Editing method, program, and information processing device

Abstract

To easily know the length of a medium to be printed, which is necessary after changing the width of the medium to be printed on which an object is printed.SOLUTION: An editing method causes a computer to execute a size adjustment operation for expanding or reducing a printable area for printing an image on a medium to be printed. When the size adjustment operation is performed, the computer derives the length of the medium to be printed, which is necessary after expanding or reducing, and causes a display section to display the derived length of the medium to be printed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an editing method, a program, and an information processing device. [Background technology]

[0002] A printing device that prints on a tape-like print medium can use an information processing device that executes a dedicated application to edit the layout of objects such as characters and figures to be printed on the print medium. When editing the layout of an object using the information processing device, a user can set the width and length of the print medium on which the object is to be printed, the presence or absence of a margin outside the area in which the object is to be printed, etc. For example, the width of the print medium that can be set when editing the layout of an object is determined for each model of printing device, and a user can select the width of the print medium on the editing screen from a plurality of widths supported by the printing device used to print on the print medium.

[0003] In addition, before the user has the printing device print on the printing medium based on the layout of the edited object, the user can have the information processing device display a preview screen including an image of the label that will be obtained after the execution (print preview) (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-058950 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When a user is checking the print preview displayed on the information processing device, the user may find that the width of the print medium set cannot currently be used for printing on the printing device. In such a case, the user can change the width of the print medium, for example, by operating a menu for enlarging or reducing the size provided in the preview screen. When the width of the print medium is changed, the information processing device changes the size of the object to be printed to match the changed width of the print medium, and displays a print preview of the label obtained by printing the object on the changed print medium.

[0006] When the size of an object is changed to match the changed width of the print medium, the length of the print medium required to create a label also changes, but the conventional preview screen does not display the length of the print medium required after the width of the print medium is changed. Therefore, if a user wants to know the length of the print medium required after the width of the print medium is changed, the user must, for example, return to the editing screen where the object is edited and perform an operation to change the setting for the width of the print medium.

[0007] An object of one aspect of the present invention is to provide a technology that makes it possible to easily know the length of a printing medium that will be required after making changes to enlarge or reduce the printable area of ​​an object on the printing medium. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] An editing method according to one aspect of the present invention includes: A display unit is controlled so as to display the width of the print medium set on the editing screen on a print preview screen of the print medium, a selection operation is received on the print preview screen for selecting the model of the printing device and the width of the print medium printable by the printing device, and when the width of the print medium set on the editing screen differs from the width of the print medium received in conjunction with the selection operation, a size adjustment operation is performed to enlarge or reduce a printable area for printing an image on the print medium. . Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the above aspect, it is possible to easily know the length of the print medium that will later require modification to enlarge or reduce the printable area of ​​the object on the print medium. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a printing device that can be used in combination with an information processing device. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an internal mechanism of the printing apparatus. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing device and a printing device. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of an application for editing the layout of objects. [Diagram 5] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating the relationship between a print medium, a printable area, and margins. [Figure 6] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating examples of printing conditions for a print medium that can be handled by printing apparatuses. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a preview screen according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating an example of a method for changing the width of a print medium on a preview screen. [Figure 9] 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating an example of a method for deriving the length of the print medium after the width of the print medium is changed. [Figure 10] 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating an example of a display after the width of the print medium is changed on the preview screen according to an embodiment. [Figure 11] 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating a modified example of a preview screen according to an embodiment. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing performed by an information processing device according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a printing device that can be used in combination with an information processing device. Fig. 2 is a diagram for explaining the internal mechanism of the printing device. Fig. 2 shows a schematic diagram of the mechanism along the transport path of the print medium in the thermal printing device.

[0013] 1 can print on a tape-shaped print medium 21 and cut the print medium 21 based on print data transmitted from an information processing device 1. The information processing device 1 is a device capable of executing a dedicated application 2 corresponding to the printing device 10, and can be, for example, a general-purpose computer such as a personal computer or a smartphone. The information processing device 1 and the printing device 10 can communicate with each other wirelessly according to a known short-range wireless communication standard, or by wired communication via a transmission cable.

[0014] The printing device 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a device housing formed of a first member 11 and a second member 12, and includes a mounting section for mounting a cassette (medium adapter) for supplying the print medium 21, a transport mechanism for transporting the print medium 21, a printing mechanism for printing on the print medium 21, and a cutting mechanism for cutting the print medium 21. The device housing also includes various electronic components such as a control circuit for controlling the operation of the transport mechanism, the printing mechanism, and the cutting mechanism. The second member 12 is detachable from the first member 11, and by removing the second member 12 from the first member 11, a cassette (medium adapter) containing a roll 20 on which the print medium 21 is wound can be mounted in the device housing. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the print medium 21 unwound from the roll 20 is transported along a transport path passing between the thermal head 15 and the platen roller 16. The thermal head 15 is a part of the printing mechanism and applies thermal energy to the print medium 21. The platen roller 16 is part of the transport mechanism and transports the print medium 21 along the transport path. The thermal head 15 and the platen roller 16 are configured to at least hold the print medium 21 when transporting the print medium 21. The platen roller 16 can, for example, rotate in a direction to transport the print medium 21 downstream along the transport path (forward rotation) and rotate in a direction to transport the print medium 21 upstream along the transport path (reverse rotation). The print medium 21 transported downstream along the transport path is discharged to the outside of the printing device 10 from a discharge port 1101 provided in the first member 11.

