program

Abstract

To provide a technology for improving image data to be transmitted, in a program for controlling a printer having a function of cutting a printed sheet.SOLUTION: A printer driver 23 causes a CPU 11 of a PC 1, through a user IF 13, to receive cut print settings for cutting a printed sheet of A4 into two along a longitudinal direction, acquire, when receiving a print instruction with the cut print settings, image data indicating images to be printed by page, generate an arrangement image formed by arranging images of A5 for two pages, the images being obtained by dividing the sheet of A4 into two longitudinally, on the basis of the acquired image data, and transmit print data based on the arrangement image to a printer 3 in association with a cut command. On receipt of the cut command and the print data, the printer 3 prints the arrangement image on a sheet of A4 and cuts the printed sheet into two along the longitudinal direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The technical field disclosed in this specification relates to a program for controlling a printer having a function of cutting a sheet after printing. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, printers having a cutting function for cutting printed sheets have been known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an image forming device having a cutting function, which generates image data representing an image in which multiple pages of images are laid out so as to be printed on a single sheet, performs printing based on the laid-out image data, and cuts the printed sheet on a page-by-page basis. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-1358 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] A user who desires an A5-sized printout may have an A4-sized sheet. In this case, for example, an image can be printed on the A4-sized sheet, and then the user can manually cut the printed sheet in half to obtain the desired printout. However, this manual process is time-consuming. In such a case, the printer disclosed in Patent Document 1 can reduce the user's effort by laying out an A5-sized image for A4 size, printing it on an A4-sized sheet, and automatically cutting the sheet in half. However, Patent Document 1 performs the image layout process on the printer, which places a heavy load on the printer. Therefore, improvements are desired on the device that transmits the image data.

[0005] This specification discloses a technology that improves image data sent by a program that controls a printer that has a function for cutting a sheet after printing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A program developed to solve this problem is executable by a computer of an information processing device and is used to control a printer having a cutting function for cutting sheets that serve as print media. The program causes the computer to execute a setting process using a user interface of the information processing device to set whether or not to perform cut printing, which divides a printed sheet of a first size in half in a first direction corresponding to the sheet transport direction in the printer. The program also causes the computer to execute a generation process, when a print instruction is received that sets cut printing to be performed, to acquire image data representing an image to be printed on a page-by-page basis, and, based on the image to be printed shown in the acquired image data, generate an arrangement image corresponding to the first size in which images corresponding to a second size indicating a size obtained by dividing the first size in half along the long side are arranged side by side in the first direction, and a transmission process to associate print data based on the arrangement image generated in the generation process with a cut instruction to cut the sheet and send the print data to the printer. When the printer receives the print data associated with the cut instruction, it prints the arrangement image on a sheet of the first size and cuts the printed sheet to divide it in half in the first direction.

[0007] By executing the program disclosed in this specification, an information processing device generates a layout image of a first size in which two pages of images corresponding to the second size are arranged in a first direction corresponding to the sheet transport direction, and transmits print data based on the layout image to a printer in association with a cutting instruction. The printer receives the print data associated with the cutting instruction, prints the layout image on a sheet of the first size, cuts the printed sheet, and divides it in half in the first direction, thereby outputting a printout of the second size, each with one page of image printed on it. This eliminates the need for the printer to perform image layout processing, thereby reducing the load on the printer.

[0008] An information processing device that realizes the functions of the above program, a control method for realizing the functions of the program, and a computer-readable storage medium that stores the program are also novel and useful. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The technology disclosed in this specification realizes a technology that improves image data sent by a program that controls a printer that has a function for cutting a sheet after printing. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a PC according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a printer. [Figure 3] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of each program related to printing. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a setting screen. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a sample image showing an image of a print result. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a warning screen. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a print screen. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a printing process. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a guide screen. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure for one-page single-sided processing. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure for blanking processing. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a selection screen. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a paste position of print data. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the arrangement order of printed materials to be created. [Figure 15] 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure for two-page double-sided processing. [Figure 16] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the arrangement order of printed materials to be created. [Figure 17] 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure for two-page single-sided processing. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a paste position of print data. [Figure 19] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the arrangement order of printed materials to be created. [Figure 20] 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure for four-page double-sided processing. [Figure 21] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the arrangement order of printed materials to be created. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a program embodied in the program will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. This embodiment discloses a program executed on a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as "PC") that can be connected to a printer having a printing function.

[0012] As shown in Fig. 1, the PC 1 of this embodiment includes a controller 10 including a CPU 11 and a memory 12. The PC 1 is an example of an information processing device, and the CPU 11 is an example of a computer. The PC 1 also includes a user interface (hereinafter referred to as "user IF") 13 and a communication interface (hereinafter referred to as "communication IF") 14, which are electrically connected to the controller 10. Note that the controller 10 in Fig. 1 is a collective term for hardware and software used to control the PC 1, and does not necessarily represent a single piece of hardware that actually exists in the PC 1.

[0013] The CPU 11 executes various processes in accordance with programs read from the memory 12 and based on user operations. Various programs and various data are stored in the memory 12. The memory 12 is also used as a work area when various processes are executed. The buffer provided in the CPU 11 is also an example of memory. Note that the memory 12 is not limited to a ROM, RAM, HDD, etc. built into the PC 1, but may also be a storage medium readable and writable by the CPU 11, such as a recording medium, such as a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM.

[0014] The user IF 13 includes hardware for displaying a screen for notifying the user of information and hardware for accepting user operations. The user IF 13 may be a combination of a display capable of displaying information and a mouse or keyboard having an input acceptance function, or may be a touch panel having a display function and an input acceptance function.

[0015] The communication IF 14 includes hardware for communicating with an external device such as the printer 3. The communication standards of the communication IF 14 include Ethernet (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), USB, etc. The PC 1 may be provided with multiple communication IFs 14 that are compatible with multiple communication standards.

[0016] 1, the memory 12 of the PC 1 stores an operating system (hereinafter referred to as "OS") 21, an editing application program (hereinafter referred to as "editing app") 22, and a printer driver 23. The printer driver 23 is an example of a program. The OS 21 is, for example, Windows (registered trademark), macOS (registered trademark), Linux (registered trademark), iOS (registered trademark), or Android (registered trademark).

[0017] The editing application 22 is a program that accepts instructions such as creating, editing, printing, and saving images and documents. The editing application 22 may be, for example, Microsoft Word or PowerPoint, or an application provided by the vendor of the printer 3. The editing application 22 accepts user operations including instructions to cause the printer 3 to perform a predetermined operation. Specifically, the editing application 22 accepts, via the user IF 13, for example, the designation of a printing device, the designation of an image to be printed, an instruction to edit print settings, and an instruction to execute printing. The editing application 22 may be able to accept, as print settings, the designation of sheet type and size, the designation of the number of copies, an instruction for double-sided printing, and the like.

[0018] The printer driver 23 is a program corresponding to the model of the printer 3, and communicates with the printer 3 to control the operation of the printer 3. The printer driver 23 is started, for example, when an instruction to execute printing or an instruction to edit detailed print settings is received while the printer 3 is specified by the editing application 22 or the like. When the printer driver 23 receives a print job based on the instruction to execute printing received by the editing application 22 or the like, it generates print data based on the image data specified in the print job.

[0019] The printer 3 of this embodiment is a device that has at least a printing function for printing an image on a sheet, which is a print medium, and a communication function for communicating with the PC 1. As shown in Fig. 2, the printer 3 includes, for example, a print head 31 that forms an image on a sheet, a paper feed tray 32 that stores sheets before printing, a paper discharge tray 33 on which printed sheets are placed, a conveying mechanism 34 that conveys the sheets, and a cutter 35 that cuts the sheets.

[0020] When printing, the printer 3 feeds one of the sheets P stored in the paper feed tray 32 from the paper feed tray 32 using the transport mechanism 34, transports it along a path R1 indicated by a dashed line in FIG. 2 , and presents it to the print head 31. The print head 31 of the printer 3 is capable of printing using, for example, an inkjet method, and forms an image on the upper surface of the facing sheet in FIG. 2 by ejecting ink droplets from top to bottom. The printer 3 transports the sheet while printing, and discharges it to the paper output tray 33 in a so-called face-up position, with the printed side facing upward in the figure. Note that the printing method of the print head 31 is not limited to inkjet printing, and may be electrophotographic, thermal transfer, or other methods. The printer 3 of this embodiment may be capable of color printing or may only perform monochrome printing.

