Printing control program and information processing device

Abstract

To provide a print control program configured to facilitate a user in creating a plurality of print labels used for forming a set of images by combining a plurality of print images, and an information processing apparatus.SOLUTION: A print control program causes a CPU of an operation terminal to execute: a procedure S5 to acquire an appearance image with a plurality of colors; a procedure S15 to identify each of the colors in the acquired appearance image; procedures S25 and S50 to specify a cartridge of a lowermost layer label and a cartridge of an upper layer label, based on a result of the identification; procedures S45 and S55 to generate label data of the lowermost layer label and label data of the upper layer label specified in the procedures S25 and S50, using the appearance image; and a procedure S70 to print the generated label data using the cartridge of the lowermost layer label and the cartridge of the upper layer label specified in the procedures S25 and S50.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a print control program executed by an information processing apparatus and to an information processing apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method of creating a tape on which a print image is printed using a tape printing device, and a user creates a label by overlapping multiple pieces of printed tape on each other. The image display device of Patent Document 1 displays an editing screen for editing each tape print image by selecting a screen display tag. Furthermore, when there are multiple tape print images, a composite image in which each tape print image is overlapped is displayed on a composite image display screen different from the editing screen in response to a user operation. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-17937 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-mentioned conventional technology, a composite image is not displayed until multiple tape print images are created. In other words, a user must first consider how to overlap print labels with the colors and designs they have to create a stacked label with the appearance they desire, edit the contents of each print label, and then create each print label. In this way, creating each print label to combine multiple print images to form a set of images is a cumbersome task for the user.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a technique that allows a user to easily create a plurality of print labels for combining a plurality of printed images to form a set of images. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the print control program causes a calculation unit provided in an information processing device to execute the following steps: an image acquisition process for acquiring an appearance image composed of multiple colors; a color identification process for identifying each of the multiple colors in the appearance image acquired by the image acquisition process; a medium identification process for identifying multiple print medium types including a first print medium type and a second print medium type based on the identification results of the color identification process; a data generation process for using the appearance image to generate first print data corresponding to the first print medium type identified by the medium identification process and second print data corresponding to the second print medium type; and a printing process for printing the first print data generated by the data generation process using a print medium of the first print medium type identified by the medium identification process, and printing the second print data generated by the data generation process using a print medium of the second print medium type identified by the medium identification process.

[0007] In addition, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the information processing device comprises an image acquisition means for acquiring an appearance image composed of multiple colors, a color identification means for identifying each of the multiple colors in the appearance image acquired by the image acquisition means, a medium identification means for identifying multiple corresponding print medium types based on the identification results by the color identification means, a data generation means for using the appearance image to generate first print data corresponding to the first print medium type identified by the medium identification means and second print data corresponding to the second print medium type identified by the medium identification means, and a print instruction means for printing the first print data generated by the data generation means using a print medium of the first print medium type identified by the medium identification means, and printing the second print data using a print medium of the second print medium type identified by the medium identification means.

[0008] The print control program and information processing device generate multiple print data from an exterior image composed of multiple colors and print each of them using a different type of print medium, so that multiple printed labels, which are printed labels of the multiple print data, can be easily created.

[0009] The present invention is not limited to a print control program and an information processing device, but may be appropriately applied to, for example, an editing method executed by a print control program, a print control system, and the like. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, a user can easily create a plurality of print labels. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a system configuration diagram illustrating a schematic overall configuration of a printing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of an operation terminal and a label printer. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an internal configuration of the cartridge. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display of an editing screen for editing overlay label data on an operation terminal. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image list screen of label data decomposed by the data conversion process. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a relationship between a composite object and object elements. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a cartridge management table. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a control procedure for a data conversion process executed by a CPU of an operation terminal. [Figure 9] 13 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a display mode of cartridge data is changed according to a usage history. FIG. [Figure 10]10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a control procedure for changing a display mode of cartridge data in accordance with a usage history. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a partial attachment permission setting for a text object. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a protection setting for a text object. [Figure 13] 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a control procedure for a data conversion process corresponding to a partial attachment permission setting and a protection setting. [Figure 14] 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a control procedure for text object handling processing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] <Overall system configuration> FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of a printing system according to this embodiment. In FIG. 1, the printing system 1 includes, for example, a label printer 2 and an operation terminal 3 configured as a general-purpose personal computer. The operation terminal 3 is connected to the label printer 2 so that they can send and receive information to and from each other, and in the illustrated example, the operation terminal 3 is connected via wired communication. Although not particularly illustrated, the operation terminal 3 may be connected to the label printer 2 via wireless communication. The operation terminal 3 may be a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet PC other than the above-mentioned general-purpose personal computer. The wired communication may be a wired LAN such as ETHERNET (registered trademark) or a USB connection, and the wireless communication may be a wireless LAN such as WiFi (registered trademark) or Bluetooth (registered trademark). The label printer 2 creates a print label L based on a user's operation on the operation terminal 3. The label printer 2 is an example of a printing device, the operation terminal 3 is an example of an information terminal, and each of the operation terminal 3 and the label printer 2 is an example of an information processing device.

[0014] <Operation terminal> As shown in FIG. 2, the operation terminal 3 includes a CPU 31, a memory 32 such as a RAM or a ROM, an operation unit 33, a display unit , a communication control unit 35, and a large-capacity storage device .

[0015] The operation unit 33 is configured with, for example, a mouse and keyboard, into which instructions and information are input from the user. The display unit 34 is configured with, for example, a liquid crystal display, and displays various information and messages. In this example, the communication control unit 35 controls the sending and receiving of signals to and from the label printer 2 via the wired communication. The mass storage device 36 stores various programs and information. The CPU 31 performs various processes and sends and receives various signals to and from the label printer 2 according to programs stored in advance in the ROM or mass storage device 36 while utilizing the temporary storage function of the RAM. In this example, a print data editing program, object data, a cartridge management table, and the like, which will be described later, are stored in advance in the memory 32 or mass storage device 36.

[0016] <Label printer> 2, the label printer 2 has a control circuit 21, a cartridge holder 22 to which the cartridge 101 can be attached and detached, a communication control unit 23, a touch panel 41, and a large-capacity storage device 42. The cartridge holder 22 is configured to allow the cartridge 101 to be attached and detached. The control circuit 21 of the label printer 2 is connected to the communication control unit 35 of the operation terminal 3 via the communication control unit 23, thereby enabling the label printer 2 to send and receive information to and from the operation terminal 3. The touch panel 41 is configured by combining a liquid crystal display and a touch pad, and displays various information and messages, and also receives instructions from the user regarding an operation position on the display screen. In this example, the large-capacity storage device 42 stores object data and a cartridge management table, which will be described later, in advance.