[0015] When printing on the print medium 21 based on print data, the printing device 10 first transports the print medium 21 so that the starting end (the leading end on the downstream side of the transport path) of the print medium 21 is at the cue position illustrated in FIG. 2. The printing device 10 then rotates the platen roller 16 forward to transport the print medium 21 while printing on the print medium 21 with the thermal head 15. The printing device 10 can also cut the print medium 21 with the first cutter 1701 or the second cutter 1702 at a predetermined timing, such as after printing on the print medium 21 is completed. The first cutter 1701 is a cutter that performs a cut called a full cut on the print medium 21, and cuts the entire print medium 21 at the full cut position to divide it into two. The second cutter 1702 is a cutter that performs a cut called a half cut on the print medium 21. The second cutter 1702 cuts the print medium 21 at the half cut position. When the print medium 21 is a multi-layered adhesive tape type medium having an adhesive layer and a release paper, the second cutter 1702 cuts the other layers except for the release paper at the half-cut line of the print medium 21 that overlaps with the half-cut position. The second cutter 1702 may cut the half-cut line of the print medium 21 that overlaps with the half-cut position in a perforated pattern in which cut and uncut sections are repeated.

[0016] As described above, the printing device 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 can print and cut on the print medium 21 based on the print data transmitted from the information processing device 1. For this reason, the printing device 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 does not include a keyboard that can be used to create print data. Operation buttons 13 and indicator lamps 14 related to the operation of the printing device 10 are arranged on the outer surface of the first member of the printing device 10 illustrated in FIG. 1. The operation buttons 13 include, for example, a button for turning the power on and off, a button for switching the type (standard) of wireless communication, and a button for reprinting. The indicator lamps 14 include, for example, a lamp that indicates the on / off state of the power, a lamp that indicates the type of valid wireless communication, and a lamp that notifies of an error.

[0017] 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing device and a printing device 10. Each block in the information processing device 1 and the printing device 10 in FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a functional configuration, and is associated with a hardware configuration as described below.

[0018] The information processing device 1 includes a control unit 30, a storage unit 31, an input unit 32, a display unit 33, and a communication unit 34. The control unit 30 controls various operations that can be performed by the information processing device 1. The control unit 30 is a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and controls the operation of the information processing device 1 by executing an OS (Operation System) program and various application programs stored in the storage unit 31. The application programs executed by the processor include application programs that link with the printing device 10.

[0019] The storage unit 31 stores various information and the like that can be used for the control unit 30 to control the operation of the information processing device 1. The storage unit 31 can store, for example, a program executed by a processor as the control unit 30, data referenced during execution of the program, data generated during execution of the program, and the like. The storage unit 31 includes a read only memory (ROM) and a random access memory (RAM). The storage unit 31 may include a built-in auxiliary storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD). The storage unit 31 may include a portable recording medium such as a memory card or a universal serial bus (USB) memory.

[0020] The input unit 32 accepts operations for inputting various information to the information processing device 1. The input unit 32 includes, for example, a keyboard and a mouse. The display unit 33 displays various information related to the operation of the information processing device 1. The display unit 33 includes, for example, a liquid crystal display. If the information processing device 1 is a tablet computer or a smartphone, the combination of the input unit 32 and the display unit 33 may include a touch panel display in which a digitizer (position detector) is superimposed on the display area of ​​the liquid crystal display.

[0021] The communication unit 34 communicates with the printing device 10 at least in accordance with a communication standard applied to the printing device 10. The communication unit 34 includes a communication interface capable of wireless communication with an external device according to known short-range wireless communication standards such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) and BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy, registered trademark). The communication unit 34 may include a terminal to which a transmission cable having a general-purpose connector such as a USB cable can be connected.

[0022] The information processing device 1 is not limited to the configuration described above with reference to Fig. 3, and may include other configurations. Moreover, one block in the information processing device 1 illustrated in Fig. 3 is not limited to a single piece of hardware, and may be a combination of multiple pieces of hardware. For example, the control unit 30 may include a first processor such as a CPU that processes a program, and a second processor such as a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) that controls the display of the display unit 33. Furthermore, multiple blocks in the information processing device 1 illustrated in Fig. 3 may be realized by a single piece of hardware, or hardware corresponding to one block may include hardware elements corresponding to the functions of the other blocks.

[0023] The printing device 10 includes a control unit 40, a storage unit 41, an input unit 42, a display unit 43, a communication unit 44, a detection unit 45, a transport unit 46, a printing unit 47, and a cutting unit 48. The control unit 40 controls various operations that can be performed by the printing device 10. The control unit 40 is a processor such as a CPU, and controls the operation of the printing device 10 by executing an OS program stored in the storage unit 41 and various programs related to printing on the print medium 21. The various programs related to printing on the print medium 21 include, for example, a program related to communication with the information processing device 1, and a program that controls the operation of the transport unit 46, the printing unit 47, and the cutting unit 48 based on print data.

[0024] The storage unit 41 stores various types of information that can be used by the control unit 40 to control the operation of the printing device 10. The storage unit 41 can store, for example, a program executed by a processor serving as the control unit 40, and print data referenced during execution of the program. The storage unit 41 includes a ROM and a RAM. The storage unit 41 may also include a portable recording medium such as a memory card or a USB memory.

[0025] The input unit 42 accepts operations for inputting various information to the printing device 10. The display unit 43 displays various information related to the operation of the information processing device 1. In the printing device 10 illustrated in FIG. 1, the operation buttons 13 correspond to the input unit 42, and the indicator lamp 14 corresponds to the display unit 43. The input unit 42 of the printing device 10 may include, for example, a keyboard that can be used to input characters to be printed on the printing medium 21. The display unit 43 of the printing device 10 may include, for example, a display device capable of displaying character information, such as a liquid crystal display.