[0021] The printer 3 of this embodiment is capable of double-sided printing. When double-sided printing is performed, after printing on one side of a sheet is completed, the printer 3 stops conveying the sheet, pulls it back, and inverts the sheet before discharging it to the output tray 33, and then presents the sheet to the print head 31 again. Specifically, when the trailing end of the sheet whose printing on one side has been completed reaches the branch point BP, the printer 3 temporarily stops the conveyance mechanism 34, reverses the conveyance direction, and pulls the sheet into path R2, shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 2. Path R2 merges with path R1 at a junction point GP upstream of the print head 31 in the conveyance direction. The sheet enters path R1 from the junction point GP and again faces the print head 31 with the unprinted side facing upward in the figure. After printing on both sides, the printer 3 discharges the sheet to the output tray 33 with the later-printed side facing upward.

[0022] Furthermore, the printer 3 of this embodiment includes a cutter 35 disposed between the transport rollers 341 and 342 in the sheet transport direction, as shown in FIG. 2, for example. The cutter 35 includes a pair of upper and lower blades and a carriage for moving the blades. The carriage can move the blades in parallel with the axial direction of the transport roller 342, i.e., in a direction perpendicular to the sheet transport direction in the printer 3, while bringing the blades close to each other. The transport roller 342 is the transport roller disposed closest to the paper output tray 33 in the transport mechanism 34. The sheet transport direction in the printer 3 is an example of a first direction.

[0023] The printer 3 has a cutter 35, which provides a cutting function that divides a printed sheet before ejection into two halves, one at the front and one at the back, in the sheet transport direction. Specifically, the printer 3 acquires information about the positions of the leading and trailing ends of the sheet during transport based on the detection results of a paper sensor, etc., and, based on the acquired information, stops transport of the sheet when it has been transported to a predetermined position and drives the cutter 35. As a result, the sheet before ejection is divided into two halves, one at the front and one at the back, in the transport direction, at the predetermined position. The cutter 35 may be configured to have only one of the upper and lower blades, or may be configured to have a blade extending in the width direction of the sheet and a carriage that moves the blade up and down.

[0024] The printer driver 23 of this embodiment can accept a cut print setting as a print setting. The cut print setting of this embodiment is a print mode setting in which an A4-sized sheet is printed and the printed sheet is divided into two at the center of its long side. When a print instruction including the cut print setting is accepted, the printer driver 23 sends print data corresponding to an A4-sized image and a cut instruction to cut the sheet to the printer 3. Note that the cut print setting that can be accepted by the printer driver 23 of this embodiment is a combination of printing on an A4-sized sheet and a cut instruction, and instructions to cut sheets other than A4 size are not accepted. Note that the printer driver 23 may also be able to accept a setting to cut sheets other than A4 size as long as the sheet size is compatible with the cutting function of the printer 3.

[0025] When the printer 3 receives the print data and a cutting instruction, it conveys the A4-sized sheet with its long side as the conveying direction, prints an image based on the print data, and divides the sheet in half at the center of the long side. This results in two A5-sized printouts. The A4 size is an example of the first size, and the A5 size is an example of the second size. After cutting, the printer 3 resumes conveying the sheet, ejecting the front portion in the conveying direction first and then overlapping and ejecting the rear portion in the conveying direction on top of it.

[0026] It should be noted that the cutting position of the cutter 35 of the printer 3 may be misaligned due to misalignment of the sheet transport or misalignment of the blade drive position. The cutting error of the printer 3 of this embodiment is, for example, 3 mm. The cutting error is the maximum difference between the actual cutting position of the printer 3 and the set position. In other words, the cutting position of the printer 3 of this embodiment is within a range of ±3 mm from the center position in the long side direction of the A4 size paper.

[0027] Next, various printing-related processing procedures in the PC 1 incorporating the editing application 22 and printer driver 23 will be described with reference to the sequence diagram in Fig. 3 and several flowcharts. Note that the processing of the PC 1 and each processing step in each flowchart in the following description basically represent processing by the CPU 11 in accordance with instructions written in a program such as the printer driver 23.

[0028] 3, a user executes the editing application 22, selects a document or image to be printed in the editing application 22, and then selects printing (P01). When the editing application 22 receives an instruction for printing with the printer 3 selected as the device to be printed, the editing application 22 starts the printer driver 23 corresponding to the printer 3 and requests information about the capabilities of the printer 3 from the printer driver 23 (P02). The printer driver 23 receives the request of P02 via, for example, the OS 21.

[0029] In response to the request, the printer driver 23 passes capability information, which is information about the capabilities of the printer 3, to the editing application 22 (P03). The capability information includes information about selectable print settings, such as information about selectable paper sizes and print resolution. In this embodiment, the printer driver 23 responds with capability information that includes information about a special size associated with a cut print setting as one of the selectable paper sizes. The printer driver 23 may acquire and store information about the capabilities of the printer 3 in advance, or may acquire the information by inquiring about the printer 3 in response to a request from the editing application 22.

[0030] The editing application 22 displays a print screen based on the information received from the printer driver 23 (P04) and accepts instructions for basic print settings. The print screen is a screen that can accept instructions for basic print settings including paper size selection, instructions for editing detailed print settings, instructions for printing, etc. For example, when the editing application 22 accepts an instruction to select a paper size on the print screen, the editing application 22 displays a list of options that are selectable paper sizes on the print screen based on the capability information received from the printer driver 23. Since the printer driver 23 in this embodiment responds with paper sizes including special sizes as capability information, the paper size options displayed by the editing application 22 include special sizes. Details of paper size types will be described later.

[0031] The editing application 22 can accept an instruction to edit the detailed print settings on the currently displayed print screen (opt: [receive instruction for detailed settings]). When the editing application 22 accepts an instruction to edit the detailed print settings (P11), it passes to the printer driver 23 information on the print settings currently selected on the print screen and information indicating the instruction to edit the detailed print settings (P12).

[0032] The printer driver 23 displays a setting screen for accepting edits of detailed print settings on the user IF 13 based on an instruction from the editing application 22 (P13), and accepts an instruction to edit the detailed print settings based on an operation by the user (P14). The printer driver 23 displays, for example, a setting screen 50 shown in FIG. 4 on the user IF 13 and accepts an operation by the user.

[0033] 4 includes a document size selection field 51, a check box 52 for accepting settings for cut printing, a check box 53 for accepting settings for cardboard cutting, a check box 54 for accepting settings for printing in reverse order, a selection field 55 for accepting settings for double-sided printing, a sample image 57 showing an image of the printed result, an OK button 58, and a Cancel button 59. In addition to the above items, the setting screen 50 can also accept settings for other items such as paper type, print quality, color or monochrome, and number of copies to print.

[0034] The document size accepted in the selection field 51 is information indicating the size of the image to be printed. When an instruction to execute printing is accepted, the editing application 22 generates image data based on the size of the image to be printed. The process of accepting the selection of the document size by operating the selection field 51 is an example of a selection process.

[0035] Check box 52 is information indicating whether or not to include cut print settings in the print settings. The process of accepting cut print settings by operating check box 52 is an example of setting processing. Note that if "A4" or "A5" is selected as the document size, printer driver 23 can accept cut print settings by checking check box 52. If the document size is neither "A4" nor "A5", printer driver 23 does not accept operation of check box 52. The setting of cardboard cut by checking check box 53 is information indicating that the sheet to be cut is a sheet that is difficult to cut, such as cardboard or glossy paper.

[0036] Then, when "A4" is selected as the document size and an operation to check check box 52 is accepted, printer driver 23 can further accept an alternative selection between "reduced printing in A5 size" and "print in A4 size" using radio buttons 521 and 522. If "A5" is selected as the document size when an operation to check check box 52 is accepted, or if check box 52 is not checked, radio buttons 521 and 522 are displayed grayed out and do not accept a selection.