[0017] In addition, the CPU 31 described above is an example of a calculation unit, and the display unit 34 is an example of a display unit.

[0018] <Cartridge and cartridge holder> 3 shows the detailed structure of the cartridge 101 and the vicinity of the cartridge holder 22. The cartridge 101 has a housing 101A, a first roll 103 arranged in the housing 101A and wound with a strip-shaped base tape 102, a second roll 105 wound with a transparent cover film 104 having the same width as the base tape 102, a ribbon supply roll 107 that pays out an ink ribbon 106, a ribbon take-up roller 108 that takes up the ink ribbon 106 after printing, and a tape feed roller 109 rotatably supported near the tape discharge portion of the cartridge 101. However, if the cover film 104 is a heat-sensitive tape that can develop a predetermined color by receiving heat, the ink ribbon 106 is not necessary. The first roll 103 and the second roll 105 are actually spiral-shaped, but are simply shown as concentric circles in the figure.

[0019] The first roll 103 has the base tape 102 wound around a reel member 103A. The base tape 102 is configured, for example, by laminating an adhesive layer for bonding, a base layer, an adhesive layer for attachment, and a release material layer in this order from the side wound on the inside of the first roll 103 to the opposite side. The second roll 105 has the cover film 104 wound around a reel member 105A. A tape feed roller 109 presses and bonds the base tape 102 and the cover film 104 together to form a print label tape 110, while feeding the tape.

[0020] The cartridge holder 22 is provided with a ribbon take-up roller drive shaft 27 for taking up the used ink ribbon 106 in the cartridge 101, and a tape feed roller drive shaft 28 for transporting the print label tape 110. The ribbon take-up roller 108 and tape feed roller 109 are rotated in conjunction with each other by the driving force of a transport roller motor (not shown) being transmitted to the ribbon take-up roller drive shaft 27 and the tape feed roller drive shaft 28. The cartridge holder 22 is also provided with a print head 29 for forming a desired print on the cover film 104 being transported.

[0021] Along the transport path of the print label tape 110, a fixed blade 25 and a movable blade 26 that cooperates with the fixed blade 25 to cut the print label tape 110 in the thickness direction are provided downstream of the tape feed roller 109 and the pressure roller 24.

[0022] <Outline of label printer operation> In the label printer 2 configured as above, when the cartridge 101 is attached to the cartridge holder 22, the cover film 104 and the ink ribbon 106 are sandwiched between the print head 29 and the platen roller 30 facing it. The base tape 102 and the cover film 104 are sandwiched between the tape feed roller 109 and the pressure roller 24 facing it. The ribbon take-up roller 108 and the tape feed roller 109 are rotated synchronously in the directions indicated by the arrows B and C in FIG. 3, respectively, to rotate the pressure roller 24 and the platen roller 30. The base tape 102 is unwound from the first roll 103 and supplied to the tape feed roller 109. The cover film 104 is unwound from the second roll 105, and a plurality of heating elements of the print head 29 are energized by a print drive circuit (not shown), whereby characters are printed on the cover film 104. After printing on the cover film 104 has been completed, the ink ribbon 106 is wound up by the ribbon winding roller 108 as driven by the ribbon winding roller drive shaft 27 .

[0023] The base tape 102 and the cover film 104 on which the printing has been completed are bonded and integrated by the tape feed roller 109 and the pressure roller 24, whereby the print label tape 110 is formed and is discharged to the outside of the cartridge 101. The print label tape 110 discharged to the outside of the cartridge 101 is cut by the cooperation of the fixed blade 25 and the movable blade 26, and the print label L is produced.

[0024] <Editing and displaying overlapping labels and converting label data> The background color and object color of the printed label L created by the label printer 2 configured as above are determined by the colors of the base tape 102 and the ink ribbon 106 housed in the housing of the cartridge 101. In other words, in one printed label L, the tape color of the base tape 102 is the background color, and the color of the ink ribbon 106 is the print color of the object, so that only a maximum of two colors can be expressed. However, by laminating a second printed label L on the surface of this printed label L, in which the tape color is transparent (clear) and the object is printed in a new print color, the background color and print color of the lower layer can be seen through, and a printed label L expressed in three colors can be created. The tape color of the base tape 102 is an example of a medium color, and the above-mentioned transparency is an example of a transparent color.

[0025] In this embodiment, a laminated label body that enables expression of three or more colors by laminating a plurality of print labels L so as to overlap each other in the thickness direction is called an overlapping label. A user can overlap and laminate a plurality of print labels L created by the label printer 2 based on the respective label data, and then affix them in this state to an object to be affixed. A display example of such an overlapping label editing screen will be described with reference to FIG.

[0026] 4 shows an example of an overlapping label editing screen displayed as a GUI operation screen on the display unit 34 when the print data editing program is executed on the operation terminal 3. In this embodiment, on this editing screen, the user first performs an arbitrary editing operation to directly edit the entire appearance image (indicated as "composite label image" in the figure) that is ultimately to be expressed on the overlapping label.

[0027] In the illustrated example of the image, three graphic objects J1, J2, and J3, grapes, butterflies, and cherries, are arranged at equal intervals from the left end of the tape frame, which is long and has a predetermined tape width, and text objects T1, T2, and T3 with the corresponding names "Grape," "Butterfly," and "Cherry" are arranged to the right of each of them. The outlines of each of the graphic objects J1, J2, and J3 are drawn with a common frame line printed in black, and the area within each frame is set to be filled with a different single color. The text objects T1, T2, and T3 are set to the same font (point, style) and the same black print color. A predetermined background color different from any of the other print colors described above is set for the entire tape.

[0028] In this embodiment, half-cut lines LH are virtually arranged on the label data at equal intervals of a predetermined length in the longitudinal direction of the tape frame, and in the illustrated example, two half-cut lines LH are arranged to divide the entire tape frame into thirds. Then, corresponding pairs of graphic objects J1, J2, J3 and text objects T1, T2, T3 are arranged to fit within these thirds. The virtual half-cut lines LH are an example of a mark.