[0026] The communication unit 44 communicates with an external device such as the information processing device 1 according to a predetermined communication standard. The communication unit 44 includes a communication interface capable of wireless communication with an external device according to a known short-range wireless communication standard such as Wi-Fi or BLE. The communication unit 44 may include a terminal to which a transmission cable having a general-purpose connector such as a USB cable can be connected.

[0027] The detection unit 45 detects various information related to the print medium 21. The detection unit 45 includes, for example, a first sensor that detects whether or not a cartridge (medium adapter) containing the roll 20 is attached and the width of the roll 20 (print medium 21), and a second sensor that detects the presence or absence of the print medium 21 on the transport path.

[0028] The transport unit 46 transports the print medium 21 according to a control signal from the control unit 40. The transport unit 46 corresponds to the transport mechanism described above, and includes the platen roller 16, a motor for rotating the platen roller 16, and an encoder for acquiring information indicating the transport amount of the print medium 21. The printing unit 47 performs printing on the print medium 21 according to a control signal from the control unit 40. The printing unit 47 corresponds to the printing mechanism described above, and includes the thermal head 15, a control circuit for controlling the current applied to the heating element of the thermal head 15, and a thermistor for detecting the temperature of the thermal head 15. The cutting unit 48 cuts the print medium 21 according to a control signal from the control unit 40. The cutting unit 48 corresponds to the cutting mechanism described above, and includes a first cutter 1701, a second cutter 1702, and a motor for operating each cutter.

[0029] The printing device 10 may include other configurations, not limited to the configuration described above with reference to FIG. 3. For example, the detection unit 45 of the printing device 10 may include a sensor that detects the color of the print medium 21, or a sensor for moving the leading end of the print medium 21 to the cueing position described above with reference to FIG. 2. In addition, the printing device 10 may omit some of the configurations described above with reference to FIG. 3. For example, the cutting unit 48 of the printing device 10 may omit the second cutter 1702 that half-cuts the print medium 21. In addition, the cutter of the cutting unit 48 may be configured to cut the print medium 21 by operating due to an external force applied when a user presses a predetermined button.

[0030] As described above, the information processing device 1 can execute an application program for creating print data. When the application program is started in the information processing device 1, an editing screen 200 is displayed on the display unit 33, where the layout of objects such as characters and figures to be printed on the print medium 21 can be edited.

[0031] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of an application for editing the layout of objects. Editing screen 200 shown in Fig. 4 is displayed in the whole or a part of the display area of ​​display unit 33 as one window (work area) of the application.

[0032] The editing screen 200 includes a menu area 210, an editing area 220, and an auxiliary information area 230. The menu area 210 displays processes that can be executed by the application in a manner that can be specified by operating the keyboard or mouse. The menu area 210 displays buttons 211 for selecting a process for inputting a character string, which is one of the objects, in horizontal writing, and buttons 212 for selecting a process for inputting a character string in vertical writing. The editing area 220 displays a medium area 5 indicating the print medium 21, and objects such as characters and figures to be printed on the print medium 21. The auxiliary information area 230 displays label setting information 231 indicating the dimensions of the medium area 5, and the like.

[0033] The medium area 5 in the editing area 220 illustrated in FIG. 4 is displayed with the conveyance direction of the print medium 21 used for printing (in other words, the conveyance direction when the platen roller 16 in FIG. 2 is rotated forward) as the left direction. In this case, the length of the left side 501 (and right side 502) of the medium area 5 is the width of the print medium 21 used for printing, and is displayed as "label width" in the label setting information 231. The label width can be selected, for example, from among the widths of the print medium 21 supported by the printing device 10 used for printing on the print medium 21. In addition, the distance from the left side 501 to the right side 502 of the medium area 5 is the length of the print medium 21 required when printing on the print medium 21 by the printing device 10 to create a label, and is displayed as "label length" in the label setting information 231. The label length can be set, for example, to any length equal to or greater than the shortest length supported by the printing device 10 used for printing on the print medium 21. The label length can be changed, for example, by moving the slider 229 in the editing area 220 along the ruler, or by inputting a numerical value indicating the label length in the label setting information 231 in the auxiliary information area 230. In the following description, the width of the print medium 21 will also be referred to as the label width or tape width, and the length of the print medium 21 will also be referred to as the label length or tape length.

[0034] The dotted rectangle within the medium area 5 illustrated in Figure 4 indicates the printable area 6 when printing is performed by the printing device 10 on the print medium 21. A user of the information processing device 1 running the application 2 edits the layout of objects such as text and figures so that the objects fit within the printable area 6. The annular area within the medium area 5 but outside the printable area 6 is the margin. The dimensions of some of the margins are determined by the specifications of the printing device 10, and the dimensions of the other parts can be selected by the user.

[0035] Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the print medium, the printable area, and the margins. Like Fig. 4, Fig. 5 illustrates the dimensions of the medium area 5, the printable area 6, and the margins 511 to 514, assuming that the transport direction of the print medium 21 during printing is the leftward direction.

[0036] The medium area 5 corresponds to a label (medium piece) 21P obtained by cutting the print-receiving medium 21 on which printing has been performed by the printing device 10. In the medium area 5 illustrated in Fig. 5, the length of the left side 501 (and right side 502) is the label width WT, and the length of the top side 503 (and bottom side 504) is the label length LT. Specific values ​​of the label width WT and label length LT are displayed, for example, in the label setting information 231 on the editing screen 200 as shown in Fig. 4.