[0037] The printer driver 23 of this embodiment supports the following three types of cut print settings. The combination of "A4" document size, a check mark in checkbox 52, and "A5 size reduced printing" via radio button 521 reduces an A4-sized image to A5 size, prints two pages side by side on a single A4-sized sheet, and then cuts the printed sheet in half. When a print instruction is received with this setting, the printer 3 creates an A5-sized sheet on which one page of the reduced image of the original image data is printed. Hereinafter, this combination of settings will be referred to as the "A4 reduced cut setting."

[0038] The combination of setting the document size to "A4," checking the checkbox 52, and selecting "Print in A4 size" using the radio button 522 is a cut print setting in which an A4-sized image is printed on a single A4-sized sheet without being reduced in size, and the printed sheet is then cut in half. When a print instruction is received with this setting, the printer 3 creates two A5-sized sheets, one with the top half of one page of the original image data printed on it, and the other with the bottom half printed on it. Hereinafter, this combination of settings will be referred to as the "A4 cut setting."

[0039] Furthermore, the combination of "A5" document size and a check in checkbox 52 results in a cut print setting in which two pages of A5-sized images are printed side by side on a single A4-sized sheet, and the printed sheet is then cut in half. When a print instruction is received with this setting, printer 3 creates A5-sized sheets on which one page of the original image data is printed, one on each sheet. Hereinafter, this combination of settings will be referred to as the "A5 cut setting."

[0040] The check box 54 is information indicating whether the page order of the image data is to be normal or reverse order. If a print execution instruction is received after the check box 54 has been checked to indicate a reverse order, the editing application 22 outputs the image data of each page in the reverse page order of the page order at the time of editing. As described above, the printer 3 discharges pages face up, so if single-sided printing is performed in normal order, the first page is discharged first and stacked at the bottom. On the other hand, if single-sided printing is performed in reverse order, the first page is discharged last and stacked at the top.

[0041] When a double-sided printing instruction is given using the selection field 55, the printer driver 23 accepts a selection from among no double-sided printing, double-sided printing with long-edge binding, and double-sided printing with short-edge binding. The process of accepting a double-sided printing setting by operating the selection field 55 is an example of a double-sided setting process. Note that the printer driver 23 of this embodiment does not accept an instruction to use both double-sided printing and reverse order printing. When a double-sided printing instruction is accepted, reverse order is turned off, and when a reverse order instruction is accepted, double-sided printing is turned off.

[0042] The sample image 57 displays an image according to the setting selected on the setting screen 50. For example, if the setting selected is a cut print setting, an image of the printed matter divided into two sheets by cutting is displayed as shown in FIG. 5. If the A4 reduced cut setting or the A5 cut setting is selected, the sample image 57 displays an image of two pages and a cut image as shown in FIG. 5(A). If the A4 cut setting is selected, the sample image 57 displays an image of one page and a cut image as shown in FIG. 5(B).

[0043] Note that the cut print settings by the printer driver 23 of this embodiment are limited to the three types described above. Therefore, if the document size selection field 51 is operated while the check box 52 is checked to select a size other than A4 or A5, the printer driver 23 displays a warning screen. An example of the warning screen is shown in FIG. 6. The warning screen 511 shown in FIG. 6 displays a message indicating that cut print can only be set when the document size is A4 or A5. When the warning screen 511 is closed by operating the OK button or the like in the warning screen 511, the printer driver 23 displays the setting screen 50 with the check box 52 unchecked, i.e., with the cut print setting turned off. The process of displaying the warning screen 511 is an example of warning processing. By displaying a warning screen when a document size that cannot be supported by cut print is selected, errors due to improper settings can be avoided.

[0044] Returning to the explanation of Figure 3, after displaying the setting screen 50 at P13, the printer driver 23 repeats P13 and P14, changing and displaying the setting screen 50 based on the user's operation, unless the user's operation accepted at P14 is an operation on the OK button 58 or the Cancel button 59 on the setting screen 50. If an operation on the OK button 58 or the Cancel button 59 is accepted at P14, the printer driver 23 ends the display of the setting screen 50 and passes detailed print setting information to the editing application 22 (P15).

[0045] The printer driver 23 and the editing application 22 share print setting information. When the printer driver 23 accepts an operation on the OK button 58 at P14, it outputs setting information indicating the print settings selected at that time to the editing application 22 at P15. The editing application 22 can input the setting information output from the printer driver 23 at P15, and adjusts and redisplays the print screen displayed at P04 based on the input setting information. On the other hand, when an operation on the cancel button 59 is accepted at P14, the printer driver 23 discards all information on the user's operation accepted on the setting screen 50. In this case, the printer driver 23 may output, at P15, to the editing application 22 the print setting information used when the execution instruction was accepted at P12, or may output information indicating that the print settings were not changed. The editing application 22 redisplays the print screen displayed at A04 without changing it.

[0046] The editing application 22 can accept a paper size selection on the currently displayed print screen, and when an instruction to select a paper size is accepted, a list of selectable paper size options is displayed. As described above, the capability information that the printer driver 23 passes to the editing application 22 at P03 includes information on special sizes including cut print settings, and therefore the list of options displayed by the editing application 22 includes options indicating special sizes.

[0047] FIG. 7 shows an example of a list of paper size options displayed by the editing application 22. The option list 60 shown in FIG. 7 includes three special size options: option 61 indicating "reduce A4 to A5 and cut," option 62 indicating "cut A4 as is," and option 63 indicating "lay out two A5 pages on A4 and cut." Option 61 corresponds to the A4 reduction cut setting, option 62 corresponds to the A4 cut setting, and option 63 corresponds to the A5 cut setting. Displaying multiple options associated with different cut print settings and accepting a selection increases the flexibility of cut print settings.

[0048] When the editing application 22 receives an instruction to edit detailed print settings or an instruction to execute printing, it passes information about the selected print settings to the printer driver 23. If one of the options 61 to 63 is selected as the paper size on the currently displayed print screen, the editing application 22 passes information indicating that option to the printer driver 23. The process of receiving the cut print settings by selecting one of the options 61 to 63 is an example of a setting process.

[0049] When the print setting information received from the editing application 22 in response to a detailed print setting instruction includes information indicating that one of options 61 to 63 has been selected as the paper size, the printer driver 23 displays the setting screen 50 with the corresponding cut-to-print setting selected. Specifically, the printer driver 23 checks the check box 52 and changes the selection state of the document size selection field 51 and radio buttons 521 and 522 according to the information of the option received as the paper size. This allows the user to understand the cut-to-print setting from the display of the setting screen 50.

[0050] In this embodiment, the settings screen 50 displayed by the printer driver 23 does not include a special size option among the options available in the document size selection field 51. If special sizes were displayed on the settings screen 50, switching between the displayed contents would become complicated, which could confuse the user. The printer driver 23 of this embodiment does not display special sizes in the document size selection field 51 and does not allow selection of special sizes, thereby avoiding user confusion.

[0051] On the other hand, if the paper size information received from editing application 22 is other than options 61 to 63, printer driver 23 displays the size corresponding to the received paper size information in document size selection field 51. Furthermore, if the received paper size information indicates "A4" or "A5," printer driver 23 does not change the checked state of check box 52 on setting screen 50 from the previous setting or the default setting. If the received paper size information indicates a size other than "A4" or "A5," printer driver 23 unchecks check box 52 and displays setting screen 50.

[0052] Furthermore, when the printer driver 23 receives a cut print setting on the setting screen 50, on P15 of FIG. 3 , it passes information indicating the corresponding option from among the options 61 to 63 to the editing application 22 as paper size information, rather than the size information received in the document size selection field 51. For example, if a value related to the cut print setting among the print settings selected on the setting screen 50 matches a value associated with one of the options 61 to 63, the printer driver 23 outputs information indicating that option. Based on the input information, the editing application 22 can display information indicating that a special size has been selected. This allows the user to know that cut print has been set even via the editing application 22.

[0053] On the other hand, if the cut print setting has not been accepted, the printer driver 23 passes the size information accepted in the document size selection field 51 to the editing application 22 as the selected paper size information.

[0054] When the editing application 22 receives an instruction to select a paper size after receiving paper size information from the printer driver 23, it displays the option list 60 with the corresponding option selected based on the information received from the printer driver 23. If an instruction to execute printing is received with option 61 or 62 selected, the editing application 22 generates image data assuming that the size of the image to be printed is A4 size. If an instruction to execute printing is received with option 63 selected, the editing application 22 generates image data assuming that the size of the image to be printed is A5 size. If an instruction to execute printing is received with a paper size other than options 61 to 63 selected, the editing application 22 generates image data assuming that the size of the image to be printed is the selected paper size.