[0029] In this way, when the appearance image of the entire target overlapping label is edited by the user's editing operation, the print data editing program internally generates a single set of data by collecting a large number of object data and various parameters that constitute the appearance image. However, as described above, the overlapping label is composed of a plurality of print labels L each having a different print color, and when creating the plurality of print labels L, it is necessary to individually generate label data corresponding to at least each of the different print colors. This label data is an example of print data.

[0030] Therefore, in this embodiment, when the appearance image of the entire overlapped label is edited, for example, the user presses the illustrated disassembly generation button 51 with the cursor CU to execute a data conversion process for disassembling the one aggregate data into a plurality of label data. Then, as shown in Fig. 5, a list screen of print images (indicated as "disassembled label images" in the figure) of the print labels L corresponding to each of the disassembled label data is additionally displayed on the lower side of the editing screen.

[0031] In the example shown in FIG. 5, one set of data corresponding to the edited overlapping labels is decomposed into four label data by the data conversion process. One of the sets of data is the bottom layer label (the uppermost "I" label in the figure) that is stacked on the bottom layer, and the other three are upper layer labels (the "II" to "IV" labels in the figure) that are stacked on the surface of the bottom layer label, and the corresponding print images are displayed in a list. In this data conversion process, one set of data is optimally decomposed into multiple label data so as to satisfy various decomposition conditions described below. The print image corresponding to the bottom layer label is an example of a first print image image, and the print images corresponding to each upper layer label are examples of a second print image image.

[0032] First, for reasons of the configuration of the overlapping labels described above, only the label data corresponding to the bottom layer label is decomposed into two colors, each of which has a different colored tape color and a different print color, and all the label data corresponding to the other upper layer labels is decomposed into a single color expression in which the tape color is made transparent and objects are printed in a single print color. Then, since it is desirable to keep the number of print labels L constituting one overlapping label as small as possible, objects in the same print color are decomposed so that they are printed together on one print label L as much as possible. In other words, all upper layer labels other than the bottom layer label are decomposed into individual label data for each different print color.

[0033] Furthermore, if any of the object data included in the set data is a composite object that combines multiple object elements with different print colors, the object data is decomposed so that the object elements are assigned to each label data separately. Specifically, as in the example of a grape graphic object J1 shown in Figure 6, a composite object J1 that combines an object element J11 that represents a black frame graphic that draws the outline of the graphic and an object element J12 that represents a monochrome graphic that fills the area inside the frame in a monochrome color other than black is decomposed so that the object elements J11 and J12, each expressed in a monochrome color, are assigned to each label data with a different print color separately.

[0034] Also, the print color with the highest dot occupancy in the entire tape area, in other words, the print color with the largest total area in the entire appearance image, is set as the background color and applied to the tape color of the bottom label. This is to prevent the object with the highest dot occupancy from overlapping and overwriting the object on the lower layer when it is assigned to the upper label. For the same reason, all objects in the print color with the second highest dot occupancy, in other words, the print color with the second largest total area in the entire appearance image (black in the illustrated example), are assigned to be printed in that print color on the bottom label. The print color with the largest total area is an example of the first color, and the print color with the second largest total area is an example of the second color.

[0035] Here, the cartridge 101 actually mounted in the label printer 2 is configured to correspond uniquely to a combination of cartridge data such as tape width, tape color, and print color. Therefore, the combination of tape color and print color of the bottom layer label described above needs to be limited to the content corresponding to the configuration of the cartridge 101 of the model number actually manufactured and sold by the manufacturer. For this reason, in this embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, a cartridge management table that stores cartridge data of items such as tape width, tape color, and print color corresponding to each of the cartridge model numbers of many cartridges 101 actually manufactured and sold is stored in advance in the large-capacity storage device 36 of the operation terminal 3. Then, the label data of the bottom layer label is determined so as to match any of the cartridge data registered in this cartridge management table. For this reason, in this embodiment, the cartridge 101 that matches the bottom layer label is identified first, and then the cartridges 101 that match each upper layer label are identified. The item "usage history" in the cartridge management table shown in the figure will be described in detail later.

[0036] Furthermore, if the printing range of the object to be printed on each upper layer label is sufficiently small, creating the upper layer label with the same tape length as the overlapping label will result in a large margin, resulting in a large waste in the length of the base tape 102 used. For this reason, in this embodiment, the overall tape length of the overlapping label is divided into equal intervals of a predetermined length by the above-mentioned virtual half-cut lines LH, and the tape length is shortened to delete the divided areas where the object is not printed, and the label data is corrected (see labels "II" to "IV" in the figure). At least the tape length of each upper layer label is set to be shorter than the overall tape length of the overlapping label. Note that the printing range of the above-mentioned object may be the dot area when the object is a single object, or may be the overall arrangement range of the objects when there are multiple objects. In this case, the position parameters of each object must be converted from the position in the overall tape length of the overlapping label to the position in the correction tape length and rearranged. As a result, the tape length of each upper layer label is set to a length that is an integer multiple of one or more of the predetermined interval between the virtual half-cut lines LH and is the minimum multiple that allows the printed object to be formed. The total tape length of the overlapping labels and the tape length of each upper layer label are examples of the respective print data lengths.

[0037] 5, the cartridge data of the cartridge 101 to be used for creating each printed label L is also displayed to the right of each print image corresponding to each printed label L. In the illustrated example of this cartridge data, the tape width and tape color of the base tape 102 and the ink color (i.e., print color) of the ink ribbon 160 are listed. Note that the cartridge data of each printed label L is also displayed by checking against the above-mentioned cartridge management table, and the corresponding specific model number of the cartridge 101 may also be displayed (not shown in particular).

[0038] In the above, the cartridge 101 is an example of a printing medium, the cartridge 101 corresponding to the bottom layer label is an example of a printing medium of a first printing medium type, the cartridges 101 corresponding to each upper layer label are an example of a printing medium of a second printing medium type, the label data of the bottom layer label is an example of the first printing data, the label data of each upper layer label is an example of the second printing data, the cartridge data of the bottom layer label is an example of first medium type information, and the cartridge data of the upper layer label is an example of second medium type information.

[0039] <Control procedure> An example of the control procedure executed by CPU 31 to realize the above-described technique in this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 8. This control procedure includes the above-described data conversion process and printing process for each label data, and starts the following procedure when the user presses Disassemble / Generate button 51 on the editing screen of the print data editing program shown in Fig. 4.

[0040] In S5, a set of data (abbreviated as "edited label data" in the drawing) corresponding to an appearance image of the overlapping label edited by the user on the edit screen is obtained.

[0041] Then, in S10, the number of objects contained in the acquired collective data is counted.