[0037] The dimension in the label width direction (print width WP) of the printable area 6 set within the medium area 5 depends on the label width WT of the medium area 5, the width WB of the top margin 513 set between the printable area 6 and the top side 503 of the medium area 5, and the width WB of the bottom margin 514 set between the printable area and the bottom side 504 of the medium area 5. The width WB of the top margin 513 and the width WB of the bottom margin 514 are determined for each label width WT, for example. Specific examples of the width WB of the top margin 513 and the width WB of the bottom margin 514 will be described later with reference to FIG. 6. Note that in this embodiment, the top margin 513 and the bottom margin 514 have the same width WB, but the widths of the top margin 513 and the bottom margin 514 may be different.

[0038] The dimension in the label length direction (print length LP) in the printable area 6 set within the medium area 5 depends on the label length LT of the medium area 5, the length LB of the front margin 511 set between the printable area 6 and the left side 501 of the medium area 5, and the length LB of the rear margin 512 set between the printable area 6 and the right side 502 of the medium area 5. The length LB of the front margin 511 and the length LB of the rear margin 512 can be selected by the user from several options. For example, the length LB of the front margin 511 (and the length LB of the rear margin 512) can be selected from 3 mm, 10 mm, and 20 mm. Note that in this embodiment, the front margin 511 and the rear margin 512 have the same length LB, but the length of the front margin 511 and the length of the rear margin 512 may be different.

[0039] Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining examples of printing conditions for print media that can be used with each model of printing device. Table 7 in Fig. 6 shows an example of the relationship between the width of the print media 21 that can be used for printing (label width WT), the print width WP, and the widthwise margin WB for each of four models of printing devices 10, models 1 to 4. The widthwise margin WB in Table 7 is the width WB of the top margin 513 (and the width WB of the bottom margin 514) described above with reference to Fig. 5.

[0040] For example, models 1 to 3 are capable of printing on a print medium 21 with a label width WT of 3.5 mm. When printing on a print medium 21 with a label width WT of 3.5 mm with the printer 10 of any of models 1 to 3, the width direction margin WB (width WB of the top margin 513 and width WB of the bottom margin 514) is set to 0.75 mm, so the print width WP is 2 mm.

[0041] Also, for example, all of models 1 to 4 can print on the print medium 21 under printing conditions where the width direction margin WB is set to 4 mm for a print medium 21 with a label width WT of 24 mm. Furthermore, models 1 and 2 can also print on the print medium 21 under printing conditions where the width direction margin WB is set to 1 mm for a print medium 21 with a label width WT of 24 mm.

[0042] Also, for example, model 1 can print on the print medium 21 under printing conditions in which the width direction margin WB is set to 0 mm for the print medium 21 having a label width WT of 36 mm.

[0043] 6 is merely one example of the relationship (printing conditions) between the width of the print medium 21 usable for printing (label width WT) and the print width WP and widthwise margin WB. The printer 10 may be capable of printing on print medium 21 with a width different from the label width WT exemplified in Table 7. The widthwise margin WB set for print medium 21 with each label width WT is not limited to the value exemplified in Table 7, and may be another value. Furthermore, the combination of print medium 21 usable in one model may be different from the combinations of models 1 to 4 in Table 7.

[0044] After performing the operation of editing the layout of the objects on the editing screen 200 described above with reference to FIG. 4, the user can, for example, select an item called “Print” in the menu area 210 to cause the information processing device 1 to display a print preview.

[0045] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a preview screen according to an embodiment. Fig. 7 shows an example of a preview screen 300 in which a character object "Document 1" is placed in the printable area 6 in the medium area 5 with the label width WT set to 18 mm on the editing screen 200.

[0046] On the preview screen 300 illustrated in FIG. 7, model name information 310, label width information 320, size adjustment information 330, a print preview area 340, a cancel button 350, and an OK button 351 are displayed.

[0047] The model name information 310 is information indicating the model of the printing device 10 that prints an image on the print medium 21 based on print data including information about the layout of an edited object. The model name information 310 is in a format in which one of a plurality of models corresponding to an application running on the information processing device 1 is selected from a pull-down list, for example. For example, the user selects the model of the printing device 10 that will print on the print medium 21 from a list of a plurality of models (for example, models 1 to 4 in table 7 in FIG. 6) that is displayed when a button 311 located at the right end of the model name information 310 is pressed.

[0048] The label width information 320 is information that indicates the label width WT of the medium area 5 that is set on the editing screen 200. The specific numerical value of the label width WT in the label width information 320 (18 mm in FIG. 7) is displayed by acquiring the label width WT of the label setting information 231 on the editing screen 200.

[0049] The size adjustment information 330 is information about the changed width of the print medium 21 when changing (adjusting) the width of the print medium 21 on which an object is printed. For this reason, the size adjustment information 330 immediately after the preview screen 300 is displayed does not display information about the width of the print medium 21. The size adjustment information 330 is in a format in which, for example, one of the label widths WT supported by the model indicated in the model name information 310 is selected from a pull-down list. For example, the user selects information about the changed (adjusted) width of the print medium 21 from a list of information about the width of the print medium 21 displayed when the button 331 located at the right end of the size adjustment information 330 is pressed. Note that the information about the width of the print medium 21 may include the print width WP of the printable area 6 in addition to the width of the print medium 21 (label width WT). For example, as illustrated in Table 7 of FIG. 6, there is a printing device that allows the selection of one of three print widths WP of 16 mm, 18 mm, and 22 mm when printing on a print medium 21 with a label width WT of 24 mm. When making such a printing device print on a print medium 21 with a label width WT of 24 mm, the print width WP must also be specified in the print data. Therefore, the information in the size adjustment information 330 about the width of a print medium 21 with a label width WT of 24 mm may also include information about the print width WP. The operation on the size adjustment information 330 is an example of a size adjustment operation that enlarges or reduces the printable area 6. In the following description, enlarging or reducing the printable area 6 by a size adjustment operation is also referred to as changing the printable area 6 or adjusting the printable area 6. In the following description, the state before the size adjustment operation is performed is referred to as before change or before adjustment, and the state after the size adjustment operation is performed is referred to as after change or after adjustment.