[0055] The print setting information may be written in a memory area shared by the editing application 22 and the printer driver 23. In other words, both the editing application 22 and the printer driver 23 may read the print setting information from the same area and write the print setting information to the same area, thereby sharing the information. In that case, at P15 in FIG. 3, the printer driver 23 may write the detailed setting information to the shared memory area.

[0056] Returning to the explanation of Figure 3, when the editing application 22 receives a print instruction on the currently displayed print screen (P21), it generates image data of the image to be printed based on the print settings (P25) and passes the print instruction and image data to the printer driver 23 (P26). The print instruction may include information on the print settings.

[0057] The printer driver 23 executes a printing process (ref) based on the information received from the editing application 22. The printing process is a process of generating print data based on the image data and sending the generated print data and a print command instructing printing based on the print data to the printer 3. The procedure of the printing process will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 8. This printing process is executed by the CPU 11 based on the printer driver 23.

[0058] In the printing process, the CPU 11 determines whether cut printing is set in the print settings (S101). If it determines that cut printing is not set (S101: NO), the CPU 11 determines whether A4 size is specified as the document size in the print settings (S105). If it determines that A4 size is specified (S105: YES), the CPU 11 causes the user IF 13 to display a guide screen informing the user that cut printing is selectable (S106). The printer driver 23 of this embodiment informs the user that cut printing is selectable if the document size is A4 size, thereby promoting the use of cut printing and increasing the likelihood that cut printing will be recognized and used. As a result, savings in paper and consumables can be expected.

[0059] An example of a guide screen is shown in Fig. 9. The guide screen 70 in Fig. 9 includes radio buttons 711, 712, and 713 for accepting alternative selections, sample images showing images of printed matter corresponding to each radio button, a print button 72, and a cancel button 73. Radio button 711 is a button for accepting the selection of "Do not cut" and is a button for accepting an instruction not to set cut print. Radio button 712 is a button for accepting the selection of "Reduce to A5 and cut" and is a button for accepting an instruction to set A4 reduced cut. Radio button 713 is a button for accepting the selection of "Cut without reducing" and is a button for accepting an instruction to set A4 cut.

[0060] Then, the CPU 11 determines whether the print button 72 or the cancel button 73 on the guidance screen 70 has been operated (S107). If it determines that an instruction to cancel printing has been accepted using the cancel button 73 (S107: cancel), the CPU 11 notifies the editing application 22 of the end of the print process (S131) ​​and ends the print process without generating print data. The guidance screen 70 accepts whether to continue or cancel the print job processing, so the user can decide whether to continue the print job based on the guidance.

[0061] If it is determined that the selection to continue the printing process has been accepted using the print button 72 (S107: Print), the CPU 11 determines which of the radio buttons 711 to 713 has been selected (S108). If it is determined that the radio button 711 has been selected (S108: Do not cut) or if it is determined that the document size is not A4 size (S105: NO), the CPU 11 causes the printer 3 to perform normal printing that does not include a cut print setting (S109). Then, the CPU 11 notifies the editing application 22 of the end of the printing process (S131) ​​and ends the printing process. The case where the radio button 712 or 713 has been selected will be described later.

[0062] On the other hand, if it is determined that cut printing is set in the print settings (S101: YES), the CPU 11 determines whether the document size is A4 or A5 (S111). If it is determined that the document size is A4 (S111: A4), the CPU 11 determines whether the A4 reduced cut setting is selected (S112). For example, the CPU 11 determines YES in S112 if the radio button 521 (see FIG. 4) on the setting screen 50 is selected or the option 61 is selected for the paper size on the print screen (see FIG. 7).

[0063] If the A4 reduction cut setting has not been selected, i.e., if it is determined that the A4 cut setting has been selected (S112: NO), or if it is determined that an operation on the print button 72 has been accepted while the radio button 713 has been selected on the guide screen 70 (S108: Do not reduce), the CPU 11 sends a cut command to the printer 3 (S115). This cut command is a command that indicates a cut instruction for all pages of the print job to be subsequently sent. Note that the cut command is not limited to a cut command that is applied to the entire print job, and may be a cut instruction on a page-by-page basis. In this case, the CPU 11 adds a cut instruction for each page when sending print data, which will be described later.

[0064] The CPU 11 determines whether double-sided printing is selected in the print settings (S116). If it determines that double-sided printing is not selected (S116: NO), the CPU 11 executes one-page single-sided processing (S117). The one-page single-sided processing is a process of generating print data for printing one page of an A4-sized image on one side of an A4-sized sheet, and transmitting the generated print data to the printer 3.

[0065] The procedure for processing one page on one side will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 10. First, the CPU 11 reserves an area of ​​a predetermined size in the memory 12 and creates a print data area for pasting A4 size print data (S201). The CPU 11 acquires one page of image data from the image data generated by the editing application 22 (S202).

[0066] The CPU 11 executes whiteout processing (S211). Whiteout processing is a process for generating print data in which the image of the area where the cutter 35 may come into contact in the printer 3 is a white image with no coloring material applied. For example, when printing is performed using an inkjet printer 3, the ink on the sheet immediately after printing may not be completely dry. By making the cutting area a white image, it is possible to prevent ink from adhering to the cutter 35, and to prevent the sheet from being soiled the next time the cutter 35 is cut and the cutter 35 from rusting.

[0067] The procedure for the blanking process will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 11. In the blanking process, the CPU 11 determines whether or not there is drawing data of a color other than white in the area to be blanked out (S301). The area to be blanked out is the area of ​​the sheet that may come into contact with the cutter 35 during cutting, taking into account cutting errors, and is, for example, a range of ±3 mm including the center position in the longitudinal direction of the sheet.

[0068] If it is determined that there is drawing data other than white in the area to be blanked out (S301: YES), the CPU 11 causes the user IF 13 to display a selection screen for accepting selection of a blanking method (S302).

[0069] An example of the selection screen is shown in Fig. 12. The selection screen 80 in Fig. 12 includes radio buttons 811 for selecting "whiteout" and radio buttons 812 for selecting "split image" as methods for whitening the cut portion, sample images showing what the printed material will look like corresponding to each radio button, and an OK button 82. "Whiteout" is a method of overwriting the whitened portion with a solid white image, while "split image" is a method of reducing the image and splitting it into upper and lower halves, leaving a gap in the whitened portion. The CPU 11 then waits until the OK button 82 is operated on the selection screen 80 being displayed.

[0070] When the OK button 82 is operated, the CPU 11 determines whether the radio button 811 or the radio button 812 is selected (S303). If it determines that the radio button 811 is selected (S303: Whiteout), the CPU 11 generates a processed image in which the image data of the target area is changed to white data (S306). The area changed to white data becomes a gap area to which no coloring material is applied during printing. By overwriting a solid white image, a gap area can be easily formed in the image to be printed. In this way, the gap area is set so that it is larger than the printer's cutting error, based on the center position, and therefore adhesion of coloring material to the printer's cutting member is more reliably suppressed.

[0071] However, if there is drawing data in the area where the solid white image is overwritten, the drawing data will be lost due to the overwriting of the solid white image, resulting in a loss of information. In this embodiment, the selection screen 80 notifies the user of the loss of drawing data, so the user can understand that the data in the center will be lost. In this case, the selection screen 80 is a screen that notifies the user of the loss of drawing data and is an example of a notification screen. Note that the selection screen 80 may not only allow the user to select a whiteout method, but also allow the user to cancel printing.

[0072] After S306, or if it is determined that there is no drawing data in the area to be blanked out (S301: NO), the CPU 11 rasterizes the image data to create print data of a size corresponding to A4 size (S307), and pastes the rasterized data into the print data area (S308).

[0073] The print data generated in S307 is sized to fit the entire A4-sized print data area created in S201 for single-sided processing of one page, and is pasted over the entire print data area. When the printer 3 executes printing based on this print data, it is printed on the A4-sized sheet with a predetermined margin around it, as shown by the dashed lines in Figure 13, just like when printing a normal A4-sized image on an A4-sized sheet.