[0042] Next, in S15, print color information for each object is obtained individually.

[0043] Next, in S20, the recorded contents of the cartridge management table are collated with the print color information of each object to identify model numbers that are candidates for compatible cartridges that can be adapted for each object.

[0044] Next, in S25, an object having the print color with the highest dot occupancy rate is extracted from each object, and from the compatible cartridge candidates identified in S20, a compatible cartridge candidate that can be fitted to the bottom label having the extracted print color with the largest total area as the tape color is identified.

[0045] Next, in S30, it is determined whether or not a composite object is included in each object. If a composite object is not included, the determination is NO, and the process proceeds to S45.

[0046] On the other hand, if a composite object is included in S30, the determination is YES, and the process proceeds to S35. In S35, the composite object is decomposed into object elements with different print colors. Then, in S40, the number of objects increased by the decomposition is added to the count value in S10. Then, the process proceeds to S45.

[0047] In S45, label data for the bottom layer label is generated including an object with the same print color as any of the print colors of the corresponding cartridge candidates for the bottom layer label. Specifically, for each of the corresponding cartridge candidates for the bottom layer label identified in S25, objects with the same print color are grouped. Then, the object in the group with the highest total dot occupancy rate is determined as the object to be printed on the bottom layer label, and the corresponding print color is determined as the print color of the bottom layer label. In other words, the model number of the cartridge 101 corresponding to the bottom layer label is specified by a combination of the tape width, the tape color selected in S25, and the print color selected in S45, and label data in which all objects with the same print color are arranged is generated as the label data for the bottom layer label.

[0048] Next, in S50, a cartridge 101 with an upper layer label of a clear tape color in which the print color of one of the remaining objects is set as the tape print color is identified. Specifically, any of the remaining objects other than the objects included in the bottom layer label that have the same print color are grouped together. Then, assuming that the group is printed together on a single upper layer label, the model number of the cartridge 101 with the combination of print color and clear tape color corresponding to the upper layer label is identified from the compatible cartridge candidates identified in S20.

[0049] Next, in S55, the tape length corresponding to the print ranges of the objects in the same group is adjusted and the objects are rearranged as described above, based on the objects in the same group, and label data for each upper layer label is generated.

[0050] In S60, it is determined whether or not all objects have been placed in any of the label data. If there are any objects that have not yet been placed in any of the label data, the determination is NO and the process returns to S50.

[0051] On the other hand, if all objects have been placed in the label data in S60, the determination is YES, and the process proceeds to S65.

[0052] In S65, a print image of the print label L corresponding to each label data and a list screen of the cartridge data corresponding to each of the label data are additionally displayed at the bottom of the editing screen.

[0053] Then, in S70, each label data is sent to the label printer 2 and an instruction to print them is issued. At this time, a separate print button (not shown) may be displayed and printing instruction is issued when the user presses the button. Then, this flow ends.

[0054] Note that the entire procedure in the above flowchart is an example of a print control program, the procedure S5 is an example of an image acquisition process and an image acquisition means, the procedure S15 is an example of a color identification process and a color identification means, the procedures S25 and S50 are an example of a medium identification process and a medium identification means, the procedures S45 and S55 are an example of a data generation process and a data generation means, the procedure S70 is an example of a printing process and a printing instruction means, the procedure S25 is an example of a first color identification process, the procedure S50 is an example of a second color identification process, the procedure S55 is an example of a length setting process, and the procedure S65 is an example of a display process.

[0055] <Effects of the embodiment> As described above, in this embodiment, the print control program according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 8 generates multiple label data from an external image composed of multiple colors and prints each of the data using a different cartridge 101, so that it is possible to easily create printed labels L for each layer, which are printed labels of multiple label data.

[0056] When the print control program of this embodiment is executed by the CPU 31 of the operation terminal 3, the procedures of S5, S15, S25, S50, S45, S55, and S70 are executed. In the procedure of S5, for example, based on the above-mentioned user's input, aggregate data including a plurality of objects corresponding to an appearance image composed of a plurality of colors, which represents the appearance of one overlapping label, is acquired. Each of the plurality of colors in the acquired aggregate data is identified in the procedure of S15. Based on the identification result of each of the plurality of colors, the model numbers of the corresponding plurality of cartridges 101 are specified in the procedures of S25 and S50. A plurality of label data corresponding to the specified model numbers of the plurality of cartridges 101 are generated in the procedures of S45 and S55. In the procedure of S70, each of the generated plurality of label data is printed using the base tape 102 of the cartridges 101 of the plurality of model numbers specified in the procedures of S25 and S50.

[0057] As described above, according to this embodiment, when a user inputs an appearance image of a plurality of overlapping printed labels L, a plurality of cartridges 101 capable of expressing that appearance are automatically selected. By generating label data corresponding to each of the plurality of cartridges 101, it is also automatically determined which object is to be printed on which cartridge 101. According to this embodiment, a user can easily create each layer of printed labels L to realize an overlapping label with a desired appearance.

[0058] In this embodiment, particularly in the procedures of S25 and S50, the cartridge 101 of the upper label has a transparent color that is the tape color. By making the tape color a transparent color in this manner, it is possible to overwrite and prevent the appearance expressed by the print label L of the lower layer from being erased.

[0059] Furthermore, particularly in this embodiment, based on the identification result in the procedure of S15, the cartridge 101 corresponding to the bottom label is identified before the cartridge 101 corresponding to the top label among the multiple cartridges 101. This allows the identification process for each cartridge 101 to be performed smoothly by identifying the cartridge 101 corresponding to the bottom label before the cartridge 101 whose transparency is the tape color.

[0060] Furthermore, particularly in this embodiment, the CPU 31 is caused to execute a procedure S25 in which the print color having the largest total area in the appearance image of the entire overlapped label is identified from the multiple colors identified in the procedure S15, and in the procedures S25 and S50, the cartridge 101 to be used for creating the print label L to be stacked in the bottom layer is identified, the cartridge 101 having the print color identified in the procedure S25 as the tape color.

[0061] As a result, by identifying the cartridge 101 having the color with the largest total area in the appearance image among the multiple colors identified in step S15 as the cartridge 101 to be stacked in the bottom layer, it is possible to prevent the appearance expressed by the printed label L superimposed on the upper layer from overwriting and erasing the appearance expressed by the printed label L in the lower layer.