[0050] The print preview area 340 is an area that displays an image of the label (medium piece) 21P that will be created when an image is printed on the print medium 21 by the printing device 10 of the model indicated in the model name information 310, based on the layout of the object edited on the editing screen 200. The label 21P before the size adjustment operation in the print preview area 340 is displayed so that the ratio WT / LT of the label width WT to the label length LT matches the ratio WT / LT of the label width WT to the label length LT in the label setting information 231 on the editing screen 200. Note that the two-dot chain rectangle indicating the printable area 6 in FIG. 7 is not displayed in the preview screen 300 displayed on the display unit 33.

[0051] The cancel button 350 is a button for selecting not to cause the printing device 10 to print on the print medium 21. When the cancel button 350 is pressed, the information processing device 1, for example, hides the preview screen 300 and redisplays the edit screen 200. The OK button 351 is a button for selecting to cause the printing device 10 to print on the print medium 21. When the OK button 351 is pressed, the information processing device 1 creates print data including, for example, information on the layout of the object associated with the label 21P displayed in the print preview area 340 and information indicating the label width WT set at the time the OK button 351 is pressed, and transmits the print data to the printing device 10. As illustrated in FIG. 7, when information indicating the label width is not displayed in the size adjustment information 330, the information processing device 1 creates print data including information indicating the label width WT displayed in the label width information 320, and transmits the print data to the printing device 10. As will be described later with reference to FIG. 10, when information indicating the label width is displayed in the size adjustment information 330, the information processing device 1 creates print data including information indicating the label width WT displayed in the size adjustment information 330, and transmits the print data to the printing device 10.

[0052] The label width information 320 of the preview screen 300 illustrated in FIG. 7 is the label width WT of the medium area 5 selected (set) on the editing screen 200, as described above. Therefore, it can be said that the value of the label width displayed on the label width information 320 is the value selected by the user on the editing screen 200. However, when selecting the label width WT on the editing screen 200, the user may select a label width WT that is currently unavailable due to an operation error or mistake. In addition, even if the user wants to print sample data for printing on a 46 mm wide print medium that is recorded in advance in the storage unit of the printing device, if the model of the printing device does not support 46 mm wide labels, it is necessary to adjust the label width of the sample data to a label width that corresponds to the model of the printing device. In such a case, the user can change (adjust) the width of the print medium 21 on which the object is to be printed, for example, by using the size adjustment information 330 (pull-down list) in the preview screen 300.

[0053] FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining an example of a method for changing the width of the print medium on the preview screen.

[0054] When the user of the information processing device 1 presses the button 331 of the size adjustment information 330, a list 332 of information indicating the changeable width of the print medium 21 is displayed, as shown in FIG. 8. The information indicating the width of the print medium 21 displayed in the list 332 is changed, for example, according to the model displayed in the model name information 310. When the highlighted information "24mm (22mm)" in the list 332 shown in FIG. 8 is selected, the width of the print medium 21 on which the object is printed is changed from the label width (18mm) displayed in the label width information 320 to the selected width (24mm). When the information "24mm (22mm)" in the list 332 is selected, the printable area 6 with a print width WP of 22mm is set.

[0055] When a size adjustment operation is performed to enlarge or reduce the printable area 6, the printing device 10 enlarges or reduces the print image of the object in the printable area 6 before the change to the printable area with the changed print width, and prints on the print medium 21 with the changed label width. Therefore, when a size adjustment operation is performed, the length of the label (medium piece) 21P created by printing on the print medium 21 becomes different from the label length displayed in the label setting information 231 of the editing screen 200. For example, when the information "24 mm (22 mm)" in the list 332 is selected on the preview screen 300 illustrated in FIG. 8, the printable area 6 before the change is enlarged to a printable area with a print width WP of 22 mm. Therefore, the length of the printable area 6 (print length LP) becomes longer, and the length of the label 21P (label length LT) becomes longer.

[0056] In this way, when a size adjustment operation is performed, the length of the print medium 21 required changes, but information regarding the changed length of the print medium 21 is not displayed on the conventional preview screen. For this reason, it is difficult for the user to determine whether the length of the label 21P created by enlarging or reducing the printable area 6 by the size adjustment operation is a length suitable for the purpose of using the label 21P, and whether there is an amount of print medium 21 that allows the printing device 10 to print a print image of an object corresponding to the changed dimensions of the printable area 6. In addition, if the user wants to know the length of the print medium 21 required when printing by enlarging or reducing the printable area 6, the user must, for example, return to the editing screen 200 for editing the object and perform an operation to change the width of the print medium 21.

