can be switched to the first group of options by the switching operation. Control method.

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