[0074] On the other hand, if it is determined that radio button 812 has been selected when OK button 82 is operated (S303: Leave Gap), CPU 11 rasterizes the image data to create print data of a size corresponding to approximately 98% of A4 size (S311). Then, CPU 11 generates a processed image from the rasterized data, with a gap area in the center of the long side where no image data is pasted, and pastes the processed image into the print data area (S312). The gap area can be easily formed by dividing the image to be printed in half and spacing them apart. After S308 or S312, CPU 11 ends the blanking process and returns to single-sided printing of one page.

[0075] The print data generated in S311 is smaller than the print data area both vertically and horizontally. In S312, the CPU 11 pastes the print data into the print data area, leaving gaps of approximately 2 mm at both ends of the short side and approximately 6 mm at the center of the long side, as shown by the diagonal lines in Figure 13. Specifically, the CPU 11 pastes the print data starting from a position to the right of the left edge of the print data area by a number of dots corresponding to 2 mm. After pasting half of the print data, it pastes the next line of print data starting from a position that is a number of dots corresponding to approximately 6 mm below. When the printer 3 prints based on this print data, the left and right margins are approximately 2 mm larger than when whiteout is used, creating a gap area of ​​approximately 6 mm width that includes the center of the paper in the longitudinal direction. Even in this case, the gap area is set to be larger than the printer's cutting error, based on the center position, so adhesion of colorant to the printer's cutting member is more reliably suppressed.

[0076] Alternatively, instead of S311, the CPU 11 may rasterize the image without reducing it, and then, in S312, paste the rasterized print data into the print data area with a gap at the center of the long side. In this case, the CPU 11 may, for example, not paste lines of the print data that correspond to approximately 3 mm from the top edge and approximately 3 mm from the bottom edge into the print data area. Alternatively, the CPU 11 may not paste the print data that corresponds to approximately 6 mm from the top edge or the bottom edge. Even in this case, a gap area with a width that takes cutting error into account can be provided in the center. However, in this case, the drawing data may overflow and information may be lost. On the other hand, as described above, reducing the image prevents the drawing data from overflowing at the top and bottom of the image when the image is separated, resulting in information being lost.

[0077] Alternatively, the printer driver 23 may perform whiteout processing using a predetermined method instead of accepting a user selection. In this case, the printer driver 23 may notify the user that whiteout processing will be performed instead of displaying the selection screen in step S302 of the whiteout processing, and then perform the predetermined processing. For example, if whiteout processing is performed as the predetermined processing, the printer driver 23 may notify the user for a predetermined period of time using a pop-up display that the image at the center position, which is the cut position, will be lost, and then perform the whiteout processing. The selection screen may also allow the user to cancel printing.

[0078] Returning to the explanation of the one-page single-sided printing process in Figure 10, after the whiteout process in S211, the CPU 11 rotates the print data area as necessary (S221). Specifically, if reverse order is set as the print setting, the CPU 11 rotates the print data area 180 degrees, and if normal order is set, the CPU 11 does not rotate it. The CPU 11 then encodes the print data area and sends it to the printer 3 (S231).

[0079] The CPU 11 determines whether or not there is next image data (S232). If it determines that there is next image data (S232: YES), the CPU 11 clears the print data area (S233), returns to S202, and acquires the next image data. Note that, in the blanking process from the second round onward, the CPU 11 skips displaying the selection screen (S302) and accepting user operations (S303), and applies the selection results from the first round. Since repeated notifications can be irritating to users, after a single notification, no further notifications for that job are made, which reduces the user's discomfort. If it determines that there is no next image data (S232: NO), the print data area is discarded (S234), one-page single-sided processing is completed, and the process returns to printing.

[0080] Upon receiving the print data, the printer 3 uses one page of print data to print an image on a single A4-sized sheet, then drives the cutter 35 to divide the printed sheet in half along its long side, which is the conveyance direction. A gap is created by painting it white or leaving a gap, which prevents colorant from adhering to the cutter 35 of the printer 3 during printing.

[0081] The leading edge of the print data area is the data that is printed first, and in single-sided printing, this is the front portion in the transport direction. As mentioned above, after cutting, the printer 3 ejects the front portion in the transport direction first, and then ejects the rear portion on top of that. The layout order of the prints created by the printer 3 is shown in Figure 14. Figure 14 shows an example of print data generated based on image data for five pages.

[0082] If portrait and normal order are set, the printer driver 23 sends the print data area to the printer 3 without rotating it. As a result, as shown in FIG. 14(A), the upper half (1u) of the first page is printed and ejected, and the lower half (1d) of the first page is ejected on top of it. If portrait and reverse order are set, the printer driver 23 rotates the print data area 180 degrees before sending it to the printer 3. As a result, as shown in FIG. 14(B), the lower half (5d) of the last page is printed and ejected, and the upper half (5u) of the last page is ejected on top of it. By rotating the image when reverse order is set, the printed lower half of the image becomes the front part, and the printed upper half of the image is stacked on top of it.

[0083] If landscape and normal order are set, the printer driver 23 sends the print data area to the printer 3 without rotating it. As a result, as shown in Figure 14(C), the left half (1l) of the first page is printed and ejected, and the right half (1r) of the first page is superimposed on top and ejected. If landscape and reverse order are set, the printer driver 23 rotates the print data area 180 degrees and sends it to the printer 3. As a result, as shown in Figure 14(D), the right half (5r) of the last page is printed and ejected, and the left half (5l) of the last page is superimposed on top and ejected.

[0084] Returning to the description of the printing process in Fig. 8, if it is determined that double-sided printing has been selected in the print settings (S116: YES), the CPU 11 executes two-page double-sided processing (S118). The two-page double-sided processing is a process of generating print data for printing one page of an A4-sized image on both sides of a single A4-sized sheet, and transmitting the generated print data to the printer 3.

[0085] The procedure for two-page double-sided printing will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 15. In two-page double-sided printing, CPU 11 reserves an area of ​​a predetermined size in memory 12 and creates two A4-sized print data areas (S401). CPU 11 then first acquires one page of image data (S402) and executes whiteout processing (S403). The whiteout processing is the process shown in Fig. 11 above.

[0086] The CPU 11 determines whether or not there is next image data (S405). If it is determined that there is next image data (S405: YES), the CPU 11 acquires the image data for the next page (S406) and executes blanking processing (S407). As with the one-page single-sided processing, the CPU 11 skips S302 and S303 in blanking processing from the second time onwards. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no next image data (S405: NO), the CPU 11 adds one blank page (S408).

[0087] The CPU 11 rotates the two-page print data area as necessary (S411), and then encodes the two-page print data area and transmits it to the printer 3 (S421).

[0088] Specifically, if long-edge binding is set, the CPU 11 rotates only the print data area for the first side by 180 degrees, so that the images of the first and second pages are oriented in opposite directions relative to the sheet transport direction. If short-edge binding is set, the CPU 11 rotates both the print data areas for the first and second sides by 180 degrees, so that the images of the first and second pages are oriented in the same direction relative to the sheet transport direction. The first side is the print data area generated based on the image data acquired earlier, and is the side that is printed first by the printer 3. In this embodiment, a processed image is generated with the orientation of the image on the back side aligned depending on whether long-edge binding or short-edge binding is set, allowing for appropriate double-sided printing. The binding direction in two-page double-sided processing is determined based on the long or short edge of the original A4-sized image, not the long or short edge after cutting.

[0089] The CPU 11 determines whether or not there is next image data (S422). If it determines that there is next image data (S422: YES), the CPU 11 clears the two print data areas (S423), returns to S402, and acquires the next image data. If it determines that there is no image data (S422: NO), the CPU 11 discards the two print data areas (S424), ends the two-page double-sided printing process, and returns to the printing process.

[0090] Upon receiving the print data, the printer 3 uses the two-page print data to print images on both sides of a single A4-sized sheet, and then drives the cutter 35 to divide the printed sheet in half along its long side, which is the conveyance direction. Even in two-page double-sided processing, a gap area is provided by painting it white or leaving a gap, which prevents colorant from adhering to the cutter 35 of the printer 3 during printing.