[0057] In contrast, in the information processing device 1 that executes the application of this embodiment, when an operation is performed on the size adjustment information 330 of the preview screen 300 to change the width of the print medium 21, the length of the print medium 21 required to print a print image on the changed print medium 21 according to the changed dimensions of the printable area 6 is derived and displayed on the preview screen 300. In the following explanation, printing on the print medium 21 a print image (image) of an object within the printable area 6 that has been enlarged or reduced by a size adjustment operation is referred to as "enlargement / reduction printing".

[0058] Fig. 9 is a diagram for explaining an example of a method for deriving the length of the print medium after the width of the print medium is changed. Fig. 9 shows an example of the dimensional relationship between the medium area 5 (medium piece 21P) before the change and the medium area 5N after the change when the print width WP of the printable area 6 is increased.

[0059] The width (printing width WP) of the printable area 6 in the medium area 5 is associated with the label width WT set on the editing screen 200, as described above with reference to Fig. 6. When the label width WT is changed by an operation on the size adjustment information 330, and the printing width WPN associated with the changed label width WTN differs from the printing width WP before the change, the information processing device 1 enlarges or reduces the printable area 6 based on the ratio WPN / WP of the printing width WP before the change and the printing width WPN after the change. Specifically, the length LPN of the changed printable area 6N is derived by the following formula (1). LPN=LP*WPN / WP =(LT-LB*2)*WPN / WP (1)

[0060] Furthermore, the length LB of the front margin 511 and the length LB of the rear margin 512 in the medium area 5 before the change are values ​​set by the user on the editing screen 200. Therefore, when enlarged or reduced printing is performed, the lengths of the front margin 511 and the rear margin 512 after the change are the length LB before the change. Therefore, the length LTN of the medium area 5N after the change is derived by the following formula (2). LTN=LPN+LB*2 =(LT - LB * 2) * WPN / WP + LB * 2 (2)

[0061] Note that FIG. 9 illustrates a case where the widths of the top margin and the bottom margin are the same between the media area 5 before the change and the media area 5N after the change. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the widths of the top margin and the bottom margin may be changed. For example, as described above with reference to the table 7 in FIG. 6, when the label width WT is 24 mm, the width direction margin (the widths of the top margin and the bottom margin) WB can be selected from three types: 4 mm, 3 mm, and 1 mm. Therefore, for example, when the size adjustment information 330 is operated to change the label width WT from 18 mm to 24 mm (printing width WP = 18 mm), the information processing apparatus 1 derives the length LTN of the media area 5N after the change by the above formula (2) with WPN / WP = 18 / 16.

[0062] Also, for example, when the label width WTN where WPN < WP is selected by operating the size adjustment information 330, in the above formula (2), WPN / WP < 1, and the relationship between the length LT of the media area 5 before the change and the length LTN of the media area 5N after the change is LTN < LT.

[0063] When an operation for changing the width WP of the printable area 6 is performed on the size adjustment information 330, the information processing apparatus 1 derives the length LTN of the media area 5N after the change and displays it on the preview screen 300.

[0064] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a display example after the width of the medium to be printed on the preview screen according to an embodiment is changed. The rectangle of the two-dot chain line indicating the printable area 6N in FIG. 10 is not displayed on the display unit 33.

[0065] The information processing device 1 displays the length LTN of the changed medium area 5N derived by the above formula (2) as label length information 334 associated with the size adjustment information 330, as illustrated in FIG. 10. The "LTN" in the label length information 334 in FIG. 10 actually displays a numerical value derived by formula (2). At this time, the information processing device 1 displays, for example, the changed medium area 5N in the print preview area 340, which reflects the relationship between the print width WPN and print length LPN of the printable area 6N after the change, the width WB of the top margin and bottom margin before the change, and the length LB of the front margin and rear margin before the change. This allows the user to check the print preview area 340 after changing the width of the print medium 21 used for printing on the preview screen 300, and to check the length of the print medium 21 required after the change. This makes it possible to prevent, for example, failure or redoing of printing on the print medium 21 due to an unclear length of the print medium 21 on which the printing device 10 performs enlargement / reduction printing. For example, the user can check, based on the label length information 334 on the preview screen 300, whether or not the length of the print medium 21 at hand is equal to or longer than the length required to create a label before causing the printer 10 to perform enlarged or reduced printing. This makes it possible to prevent printing failures due to a shortage of the print medium 21 (running out of tape). Also, for example, the user can check, based on the label length information 334 on the preview screen 300, whether or not the length of the created label will fit in the location where the label is to be affixed. This makes it possible to prevent failures such as the created label being too long and sticking out from the location where the label is to be affixed.

[0066] Furthermore, since the length of the changed medium area 5N can be confirmed on the preview screen 300, it is possible to eliminate the need to go back to the editing screen 200 and change the label width WT of the medium area 5 or the size of an object, for example, in order to find out the length of the changed medium area 5N.

[0067] 10 may display information indicating the length of the print medium 21 required to create multiple labels, expressed as the product of the length (length of one label) LTN of the changed medium area 5N displayed in the print preview area 340 and the number of labels to be created that corresponds to the changed medium area 5N. Also, the label length information 334 may display both the length of one label and the length required to create multiple labels.

[0068] 11 is a diagram illustrating a modified example of the preview screen according to an embodiment of the present invention. The rectangle indicated by the two-dot chain line indicating the printable area 6 in FIG.