[0062] Particularly in this embodiment, the CPU 31 is caused to execute a step S50 for identifying a print color different from the tape color and print color of the cartridge 101 corresponding to the bottom label among the multiple colors identified in the step S15, and the cartridge 101 of the upper label in the identified print color is identified in the steps S25 and S50. This identifies the cartridge 101 of the upper label that has a print color different from the print color that can be expressed by the cartridge 101 of the bottom label among the multiple colors identified in the step S15, so that the cartridge 101 can be smoothly identified.

[0063] Furthermore, particularly in this embodiment, the procedures of S45 and S55 set the print data length corresponding to the print label L of the label above the bottom layer label among the multiple label data to be equal to or less than the print data length corresponding to the print label L stacked in the bottom layer. By not setting the length of the upper layer label to be longer than the bottom layer label in this manner, it becomes easier to overlap multiple print labels L.

[0064] Furthermore, particularly in this embodiment, the base tape 102 and the cover film 104 are long media having a width direction and a length direction, and when the appearance image includes a plurality of imaginary half-cut lines LH representing boundaries at a predetermined interval, the CPU 31 is caused to execute the procedure of S55 of setting the print data length corresponding to the upper layer print label L to a length that is an integer multiple of 1 or more of the predetermined interval and is the minimum multiple capable of forming an object represented by the label data.

[0065] As a result, when the appearance of the overlapping label includes a plurality of pages and the virtual half-cut line LH representing the boundary between the pages is included in the appearance image image, the procedure of S55 is performed for the creation of the print label L to be stacked on the upper layer among the plurality of print labels L. In the procedure of S55, the tape length of the base tape 102 for creating the upper layer print label L is determined in correspondence with the predetermined interval between the plurality of boundaries. Specifically, the length is set to N times the predetermined interval (N is an integer of 1 or more) and the minimum times the length at which an object represented by the label data can be formed. For example, when the above-mentioned boundary is cut to obtain a plurality of pages of overlapping labels, a portion of the upper layer print label L created in common to the plurality of pages that is not required for a specific page is not created by not including it in the required length. According to this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a wasteful margin portion when creating the upper layer print label L.

[0066] In addition, the tape length of the base tape 102 for creating the upper layer label is not limited to the unit of the specified interval between the virtual half-cut lines LH described above, and it is sufficient that a minimum tape length equivalent to the printing range of the object to be printed on the upper layer label is secured.

[0067] Furthermore, particularly in this embodiment, the CPU 31 is further made to execute a procedure of S65 in which the cartridge data representing the cartridge 101 with the bottom layer label and the cartridge 101 with the upper layer label identified by the procedures of S25 and S50 are respectively associated with a label image corresponding to the label data of the bottom layer label and a label image corresponding to the label data of the upper layer label generated by the procedures of S45 and S55, and displayed on the display unit 34 of the operation terminal 3.

[0068] Thereby, as described above, once it is determined which object is to be printed on which cartridge 101 in response to the input image, cartridge data representing each cartridge 101 and each corresponding label image are displayed on the display unit 34. According to this embodiment, the user can easily recognize what type of printed label L will achieve the appearance of the overlapping label that he or she desires.

[0069] In addition to the commonly used types of cartridges 101, there are also types that use a base tape 102 that is more lustrous than usual, and types that use a base tape 102 that is luxuriously decorated with glitter or the like (not shown). In the cartridge management table, the model numbers of these special types of cartridges 101 and the model numbers of normal types of cartridges 101 may be classified in advance, and the user may arbitrarily set which type of cartridge 101 to preferentially use for the bottom label, and the user may specify this in the procedure of S25. The normal type cartridges 101 are an example of the first medium type group, the special type cartridges 101 are an example of the second medium type group, type information set by the user is an example of setting information, and the process of accepting the user's setting is an example of a setting acquisition process.

[0070] This allows the user to set the cartridge 101 to be used preferentially. For example, a priority mode is provided in which the glossy tape or decorative tape is used preferentially over the normal tape. This allows the user to create overlapping labels by using the glossy tape or decorative tape preferentially according to the user's purpose or preference.

[0071] <Changing the Display Format of Cartridge Data According to Usage History (Second Embodiment)> In the first embodiment described above, the procedure of S65 displayed a list of the label images and cartridge data corresponding to each print label L in the same display mode, as shown in Fig. 5. However, there are many model numbers (varieties) of cartridges 101 available on the market, each with a specific combination of tape width, tape color, and print color, and the cartridge data displayed in the list often includes a cartridge 101 with a model number that the user does not own at that time.

[0072] Therefore, in the second embodiment, a cartridge 101 with a model number that has not actually been used in the label printer 2 used by the user is identified as one that the user may not yet own at that time. Then, as it is determined that a new cartridge 101 with that model number needs to be purchased, the corresponding cartridge data is redisplayed in a more emphasized form than the others, as shown in Fig. 9. In the illustrated example, the text and frame of the cartridge data corresponding to the label image of "IV" are displayed in bold. Furthermore, a consumable purchase button 52 that leads to a site where the cartridge 101 can be purchased is additionally displayed.

[0073] For this reason, in the second embodiment, the cartridge management table shown in Fig. 7 is also stored in the large-capacity storage device 42 of the label printer 2, and the usage history is recorded for each model number of cartridge 101 that has been used at least once in the past. The operation terminal 3 then obtains this usage history information from the label printer 2 and collates it with the cartridge data of each generated print label L, thereby determining whether to highlight the corresponding cartridge data and display the consumable purchase button 52.

[0074] An example of a control procedure executed by the CPU 31 to realize the above-described method in the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 10. This control procedure is additionally started after the procedure of S65 in the flowchart of Fig. 9 (before the procedure of S70).

[0075] In S105, a message prompting the user to connect the label printer 2 to the operation terminal 3 is displayed on the display unit .

[0076] Next, in S110, the process loops to wait until the label printer 2 is connected to the operation terminal 3, and when the connection is established, the process proceeds to S115.

[0077] In S115, the message displayed in S105 is erased.

[0078] Next, in S120, information on the usage history of each cartridge model number is obtained from the cartridge management table stored in the label printer 2, and the cartridge management table of the operation terminal 3 is updated.

[0079] Thereafter, in S125, the updated usage history information is referenced to check whether each of the cartridge data for each of the currently generated label data has been used in the past.

[0080] Then, in S130, it is determined whether or not there is any unused cartridge data. If there is no unused cartridge data at all, the determination is NO, and this flow ends.

[0081] On the other hand, in S130, if there is even one unused cartridge data, the determination is YES, and the process proceeds to S135.