[0091] The arrangement order of printed matter created by the printer 3 is shown in Fig. 16. Fig. 16 shows an example of the pasting position for one page of print data generated based on two pages of image data. If the image data is three or more pages, the CPU 11 processes the image data from the third page onwards in the same manner as in this example.

[0092] If long-edge binding and portrait are set, the printer driver 23 rotates only the print data area of ​​the first side and sends it to the printer 3, as shown in Fig. 16(A). As a result, a printed matter on which the upper half of page 1 (1u) and the upper half of page 2 (2u) are printed on both sides is ejected with the first page facing down, and on top of that, a printed matter on which the lower half of page 1 (1d) and the lower half of page 2 (2d) are printed on both sides is ejected with the first page facing down.

[0093] If short-edge binding and portrait are set, the printer driver 23 rotates the print data areas for both the first and second sides as shown in Fig. 16(B) and sends them to the printer 3. As a result, a printed matter on which the upper half (1u) of page 1 and the lower half (2d) of page 2 are printed on both sides is ejected with the first page facing down, and on top of that, a printed matter on which the lower half (1d) of page 1 and the upper half (2u) of page 2 are printed on both sides is ejected with the first page facing down.

[0094] If long-edge binding and landscape are set, the printer driver 23 rotates only the print data area of ​​the first side and sends it to the printer 3, as shown in Fig. 16(C). As a result, a printed matter on which the left half of page 1 (1l) and the left half of page 2 (2l) are printed on both sides is ejected with the first page facing down, and on top of that, a printed matter on which the right half of page 1 (1r) and the right half of page 2 (2r) are printed on both sides is ejected with the first page facing down.

[0095] If short-edge binding and landscape are set, the printer driver 23 rotates the print data areas of both the first and second sides as shown in Fig. 16(D) and sends them to the printer 3. As a result, a printed matter on which the left half (1l) of page 1 and the right half (2r) of page 2 are printed on both sides is ejected with the first page facing down, and on top of that, a printed matter on which the right half (1r) of page 1 and the left half (2l) of page 2 are printed on both sides is ejected with the first page facing down.

[0096] Returning to the description of the printing process in Fig. 8, if it is determined that the document size is A5 (S111: A5), or if it is determined that the document size is A4 and the A4 reduced cut setting is selected (S112: YES), or if it is determined that an operation on the print button 72 has been accepted with the radio button 712 selected on the guide screen 70 (S108: Reduce), the CPU 11 sends a cut command to the printer 3 (S121). S121 is the same process as S115.

[0097] The CPU 11 determines whether double-sided printing is selected in the print settings (S122). If it determines that double-sided printing is not selected (S122: NO), the CPU 11 executes two-page single-sided processing (S123). The two-page single-sided processing is a process of generating print data for printing two pages of A5-sized images on one side of a single A4-sized sheet, and transmitting the generated print data to the printer 3.

[0098] The procedure for two-page single-sided processing will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 17. First, the CPU 11 reserves an area of ​​a predetermined size in the memory 12 and creates a print data area for pasting A4-sized print data (S501).

[0099] The CPU 11 acquires one page of image data from the image data generated by the editing application 22 (S502) and rasterizes the image data to generate print data of a size corresponding to A5 size (S503). If the document size is A4 size, the CPU 11 generates print data of a reduced image. If the document size is A5 size, the CPU 11 generates print data without reducing the image. Since print data of an appropriate size is generated based on the document size, there is a high degree of freedom in the size of the printable image, improving convenience. The CPU 11 pastes the rasterized data to the leading edge of the print data area (S504). In two-page single-sided processing, the CPU 11 does not rotate the image.

[0100] Furthermore, the CPU 11 determines whether or not there is next image data (S505). If it determines that there is next image data (S505: YES), the CPU 11 acquires the next image data (S506), rasterizes it to A5 size as in S503 (S507), and pastes it at the rear end of the print data area, leaving a gap to account for cutting errors (S508). S504 and S508 are an example of a generation process. Two pages of A4-sized images are reduced and aggregated, or two pages of A5-sized images are aggregated and placed in an A4-sized print data area, resulting in a printed product with two pages of images printed in one print run. Furthermore, since the print data based on the image data acquired first is placed at the front end and the print data based on the image data acquired later is placed at the rear end, the printed product based on the image data acquired first is output first, and the output order is in accordance with the output priority of the editing application 22.

[0101] Through steps S504 and S508, print data for an arranged image is generated in the print data area, in which two pages of A5-sized images are arranged side by side with a gap in the long side direction of the A4 size. After step S508, or if it is determined that there is no next image data (S505: NO), the CPU 11 encodes the print data area and transmits it to the printer 3 (S511). S511 is an example of transmission processing.

[0102] In steps S504 and S508, CPU 11 pastes the print data at a position where a gap is provided to account for cutting errors, and where additional white space is added above and below the long side based on the difference between the A4 and A5 sizes. The long side of an A4-size sheet is 297 mm, which is 1 mm longer than twice the short side of an A5-size sheet, 148 mm. Therefore, CPU 11 pastes the print data in the long direction of the print data area, leaving a white space of 0.25 mm on each side, which is one-quarter of the 1 mm difference between the long side and the A5 size, as shown by the diagonal lines in Figure 18.

[0103] FIG. 18 shows an example in which a 3 mm margin is set, the cutting error is ±3 mm, and the width of the gap area is 6 mm. A 0.25 mm space is provided on each side of the gap area, resulting in a 6.5 mm space between the print data for the first page and the print data for the second page. In other words, in this example, the CPU 11 pastes the print data for the first page 0.25 mm below the top edge of the print data area, and pastes the print data for the second page 6.5 mm below the end of the first page. As a result, the leading and trailing margins are each 3.25 mm, and the width of the gap area including the space is 6.5 mm. Therefore, the width of the gap area in the layout image is twice the size of the leading and trailing margins.

[0104] The CPU 11 determines whether or not there is next image data (S512). If it determines that there is (S512: YES), the CPU 11 clears the print data area (S513), returns to S502, and acquires the next image data. If it determines that there is no image data (S512: NO), the CPU 11 discards the print data area (S514), ends the two-page single-sided processing, and returns to the print processing. According to the two-page single-sided processing, print data in which two pages of A4-size images reduced to A5 size or two pages of A5-size images are arranged is sent to the printer 3.

[0105] Upon receiving the print data, the printer 3 prints two pages of images on one side of an A4-sized sheet based on the print data, and then drives the cutter 35 to divide the printed sheet in half along its long side, which is the conveyance direction. By printing and cutting based on the received print data, the printer 3 can easily create two A5-sized printouts. In this case, the size of the sheet obtained after cutting the A4-sized sheet in the center is an example of the second size. In other words, the second size does not have to be exactly half the first size.

[0106] When the printer 3 prints based on this print data, the top and bottom margins are increased by 0.25 mm from the set 3 mm, leaving a 6.5 mm wide gap at the longitudinal center of the paper. The gap is located at the center between the images of one page and the other, preventing colorant from adhering to the printer 3's cutter 35 during printing. In the example of Figure 18, the width of the gap is twice the width of the margins at both ends of the long side, so when the sheet is cut at the center of the gap, the margins on the cut sheet will be the same width. This results in a printout with a well-balanced image layout and a good appearance.

[0107] The layout order of printouts created by printer 3 is shown in Figure 19. Figure 19 shows an example of print data generated based on five pages of image data. Whether portrait or landscape, if normal order is set, the printouts will be stacked in page order from the bottom, with the first page at the bottom, as shown in Figure 19(A) or Figure 19(C). Whether portrait or landscape, if reverse order is set, the printouts will be stacked in page order from the top, with the last page at the bottom, as shown in Figure 19(B) or Figure 19(D).

[0108] Returning to the description of the printing process in Fig. 8, if it is determined that double-sided printing has been selected in the print settings (S122: YES), the CPU 11 executes four-page double-sided printing (S124). The four-page double-sided printing is a process of generating print data for printing two pages of A5-sized images on each side of a single A4-sized sheet, for a total of four pages, and transmitting the generated print data to the printer 3.

[0109] The procedure for four-page double-sided printing will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 20. First, the CPU 11 reserves an area of ​​a predetermined size in the memory 12 and creates two print data areas for pasting A4-sized print data (S601).