[0069] The label length information 334 of the preview screen 300 described above with reference to Fig. 10 may be displayed regardless of whether an operation (size adjustment operation) has been performed on the size adjustment information 330, as exemplified in Fig. 11. In this case, when no operation has been performed on the size adjustment information 330, the length LT of the medium area 5 derived based on the layout information of the object edited on the editing screen 200 (i.e., the label length of the label setting information 231) is displayed in the label length information 334. Then, when an operation has been performed on the size adjustment information 330, the label length information 334 is changed to the length LTN of the changed medium area 5N derived by the above formula (2). By using such a display method, it is possible to save the trouble of returning to the editing screen 200 and checking the label length LT before deciding to perform enlarged or reduced printing.

[0070] Fig. 12 is a flowchart for explaining an example of processing performed by an information processing device according to an embodiment. The information processing device 1 executing the above-mentioned application starts the processing exemplified in Fig. 12 when an operation (size adjustment operation) is performed on the size adjustment information 330 on the preview screen 300 displayed on the display unit 33 based on the layout information of the object edited on the editing screen 200. Before and after the change in Fig. 12 and the following description mean before and after the size adjustment operation is performed, as described above.

[0071] The information processing device 1 first acquires the print width WP before the change (step S1) and acquires the print width WPN after the change (step S2). In step S1, the information processing device 1 acquires the print width WP before the change from, for example, the label width information 320 on the preview screen 300. In step S2, the information processing device 1 acquires the print width WPN associated with the label width WTN after the change selected by an operation on the size adjustment information 330 based on, for example, information such as table 7 illustrated in Fig. 6. The processes of steps S1 and S2 may be performed in the reverse order or in parallel.

[0072] Next, the information processing device 1 determines whether the acquired pre-change print width WP and post-change print width WPN are WPN=WP (step S3). If WPN=WP (step S3; YES), the dimensions of the post-change printable area 6N are the same as the dimensions of the post-change printable area 6. Therefore, if WPN=WP (step S3; YES), the subsequent steps S4 to S7 are not performed, and the process illustrated in FIG. 12 is terminated. For example, if the label width WT of the pre-change medium area 5 is 18 mm (print width WP is 16 mm) and "24 mm (print width WP is 16 mm)" is selected as the label width WTN of the post-change medium area 5N, the information processing device 1 terminates the process related to the display of the post-change label length illustrated in FIG. 12, without performing the processes in steps S4 to S7. In this case, the information processing device 1 displays, for example, the post-change medium area 5N in which the widths of the top and bottom margins have been changed from 1 mm to 3 mm in the print preview area 340.

[0073] On the other hand, if WPN=WP is not satisfied (step S3; NO), the information processing device 1 acquires the label length LT before the change (step S4) and also acquires the length LB of the front and rear margins (step S5). In step S4, the information processing device 1 acquires, for example, the label length LT in the label setting information 231 of the editing screen 200. In step S5, the information processing device 1 acquires, for example, the length LB of the front and rear margins set on the editing screen 200. Note that the processing of steps S4 and S5 may be performed in the reverse order or in parallel.

[0074] After the processes of steps S4 and S5, the information processing device 1 derives the changed label length LTN based on the acquired print widths WP and WPN, label length LT, and leading and trailing margin lengths LB (step S6). In step S6, the information processing device 1 calculates the changed label length LTN, for example, by the following formula (2). LTN=(LT-LB*2)*WPN / WP+LB*2 (2)

[0075] After the process of step S6, the information processing device 1 displays the derived changed label length LTN on the preview screen 300 (step S7), and ends the process relating to the display of the changed label length illustrated in FIG.

[0076] The process of displaying the changed label length performed by the information processing device 1 is not limited to the process according to the flowchart illustrated in Fig. 12, and can be changed as appropriate. For example, if the print width WP before the change and the print width WPN after the change are WPN=WP (step S3; YES), the information processing device 1 may display the label length LT before the change as the label length LTN after the change in the label length information 334 (see Fig. 10) on the preview screen 300.

[0077] As described above, the information processing device 1, which executes an application for editing the layout of an object to be printed on a print medium, displays on the display unit 33 a preview screen 300 including an image when an image is printed on the print medium 21 based on the layout information of the object edited on the editing screen 200, and when an operation is performed on the displayed preview screen 300 to enlarge or reduce the dimensions of the printable area for printing an image on the print medium, derives the length LTN of the print medium 21 required after the printable area is changed, and displays on the display unit 33 the preview screen 300 including the derived length LTN of the print medium 21. Therefore, the user of the information processing device 1 can confirm on the preview screen 300 the length LTN of the print medium 21 required when the printing device 10 executes printing (enlargement / reduction printing) on ​​the print medium 21 by enlarging or reducing the printable area 6. Therefore, it is possible to save the trouble of returning to the editing screen 200 to change the settings, or the like, for confirming the length LTN of the print medium 21 required when the printing device 10 executes enlargement / reduction printing.

[0078] The above-described embodiment is merely an example for facilitating understanding of the invention. That is, the editing method, program, and information processing device according to the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the claims. For example, the printing device 10 that can be used in combination with the information processing device 1 is not limited to the above-described thermal transfer type, but may be a thermal transfer type that transfers ink from an ink ribbon to a print medium 21. In addition, the process related to the display of the changed label length illustrated in FIG. 12 may be performed not only by the information processing device 1, but also by the printing device 10 that includes, for example, an input device such as a keyboard that can be used to edit objects, and a display device that can display a preview screen.

[0079] Also, in the above-described embodiment, an example has been given in which size adjustment information 330 capable of performing an operation to enlarge or reduce the printable area 6 and the length LTN of the print medium 21 derived when the printable area 6 is enlarged or reduced are displayed on the preview screen 300 including the print preview area 340. However, the operation to enlarge or reduce the printable area 6 and the display of the length LTN of the print medium 21 derived by enlarging or reducing the printable area 6 may be performed on a screen other than the preview screen 300.