[0082] In S135, the cartridge data corresponding to the unused cartridge is redisplayed in a highlighted state, and the consumables purchase button 52 is additionally displayed. Then, this flow ends, and the process proceeds to S70.

[0083] The procedure of S120 is an example of a history acquisition process, and the procedure of S135 is an example of a display process.

[0084] As described above, in the second embodiment, in the procedure of S135, the cartridge data of the cartridge 101 with a history of use in the past and the cartridge data of the cartridge 101 with no history of use in the past are displayed in different formats. As a result, the cartridge 101 with no history of use in the past is displayed in a format different from that of the cartridge 101 with a history of use. According to this modification, the user can reliably recognize that a cartridge 101 that has not been used in the past is necessary to achieve the appearance of the overlaid label that the user desires.

[0085] Furthermore, particularly in the second embodiment, the operation terminal 3 is an information processing device that transmits multiple label data to the label printer 2 for printing in the procedure of S70, and further causes the CPU 31 provided in the operation terminal 3 to execute the procedure of S120 for acquiring the usage history for each model number of the cartridge 101 from the label printer 2. According to the second embodiment, the operation terminal 3 is configured to transmit label data to the label printer 2 for printing, and the CPU 31 of the operation terminal 3 executes the procedure of S120, thereby making it possible to acquire the usage history for each cartridge 101 from the label printer 2.

[0086] <Case where partial attachment permission setting and protection setting can be set (third embodiment)> For example, suppose that the appearance image data D1 of an overlapping label as shown on the left side of each of Figures 11(a) and 11(b) has been edited. The appearance image data D1 of the illustrated example is expressed as text in which the character string "SHAMPOO" is printed in white at the center of the overlapping label, a black background that overlaps the entire text and is arranged over the entire length of the overlapping label in the longitudinal direction of the tape, and a blue vertical striped background that is arranged on the outside of both ends of the black background in the width direction of the tape.

[0087] In the data conversion process for generating multiple label data from this appearance image data D1, if priority is given to minimizing the number of print labels L to be created, it can be converted into label data D2 and D3 for two print labels L as shown in Fig. 11(a). That is, it is decomposed into label data D2 for the bottom layer label, which has the same tape length and tape width as the overlapping label, and has a white tape color over the entire tape with blue vertical stripes printed in a blue print color, and label data D3 for the upper layer label, which has the same tape length as the overlapping label, a narrower tape width, a black tape color over the entire tape, and a text object printed in white in the center. In this case, the tape color of the upper layer label is black and the print color is white, and the upper layer label with a narrower tape width is affixed to a portion of the surface of the bottom layer label with a wider tape width and pasted together. In this manner, attaching the printed label L on the upper layer having a narrower tape width to part of the surface of the printed label L on the lower layer having a wider tape width is referred to below as partial attachment, and a setting that permits the generation of label data D2, D3 for multiple printed labels L in such a relationship is referred to as a partial attachment permission setting.

[0088] However, when the creation of multiple print labels L with different tape widths is not permitted, that is, when the partial attachment permission setting is not permitted, the data must be converted into label data D2, D4, and D5 for three print labels L as shown in FIG. 11(b). That is, all label data has the same tape length and tape width as the overlapping label, and is decomposed into label data D2 for the bottom layer label in which the tape color is white over the entire tape and vertical stripes are printed in blue printing color, label data D4 for the middle layer label in which the tape color is transparent and a strip-shaped object narrower than the tape width of the overlapping label is filled in black printing color, and label data D5 for the top layer label in which the tape color is transparent and a text object is printed in white printing color at the center. The cartridge 101 corresponding to the middle layer label is an example of the fourth print medium type. As described above, the number and contents of the generated label data differ depending on whether the partial attachment permission setting is permitted or not.

[0089] Also, suppose that the appearance image data D11 of an overlapping label as shown on the left side of Fig. 12 has been edited. The appearance image data D11 of the illustrated example is expressed as a white and green checkered pattern (checkered pattern) background for the entire overlapping label, with the character string "LABEL" printed in black at the center.

[0090] In the data conversion process for generating multiple label data D12, D13 from this appearance image data D11, the tape color of the bottom layer label may be set to white and the print color to black, i.e., the text object located on the top side may be selected to be printed on the bottom layer label. In this case, the tape color of the upper layer label is transparent and the check pattern object is printed in green print color, but the check pattern needs to be printed in white to match the print pattern of the text object. Hereinafter, the setting to print the object on the upper layer in white so as not to overlap with the text object printed on the lower layer is referred to as the protection setting of the text object.

[0091] In the third embodiment, the user arbitrarily sets whether or not the partial attachment permission setting is applicable before the execution of the data conversion process, and an example of the control procedure of the data conversion process in this case will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 13. Note that the description of the processes equivalent to those in the above embodiments will be omitted as appropriate.

[0092] First, the steps S5 to S25 are the same as those in the above embodiment, so the description will be omitted. After the step S25, the process proceeds to S27, where it is determined whether or not a text object is included in the collection data. If a text object is not included, the result is NO, and the process proceeds to S30.

[0093] On the other hand, if a text object is included in S27, the determination is YES, and the process executes a text object corresponding process (see FIG. 14) in S200, which will be described later, and then the process proceeds to S30.

[0094] The steps S30 to S50 are the same as those in the above embodiment, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted. After the step S50 is executed (before the step S55 is executed), the process proceeds to S51.

[0095] In S51, it is determined whether or not a protection setting for a text object is set to be applied in the text object corresponding process in S200 described later. If a protection setting for a text object is not applied, the determination is NO, and the process proceeds to S55.

[0096] On the other hand, if the text object protection setting is applied in S51, the determination is YES, and the process proceeds to S52.

[0097] In S52, the position information of the text object and its print pattern are obtained.

[0098] Next, in S53, the print pattern of the object (the green check pattern object in this example) that overlaps with the print pattern of the obtained text object is masked to white out the print pattern, etc. Then, the process proceeds to S55.

[0099] The steps from S55 to S70 are the same as those in the above embodiment, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted. Then, this flow ends.

[0100] Next, an example of a control procedure for the text object handling process in S200 described above will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

[0101] In S205, it is determined whether the print color of the text object matches the tape color or print color of any of the corresponding cartridge candidates of the bottom label. If they do not match, the determination is NO and the process proceeds to S210.

[0102] In S210, the label data for the top layer label in which the text object is included, the tape length is adjusted, and the object is rearranged is generated, and then this flow ends.