[0110] The CPU 11 acquires one page of image data from the image data generated by the editing application 22 (S602) and rasterizes the image data to generate print data of a size corresponding to A5 size (S603). S603 is the same process as S503 and S507 in the two-page single-sided printing process shown in FIG. 17. The CPU 11 rotates the rasterized data as appropriate and pastes it in a predetermined location in the print data area (S604). S604 is an example of generation processing. In the four-page double-sided printing process, the CPU 11 also generates an arrangement image with a gap area as shown in FIG. 18, as in the two-page single-sided printing process, and pastes the print data. Image rotation will be described later.

[0111] The CPU 11 determines whether four pages of print data have been pasted (S611). If it determines that four pages have not been pasted (S611: NO), the CPU 11 determines whether there is next image data (S612). If it determines that there is next image data (S612: YES), the CPU 11 returns to S602, acquires the next image data, rasterizes it, and pastes it into the print data area. By repeating S604, print data for layout images in which two pages of A5-sized images are arranged side by side in the long side direction of the A4 size is generated in each of the two print data areas. The layout images generated in the two print data areas are examples of a first layout image and a second layout image, respectively.

[0112] If it is determined that pasting of four pages has been completed (S611: YES), or if it is determined that there is no next image data (S612: NO), the CPU 11 encodes the two print data areas and transmits them to the printer 3 (S615). S615 is an example of transmission processing.

[0113] The CPU 11 determines whether or not there is next image data (S621). If it determines that there is (S621: YES), the CPU 11 clears the print data area (S622), returns to S602, and acquires the next image data. If it determines that there is no image data (S621: NO), the CPU 11 discards the print data area (S623), ends the four-page double-sided printing process, and returns to the printing process.

[0114] Upon receiving the print data, the printer 3 prints images on both sides of an A4-sized sheet and drives the cutter 35 to bisect the printed sheet along its long side, which is the conveyance direction. Even in four-page double-sided printing, a gap is provided in the center, preventing colorant from adhering to the printer 3's cutter 35 during printing. In this embodiment, the printer 3 prints on one side of the sheet based on the print data for the first side, then switches back the sheet and flips it over, and prints based on the print data for the second side. In other words, the image at the rear end of the print data for the second side is printed on the back side of the page at the front end of the print data for the first side.

[0115] In this embodiment, the printer driver 23 rotates and pastes the images as shown in Fig. 21 to obtain a printed product in which page 2 is printed on the back side of page 1 and page 4 is printed on the back side of page 3. Fig. 21 shows an example of the pasting position for two sides of print data generated based on image data for four pages. Note that the binding direction in four-page double-sided printing is the long or short side of the original image, and is determined based on the long or short side of the cut sheets.

[0116] If long-edge binding and portrait orientation are set, the printer driver 23 rotates the print data for page 1 by 90 degrees counterclockwise and pastes it at the rear end of the print data area for the first side, and rotates the print data for page 2 by 90 degrees counterclockwise and pastes it at the front end of the print data area for the second side, as shown in FIG. 21(A). The printer driver 23 also rotates the print data for page 3 by 90 degrees counterclockwise and pastes it at the front end of the first side, and rotates the print data for page 4 by 90 degrees counterclockwise and pastes it at the rear end of the second side. In this case, all of the images on pages 1 through 4 will be oriented in the same direction. As a result, a printed product with pages 1 and 2 printed on both sides and long-edge bound is output with the first page facing down, and a printed product with pages 3 and 4 printed on both sides and long-edge bound is output on top of it with the third page facing down.

[0117] If short-edge binding and portrait orientation are set, the printer driver 23 rotates the print data for page 1 by 90 degrees counterclockwise and pastes it at the rear end of the print data area for the first side, and rotates the print data for page 2 by 90 degrees clockwise and pastes it at the front end of the print data area for the second side, as shown in Figure 21(B). The printer driver 23 also rotates the print data for page 3 by 90 degrees counterclockwise and pastes it at the front end of the first side, and rotates the print data for page 4 by 90 degrees clockwise and pastes it at the rear end of the second side. In this case, the images of pages 2 and 4 are in the opposite direction to the images of pages 1 and 3. As a result, a printed product with pages 1 and 2 printed on both sides and short-edge bound is output with the first page facing down, and a printed product with pages 3 and 4 printed on both sides and short-edge bound is output on top of it with the third page facing down.

[0118] If long-edge binding and landscape are set, the printer driver 23 pastes the print data for page 1 without rotating it to the rear end of the print data area for the first side, and pastes the print data for page 2 without rotating it to the front end of the print data area for the second side, as shown in Figure 21(C). The printer driver 23 also pastes the print data for page 3 without rotating it to the front end of the first side, and pastes the print data for page 4 without rotating it to the rear end of the second side. In this case, the images on pages 1 to 4 all have the same orientation. As a result, a printed product with pages 1 and 2 printed on both sides and long-edge bound is output with the first page facing down, and a printed product with pages 3 and 4 printed on both sides and long-edge bound is output on top of it with the third page facing down.

[0119] If short-edge binding and landscape are set, the printer driver 23 pastes the print data for page 1 to the rear end of the print data area for the first side without rotating it, and the print data for page 2 rotates it 180 degrees and pastes it to the front end of the print data area for the second side, as shown in Figure 21(D). The printer driver 23 also pastes the print data for page 3 to the front end of the first side without rotating it, and the print data for page 4 rotates it 180 degrees and pastes it to the rear end of the second side. In this case, the images of pages 2 and 4 are in the opposite direction to the images of pages 1 and 3. As a result, a printed product with pages 1 and 2 printed on both sides and short-edge bound is output with the first page facing down, and a printed product with pages 3 and 4 printed on both sides and short-edge bound is output on top of it with the third page facing down.

[0120] Returning to the description of the printing process in Figure 8, after completing one of the one-page single-sided printing in S117, the two-page double-sided printing in S118, the two-page single-sided printing in S123, and the four-page double-sided printing in S124, the CPU 11 notifies the editing application 22 of the completion of the printing process (S131) ​​and ends the printing process. The printer driver 23 of this embodiment accepts a selection of whether or not to set cut print on the guide screen 70 (see Figure 9), and can change to the cut print setting based on the user's selection. The user can achieve cutting print printing without having to cancel and redo the print job, improving convenience.

[0121] Returning to the explanation of the sequence diagram in Figure 3, when print data and a print command are sent from printer driver 23 to printer 3 during the print process, printer 3 executes printing as described above (P31). If the print settings include a cut print setting, printer driver 23 sends a cut command to printer 3 prior to the print data, and therefore printer 3 drives cutter 35 after printing, cuts the printed sheet at the center, and ejects the sheet (P32).

[0122] As explained in detail above, according to the printer driver 23 of this embodiment, the PC 1 arranges two pages of print data corresponding to A5 size in the sheet transport direction of the printer 3, pastes them into an A4 size print data area, associates the print data of that print data area with a cut command, and sends it to the printer 3. The printer 3 prints on a sheet based on the received print data, cuts the printed sheet into two, and outputs an A5 size printout with an image printed on each page. This eliminates the need for the printer 3 to perform image layout processing, thereby reducing the load on the printer 3.

[0123] Furthermore, according to the printer driver 23 of this embodiment, the PC 1 generates a processed image by processing an A4-sized image to be printed, including the center of the long side, to provide a gap area to which no coloring material is applied by the printer 3, and then transmits print data based on the processed image to the printer in association with a cutting instruction. The printer 3 prints the processed image on a sheet based on the received print data and cuts the printed sheet at the center. As a result, the area cut by the printer 3 is a gap area to which no coloring material is applied, thereby preventing the coloring material from adhering to the cutter 35 of the printer 3.

[0124] Furthermore, the printer driver 23 of this embodiment prepares special sizes associated with cut print settings as paper size types, and causes the editing application 22 to display options for the special sizes. When a print instruction is received from the editing application 22 in which a special size is selected, the printer driver 23 generates an image for cut print according to the cut print settings associated with the selected special size, and sends print data representing the image for cut print to the printer 3. In other words, the user can complete the cut print settings simply by selecting the special size in the editing application 22. This eliminates the need for a cut print setting operation via the setting screen 50 of the printer driver 23 or an operation to open the setting screen 50 when performing cut print, thereby reducing the user's workload.