[0080] In addition, the object to be printed on the print medium 21 is not limited to the characters exemplified in FIG. 7 and the like, but includes figures and graphic information such as barcodes and QR codes (registered trademark). When enlarged / reduced printing is performed, the object in the medium area 5 in the print preview area 340 is expressed with a resolution corresponding to the dots set based on the dimensions of the heating elements in the thermal head 15 of the printing device 10, for example. For this reason, when figures or graphic information are included as objects to be printed on the print medium 21, there is a possibility that the expression of the figures or graphic information will be distorted (in other words, will not be expressed as intended by the user) by performing enlargement / reducation printing. In addition, there is a possibility that the character object will be crushed by reducing the printable area 6. For this reason, when the size adjustment information 330 is operated on the preview screen 300 to enlarge or reduce the printable area 6, a dialog box or the like may be displayed on the preview screen 300 to inform the user that the expression of the object may be distorted (in other words, will not be expressed as intended by the user).

[0081] The invention as described in the claims of the original application is set forth below. [Appendix 1] The computer performing a resizing operation to enlarge or reduce a printable area for printing the image on the receiving medium; When the size adjustment operation is performed, the computer derives the length of the print medium required after enlargement or reduction, and displays the derived length of the print medium on a display unit. 23. An editing method comprising: [Appendix 2] The computer derives the length of the printable area after the size adjustment operation is performed based on the ratio between the width of the printable area before the size adjustment operation is performed and the width of the printable area after the size adjustment operation is performed and the length of the printable area before the size adjustment operation is performed. 2. The editing method according to claim 1, [Appendix 3] The computer derives a sum of the length of the printable area after the size adjustment operation is performed and the lengths of the front and rear margins that are set outside the printable area before the size adjustment operation is performed. 3. The editing method according to claim 2, [Appendix 4] The computer causes the display unit to display a preview screen including a print preview of the image when it is printed on a print medium. 4. The editing method according to claim 1, [Appendix 5] On the computer, A process of executing a size adjustment operation to enlarge or reduce a printable area for printing an image on a print medium; A process of causing the computer to derive the length of the print medium required after enlargement or reduction when the size adjustment operation is performed, and displaying the derived length of the print medium on a display unit. A program characterized by executing the above. [Appendix 6] a control unit that executes a size adjustment operation for enlarging or reducing a printable area for printing an image on a print medium, derives a length of the print medium required after the size adjustment operation is performed after the enlargement or reduction, and displays the derived length of the print medium on a display unit 13. An information processing device comprising: [Explanation of symbols]

[0082] 1. Information processing device 2. Application 10 Printing device 11 First Component 12 Second member 13 Operation buttons 14 Indicator Lamp 15 Thermal head 16 Platen roller 1701 First Cutter 1702 Second Cutter 20 rolls 21 Printing media 30, 40 Control unit 31, 41 Storage section 32, 42 Input section 33, 43 Display section 34, 44 Communications Department 45 Detection unit 46 Conveyor 47 Printing Department 48 Cutting section 200 Editing screen 210 Menu Area 220 Editing Area 230 Auxiliary information area 231 Label setting information 5, 5N media area 501 (Media area 5) Left side 502 (media area 5) right side 503 Top edge (of media area 5) 504 Bottom edge (of media area 5) 511 Front margin 512 Rear margin 513 Top margin 514 Bottom margin 6, 6N printable area 7 Tables 300 Preview Screen 310 Model name information 320 Label width information 330 Size Adjustment Information 334 Label length information 340 Print Preview Area

Claims

1. The computer Controlling the display unit so as to display the width of the print medium set on the editing screen on a print preview screen of the print medium; Accepting a selection operation on the print preview screen for selecting a model of a printing device and a width of a print medium that can be printed by the printing device; When the width of the print medium set on the editing screen differs from the width of the print medium accepted in response to the selection operation, a size adjustment operation is performed to enlarge or reduce a printable area for printing an image on the print medium.

23. An editing method comprising:

2. the computer derives a length of the print medium required after enlargement or reduction when the size adjustment operation is performed, and controls the display unit to display the derived length of the print medium; A length of the printable area after the size adjustment operation is performed is derived based on a ratio between a width of the printable area before the size adjustment operation is performed and a width of the printable area after the size adjustment operation is performed, and the length of the printable area before the size adjustment operation is performed. The editing method according to claim 1 .

3. The computer derives a sum of the length of the printable area after the size adjustment operation is performed and the lengths of the front and rear margins that are set outside the printable area before the size adjustment operation is performed. The editing method according to claim 2 .

4. On the computer, A process of controlling a display unit so as to display the width of the print medium set on the editing screen on a print preview screen of the print medium; A process of accepting a selection operation on the print preview screen for selecting a model of a printing device and a width of a print medium that can be printed by the printing device; a process of executing a size adjustment operation for enlarging or reducing a printable area for printing an image on the printing medium when the width of the printing medium set on the editing screen differs from the width of the printing medium accepted in accordance with the selection operation; A program characterized by executing the above.

5. Controlling a display unit so as to display the width of the printing medium set on the editing screen on a print preview screen of the printing medium, Accepting a selection operation on the print preview screen for selecting a model of a printing device and a width of a print medium that can be printed by the printing device; and a control unit that executes a size adjustment operation to enlarge or reduce a printable area for printing an image on the print medium when the width of the print medium set on the editing screen differs from the width of the print medium accepted in accordance with the selection operation. Information processing device.

Images