[0103] On the other hand, in S205, if the print colors of the text objects match, the determination is YES, and the process proceeds to S215.

[0104] In S215, it is determined whether the background of the text object is set to a single color. If the background of the text object is set to a single color, the determination is YES, and the process proceeds to S220.

[0105] In S220, it is determined whether the solid color of the background of the text object matches the tape color or print color of the bottom label. If the solid color of the background of the text object does not match, the result is NO, and this flow ends.

[0106] On the other hand, in S220, if the solid color of the background of the text object matches, the determination is YES, and the process proceeds to S225.

[0107] In S225, it is determined whether or not the partial attachment permission setting has been set in advance by the user. If the partial attachment permission setting has been set to be applied, the determination is YES, and the process proceeds to S230.

[0108] In S230, the tape length is adjusted by including the text object, the objects are rearranged, and label data for the top layer label is generated with the cartridge data settings in which the width of the entire object is set to the tape width. Then, this flow ends.

[0109] On the other hand, if the background of the text object is not set to a single color in S215, and if the partial attachment permission setting is set not to be applied in S225, the determination is NO, and the process proceeds to S235.

[0110] In S235, the protection settings for the text object are applied, and this flow ends.

[0111] In the above, the procedure of S205 is an example of a first determination process, S210 is an example of a medium identification process and a medium identification means, the cartridge 101 identified in S210 is an example of a third printing medium type, the procedure of S215 is an example of a second determination process, the printing pattern of a text object is an example of an area corresponding to a text object, and the procedure of S220 is an example of a third determination process.

[0112] As described above, in the third embodiment, the CPU 31 further determines in step S205 whether the color of the text object included in the appearance image of the overlapping labels acquired in step S5 matches the print color of the cartridge 101 of the bottom label, and if it is determined in step S205 that the print color of the text object does not match the print color of the cartridge 101 of the bottom label, in step S210, specifies one cartridge 101 that has the print color of the text object as the print color and is used to create the print label L to be stacked in the top layer among the multiple print labels L. According to the third embodiment, it is possible to prevent the text object from being overwritten by the color of the print label L of another layer and being buried in appearance.

[0113] Furthermore, particularly in the third embodiment, the CPU 31 is further caused to execute a procedure S205 of determining whether or not the color of a text object included in the appearance image acquired in the procedure S5 matches the printing color of the cartridge 101 of the lowest label, and a procedure S215 of determining whether or not the background of the text object is composed of a single color. If it is determined in the procedure S205 that the color of the text object matches the printing color of the cartridge 101 of the lowest label, and it is determined in the procedure S215 that the background of the text object is not composed of a single color, then in the procedure S70, the area of ​​the printing pattern corresponding to the text object is blanked out so as not to be printed among the objects printed using the cartridge 101 of the upper label used to create a printed label L that is stacked above the printed label L using the cartridge 101 of the lowermost label.

[0114] This makes it possible to reliably prevent the text object expressed in the bottom layer label from being overwritten by the print label L of the upper layer and being buried in appearance.

[0115] Furthermore, particularly in the third embodiment, the CPU 31 is further caused to execute a step S220 of determining whether or not the background color of the text object matches the tape color of the cartridge 101 of the bottom layer label, and if it is determined in the step S220 that it does not match the tape color of the cartridge 101 of the bottom layer label, a cartridge 101 having the background color of the text object as the tape color and used to create a printed label L that is stacked above the printed label L using the cartridge 101 of the bottom layer label is identified.

[0116] Thus, when the background color of the text object is different from the tape color of the cartridge 101 of the bottom label, the cartridge 101 having the background color of the text object as the tape color is identified as the cartridge 101 of the top label, thereby reducing the number of labels to be superimposed.

[0117] <Modification> The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit and technical concept of the present invention.

[0118] In the above description, an example has been given of a case where the entire data conversion process, including the procedure of S70 that instructs printing of each label data, is executed by the operation terminal 3, but this is not limited to the above. Alternatively, the entire data conversion process, including the procedure of S70, may be executed by the label printer 2. In this case, the control circuit 21 of the label printer 2 is an example of a calculation unit, and the touch panel 41 is an example of a display unit. Also, some of the procedures may be executed by the operation terminal 3, and the other procedures may be executed by the label printer 2. Also, the entire process may be executed by a plurality of programs installed on the operation terminal 3. For example, the procedure of S70 may be executed by a data editing program up to S65, and the procedure of S70 may be executed by a printer driver separate from the data editing program.

[0119] Also, the cartridge in which the print color with the largest total area in the appearance image is the tape color is specified as the cartridge to be used for creating the print label L to be stacked in the bottom layer, but this is not limited thereto, and for example, a cartridge in which any of the print colors with a total area in the appearance image equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value is specified as the cartridge to be used for creating the print label L to be stacked in the bottom layer. Also, without being limited to the total area, for example, the determination may be made based on the attribute of the object constituting the edited label data. In this case, the attribute of the object may be specified as a corresponding cartridge candidate for the bottom layer label in which the background color is the tape color.

[0120] In addition, the tape color of the print label L to be stacked in the bottom layer is not limited to colored, and a cartridge having a transparent tape color may be specified as a cartridge used to create the print label L to be stacked in the bottom layer. For example, when an object composed of other print colors composed of an appearance image exists outside the print area specified by the print color with the largest total area, a cartridge having a transparent tape color and a print color with the largest total area as the ink ribbon color may be specified as a cartridge used to create the print label L to be stacked in the bottom layer. In addition, when the shape specified by the print color with the largest total area is different from the aspect ratio of the print label L, a cartridge having a transparent tape color and a print color with the largest total area as the ink ribbon color may be specified as a cartridge used to create the print label L to be stacked in the bottom layer.

[0121] Furthermore, the print medium in this embodiment is not limited to the cartridge 101, but may be, for example, roll paper having a printing surface that is not housed in a cartridge case, or an ink ribbon configured separately from the roll paper. Furthermore, the print medium is not limited to a long medium. Furthermore, the label printer 2 is not limited to a thermal printer, but may be any printer that can print on print media having different medium colors or different print colors.

[0122] In addition, the object to be processed in the text object handling process performed in the third embodiment is not limited to a text object, and may be another specific object. For example, the handling process performed in the third embodiment may be performed on an object that is buried in the image and therefore cannot be deciphered, such as a barcode or a two-dimensional code.