[0125] It should be noted that this embodiment is merely an example and does not limit the present invention in any way. Therefore, the present invention can naturally be improved and modified in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, instead of PC 1, a smartphone or tablet computer may be used. Furthermore, two or more printers may be connected to PC 1. Furthermore, printer 3 is not limited to a dedicated printer, but may also be a multifunction printer, copier, fax machine, etc.

[0126] In addition, in this embodiment, an example of a printer driver 23 having three selectable cut print settings is shown, but the selectable cut print settings may be only one of either the A4 reduced cut setting or the A5 cut setting, or may be two types including either the A4 reduced cut setting or the A5 cut setting.

[0127] Also, for example, in this embodiment, a layout image is generated by placing the rasterized data at a predetermined position in the print data area, but it is also possible to place the image data before rasterization to generate a layout image, and then rasterize it to generate print data.

[0128] Also, for example, the guide screen may have a check box that accepts the selection not to display the screen from the next time, as shown in Fig. 9. If an operation on the print button 72 is accepted with this check box checked, the printer driver 23 stores information that the guide screen will not be displayed, and from the next time printing is performed, the guide screen will not be displayed and printing will be performed using the accepted print settings.

[0129] In addition, for example, in this embodiment, if the document size is changed while cut-to-print is set, a warning screen is displayed and the cut-to-print setting is canceled, but this is not limited to this. For example, if the cut-to-print setting is accepted, the document size change may not be accepted, or the document size change may be canceled. Alternatively, the warning screen may be replaced by a screen that accepts the user's selection of whether to use cut-to-print or the document size.

[0130] Also, for example, in this embodiment, when reverse order is set, image data in reverse order is obtained from the editing application 22, but image data in normal order may be obtained from the editing application 22 and rearranged in reverse order by the printer driver 23.

[0131] The margin sizes exemplified in this embodiment are merely examples and are not limited to these. Furthermore, the printer 3 may be capable of cutting at a specified position, not limited to the center position of an A4 sheet, based on instructions from the printer driver 23. Furthermore, the printer 3 may be capable of cutting sheets of sizes other than A4.

[0132] Furthermore, in any flowchart disclosed in each embodiment, the execution order of multiple processes in any multiple steps can be changed or executed in parallel as desired, as long as no contradictions occur in the processing content.

[0133] The processes disclosed in the embodiments may be executed by a single CPU, multiple CPUs, hardware such as an ASIC, or a combination thereof. The processes disclosed in the embodiments may be realized in various ways, such as a recording medium on which a program for executing the processes is recorded, or a method. [Explanation of symbols]

[0134] 1 PC 3. Printer 11 CPU 13 User Interface

Claims

1. A program executable by a computer of an information processing device and used to control a printer having a cutting function for cutting a sheet of printing medium, The computer, Execute a setting process using a user interface of the information processing device to set whether or not to perform cut printing, which divides a printed first size sheet into two in a first direction corresponding to a conveyance direction of the sheet in the printer; Furthermore, the computer When a print command is issued that specifies cutting and printing, a generation process of acquiring image data representing an image to be printed in units of pages, and generating an arrangement image corresponding to the first size, in which images corresponding to a second size representing a size obtained by dividing the first size in half along a long side are arranged side by side in the first direction, based on the image to be printed represented in the acquired image data; a transmission process of associating print data based on the layout image generated in the generation process with a cutting instruction for cutting a sheet and transmitting the print data to the printer; Execute Furthermore, the computer a selection process is executed using the user interface to select a size of an image to be printed, options in the selection process include the first size, the second size, and a size different from both the first size and the second size; Furthermore, in the generation process, When the first size is selected as the size of the image to be printed, the image data showing the image to be printed corresponding to the first size is acquired, and the image to be printed shown in the acquired image data is reduced to the second size, and the layout image corresponding to the first size is generated by arranging two pages of reduced images side by side in the first direction; when the second size is selected as the size of the image to be printed, the image data showing the image to be printed corresponding to the second size is acquired, and the layout image corresponding to the first size is generated by arranging two pages of the image to be printed shown in the acquired image data side by side in the first direction; In the setting process, When the first size or the second size is selected as the size of the image to be printed, it is possible to set whether or not to perform cut printing using the user interface, and when a size different from the first size or the second size is selected as the size of the image to be printed, it is not possible to set to perform cut printing; When the printer receives the print data associated with the cutting instruction, the printer prints the layout image on a sheet of the first size, and cuts the printed sheet into two in the first direction. A program characterized by:

2. In the program described in claim 1, The computer, a warning process is executed to issue a warning using the user interface when an instruction is given to select a size other than the first size or the second size as the size of the image to be printed in a state where cut printing is set in the setting process; A program characterized by:

3. In the program described in claim 1 or claim 2, In the selection process, using the user interface to select a size of the image to be printed from options including the first size, A4 size, and the second size, A5 size; Furthermore, in the generation process, When A4 size is selected as the size of the image to be printed, the image data showing the image to be printed corresponding to A4 size is acquired, and the image to be printed shown in the acquired image data is reduced to A5 size, and the layout image corresponding to A4 size is generated by arranging two pages of reduced images of the image to be printed shown in the acquired image data side by side in the first direction; when A5 size is selected as the size of the image to be printed, the image data showing the image to be printed corresponding to A5 size is acquired, and the layout image corresponding to A4 size is generated by arranging two pages of the image to be printed shown in the acquired image data side by side in the first direction. A program characterized by:

4. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 3, In the generation process, acquires the image data indicating the image to be printed in order of output priority, and generates the layout image corresponding to the first size in which images corresponding to the second size are arranged in the first direction, with the image of the first acquired page at the leading end side in the first direction and the image of the second acquired page at the trailing end side in the first direction, based on the image to be printed indicated in the acquired image data; A program characterized by:

5. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The computer, Execute a double-sided setting process using the user interface to set whether or not to perform double-sided printing; Furthermore, in the generation process, If the print instruction is set to perform double-sided printing, obtain four pages of image data indicating the image to be printed, and generate a first layout image corresponding to the first size in which an image of a first page and an image of a third page corresponding to the second size are arranged side by side in the first direction, based on the image to be printed indicated in the obtained image data; and further generate a second layout image corresponding to the first size in which an image of a second page and an image of a fourth page corresponding to the second size are arranged side by side in the first direction, with the image of the second page being the back side of the image of the first page and the image of the fourth page being the back side of the image of the third page after printing. A program characterized by:

6. In the program described in claim 5, The computer, Execute the double-sided setting process using the user interface to set whether double-sided printing is to be performed, and further set whether long-edge binding or short-edge binding is to be performed when double-sided printing is to be performed; Furthermore, in the generation process, If the print instruction is set to perform double-sided printing, the image data representing four pages of images to be printed is acquired, and based on the images to be printed represented in the acquired image data, a first layout image corresponding to the first size is generated in which an image of a first page and an image of a third page corresponding to the second size are arranged side by side in the first direction for two pages; and further, a second layout image corresponding to the first size is generated in which an image of a second page and an image of a fourth page corresponding to the second size are arranged side by side in the first direction so that, after printing, the image of the second page will be the back side of the image of the first page and the image of the fourth page will be the back side of the image of the third page, and if the print instruction is set to bind on a long side, the images of the second page and the fourth page will be in the same orientation as the images of the first page and the third page, and if the print instruction is set to bind on a short side, the images of the second page and the fourth page will be in the opposite orientation to the images of the first page and the third page. A program characterized by:

7. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 6, In the generation process, based on the acquired image to be printed, arrange two pages of images corresponding to the second size side by side in the first direction, and generate the arranged image in which a gap area where no coloring material is applied by the printer is provided between the image of one page and the image of the other page of the two pages of images; A program characterized by:

8. In the program described in claim 7, In the generation process, a margin on the leading end side and a margin on the trailing end side in the first direction set in printing the layout image are the same width, and the width of the gap region is set so that the width of the gap region is twice the width of the margins provided on the leading end side and the trailing end side in the first direction. A program characterized by:

9. In the program described in claim 1, The options in the selection process include an option indicating that the size of the image to be printed is the first size, and that the image to be printed is not reduced, and an image in which an image corresponding to the first size is arranged on one page is generated. A program characterized by:

Images