[0123] In addition, the multiple print labels are not limited to overlapping labels, and may be labels for forming a set of images. For example, the multiple print labels may be multiple print labels that are created to form a wide label by arranging the multiple print labels in the width direction.

[0124] In addition, the flowcharts shown in Figures 8, 10, 13, 14, etc. do not limit the present invention to the procedures shown in the above flows, and steps may be added or deleted, or the order of steps may be changed, etc., within the scope of the spirit and technical concept of the invention.

[0125] In addition to the above, the methods according to the above embodiments and their modifications may be used in appropriate combination.

[0126] Although not specifically illustrated, the present invention can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0127] 2. Label printer (an example of an information processing device) 3. Operation terminal (an example of an information processing device) 21 Control circuit (an example of a calculation unit) 31 CPU (an example of a computing unit) 34 Display section 101 Cartridge (printing media) 102 Base tape L Printed Label

Claims

1. A calculation unit provided in the information processing device, An image acquisition process for acquiring an appearance image composed of a plurality of colors; a color identification process for identifying each of the plurality of colors in the appearance image acquired by the image acquisition process; a medium identification process for identifying a plurality of print medium types including a first print medium type and a second print medium type based on an identification result of the color identification process; a data generating process for generating first print data corresponding to the first print medium type identified by the medium identifying process and second print data corresponding to the second print medium type using the external appearance image; a printing process in which the first print data generated by the data generation process is printed using a print medium of the first print medium type specified by the medium specification process, and the second print data generated by the data generation process is printed using a print medium of the second print medium type specified by the medium specification process; A printing control program for executing the above.

2. In the medium specification process, The second print medium type is 2. The print control program according to claim 1, wherein the transparent color is the medium color.

3. the first print data and the second print data are print data for bonding a print label printed on a print medium of the second print medium type to an upper layer of a print label printed on a print medium of the first print medium type, 3. The print control program according to claim 1, further comprising: identifying the first print medium type among the plurality of print medium types prior to identifying the second print medium type based on an identification result of the color identification process.

4. The calculation unit further executing a first color identification process for identifying a first color having a maximum total area in the appearance image image from among the plurality of colors identified in the color identification process; In the medium specification process, A printing control program as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, which identifies a first printing medium type having the first color identified by the first color identification process as a medium color, and which is used to create a printed label to be stacked in the lowest layer.

5. The calculation unit further executing a second color identification process for identifying a second color, which is different from the first color and different from a print color of the first printing medium type, from among the plurality of colors identified in the color identification process; In the medium specification process, The print control program according to claim 4 , further comprising: identifying the second print medium type for which the second color is a print color.

6. The calculation unit further a first determination process for determining whether or not a color of a specific object included in the appearance image acquired by the image acquisition process matches a print color of the first print medium type; A printing control program as described in any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein when the first judgment process determines that the color of the specific object does not match the printing color of the first printing medium type, the medium identification process identifies a third printing medium type that has the color of the specific object as its printing color and is used to create a printed label to be stacked in the top layer.

7. The calculation unit further a first determination process for determining whether or not a color of a specific object included in the appearance image acquired by the image acquisition process matches a print color of the first print medium type; a second determination process for determining whether or not a background of the specific object is composed of a single color; Run the command, A printing control program as described in any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein when the first judgment process determines that the color of the specific object matches the printing color of the first printing medium type and the second judgment process determines that the background of the specific object is not composed of a single color, the printing process does not print an area corresponding to the specific object among objects printed using a printing medium of a second printing medium type used to create a printed label that is stacked above a printed label printed using a printing medium of the first printing medium type.

8. The calculation unit further includes: a third determination process for determining whether or not a background color of the specific object matches a medium color of the first print medium type; Run the command, A printing control program as described in claim 6 or 7, wherein when it is determined in the third judgment process that the medium color does not match the medium color of the first printing medium type, a fourth printing medium type is identified whose medium color is the background color of the specific object, and which is used to create a printed label to be stacked above a printed label printed using a printing medium of the first printing medium type.

9. The data generation process includes:

9. The print control program according to claim 1, further comprising: setting a print data length of the first print data and the second print data corresponding to a print label above a bottom layer to be equal to or less than a print data length of the print label stacked on the bottom layer.

10. The printing medium is an elongated medium having a width direction and a length direction, In the case where the appearance image includes a plurality of marks representing boundaries at a predetermined interval, the calculation unit further 10. A print control program as claimed in claim 9, which executes a length setting process for setting the print data length corresponding to the upper layer print label to a length that is an integer multiple of the specified interval or more and is the minimum multiple capable of forming an object represented by the print data.

11. The calculation unit further includes: A printing control program as described in any one of claims 1 to 10, which executes a display process in which first medium type information and second medium type information representing the first print medium type and the second print medium type, respectively, identified by the medium identification process are associated with a first print image image corresponding to the first print data and a second print image image corresponding to the second print data generated by the data generation process, and displayed on a display unit of the information processing device.

12. 12. The print control program according to claim 11, wherein the display process displays the medium type information of the print medium type that has a history of use in the past and the medium type information of the print medium type that has no history of use in a manner different from each other.

13. the printing process includes transmitting the first print data and the second print data to a printing device different from the information processing device for printing; The calculation unit provided in the information processing device further includes: The print control program according to claim 12 , further comprising a history acquisition process for acquiring a usage history for each type of print medium from the printing device.

14. The plurality of print media types are classified into a plurality of media type groups including a first media type group and a second media type group; The calculation unit: further executing a setting acquisition process for acquiring setting information regarding whether to give priority to the use of a print medium type belonging to the first medium type group or to give priority to the use of a print medium type belonging to the second medium type group; 14. A printing control program as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein when the setting information is acquired indicating that a printing medium type belonging to the second media type group is to be used preferentially, in the medium identification process, a printing medium type belonging to the second media type group is identified preferentially over a printing medium type belonging to the first media type group.

15. An image acquisition means for acquiring an appearance image composed of a plurality of colors; a color identification means for identifying each of the plurality of colors in the appearance image acquired by the image acquisition means; a medium identification means for identifying a plurality of corresponding print medium types based on the identification result by the color identification means; a data generating means for generating first print data corresponding to the first type of print medium identified by the medium identifying means and second print data corresponding to the second type of print medium by using the external appearance image; a print instruction means for causing the first print data generated by the data generation means to be printed using the print medium of the first print medium type specified by the medium specification means, and for causing the second print data to be printed using the print medium of the second print medium type specified by the medium specification means; An information processing device comprising:

Images