Program, information processing device, and control method

Abstract

To improve convenience in printing for booklets.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus comprises layout means which changes the sequence of document data for a plurality of pages to lay out the document data on booklet data for generating prints in form of a booklet, display means which displays the document data and the booklet data in one direction in a prescribed display unit, and setting means which sets a method of binding the prints in form of a booklet. The layout means changes the layout order of the booklet data to be displayed by the display means, on the basis of the settings of the method of binding.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention mainly relates to an information processing apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] Among information processing apparatuses that perform image processing and the like, there are those that can perform booklet editing such as photo books (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, when performing booklet printing by a printer, from the viewpoint of improving convenience, for example, information processing considering the binding position may be required.

[0005] An exemplary object of the present invention is to improve the convenience when performing booklet printing.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] One aspect of the present invention relates to a program, and the program is a program that causes a computer of an information processing apparatus to display a preview corresponding to at least one page among a plurality of pages included in a booklet-shaped printed matter printed based on booklet data in a first display area by a first display means; display a plurality of target allocation data in a second display area different from the first display area by a second display means; A setting means for setting the binding method of the aforementioned booklet-like printed material, To operate as, When any of the above-mentioned multiple data to be allocated is selected, the selected data to be allocated is allocated to one of the above-mentioned pages, and the selected data to be allocated is displayed in the first display area as a preview corresponding to the page to which the selected data to be allocated is allocated. The second display means arranges the order of the plurality of allocation target data displayed in the second display area differently based on whether the binding setting is the first setting or a second setting different from the first setting. If the page progression direction in the first setting is different from the page progression direction in the second setting, ru It is characterized by the following: [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, the convenience of printing for booklets is improved. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing an example of the system configuration according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing an example of the software configuration of an information processing device. [Figure 3] This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the basic settings screen for a bookbinding application. [Figure 4] This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an editing screen in a bookbinding application. [Figure 5] This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an editing screen in a bookbinding application. [Figure 6] This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an editing screen in a bookbinding application. [Figure 7] This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an editing screen in a bookbinding application. [Figure 8] This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an editing screen in a bookbinding application. [Figure 9]It is a schematic diagram showing an example of an editing screen in a binding application. [Figure 10] It is a schematic diagram showing an example of a print setting screen of a binding application. [Figure 11] It is a schematic diagram showing an example of a setting screen for page-specific printing. [Figure 12] It is a schematic diagram showing an example of a setting screen for page-specific printing. [Figure 13] It is a schematic diagram showing an example of a setting screen for page-specific printing. [Figure 14] It is a schematic diagram showing an example of an editing screen in a binding application. [Figure 15] It is a schematic diagram showing an example of an editing screen in a binding application. [Figure 16] It is a flowchart showing an example of arithmetic processing when adding page data in a binding application. [Figure 17] It is a flowchart showing an example of the arrangement of page data changed based on settings. [Figure 18] It is a flowchart when changing or updating the display of the editing screen.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although a plurality of features are described in the embodiments, not all of these plurality of features are essential to the invention, and the plurality of features may be arbitrarily combined. Further, in the accompanying drawings, the same or similar configurations are given the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions are omitted.

[0010] (System Configuration) Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of system SY according to an embodiment. System SY includes an information processing device 101 and a printing device 151. Each of the information processing device 101 and the printing device 151 is configured to communicate with any external device connected to it, and mutual communication is also possible between the information processing device 101 and the printing device 151. In this embodiment, the information processing device 101 and the printing device 151 can communicate with each other via an access point 131 using a wireless LAN compliant with the IEEE 802.11 standard. As will be described in detail later, system SY performs printing by transmitting print data generated by the information processing device 101 to the printing device 151 via a predetermined network.

[0011] The information processing device 101 generates print data that can be processed by the printing device 151. The information processing device 101 can be any known computing device capable of generating print data, such as a personal computer (PC), smartphone, mobile terminal, notebook PC, tablet terminal, or PDA (Personal Digital Assistant).

[0012] The information processing device 101 includes an input interface 102, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 103, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 104, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 105. Furthermore, the information processing device 101 includes an external storage device 106, an output interface 107, a communication unit 109, and a short-range wireless communication unit 110. The information processing device 101 may also display printing-related information on an externally connected display unit 108, although the display unit 108 may be configured as part of the information processing device 101.

[0013] The input interface 102 is configured to accept user input, and the user can input data or settings necessary for printing, print instructions, etc., via the input interface 102. The input interface 102 can use any known input terminal, such as a keyboard, buttons, or touch panel.

[0014] The CPU 103 functions as a system control unit that controls the operation of the entire information processing device 101 system. The ROM 104 stores the OS (operating system) as well as programs (and associated information such as data tables) necessary for realizing each function of the CPU 103. The RAM 105 is used as the main memory and work memory of the CPU 103, and SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) or the like is used for RAM 105. The CPU 103 reads the necessary programs from ROM 104 and loads them onto RAM 105, and under the management of the OS, it controls the execution of software, such as scheduling, task switching, and interrupt handling. At that time, the RAM 105 may store setting information and management data for the information processing device 101.

[0015] The external storage device 106 stores, for example, an application program for performing printing (hereinafter referred to as "application") and a print information generation program that generates print information that can be processed by the printing device 151. The external storage device 106 also stores, for example, a control program for sending and receiving information with an external device (in this case, the printing device 151) connected via the communication unit 109. Additionally, the external storage device 106 may store various information necessary for the execution of these programs.

[0016] The output interface 107 controls the display unit 108 to display predetermined information, outputting, for example, display target information indicating the content to be displayed, control information for the display unit 108 to realize the display, and status information indicating the status of the information processing device 101. The input interface 102 and the output interface 107 may be configured as a single unit, and the reception of user input and the display of the output screen may be realized in a single unit. For example, a soft keyboard including numerical input keys, mode setting keys, confirm key, cancel key, power key, etc., may be displayed on the display unit 108, and user input may be accepted through it.

[0017] The display unit 108 includes LEDs (light-emitting diodes), LCDs (liquid crystal displays), etc., and displays data to the user or notifies them of the status of the information processing device 101.

[0018] The communication unit 109 includes a baseband circuit, a radio frequency (RF) circuit, etc., for performing data communication with the printing device 151, and in this embodiment communicates with the printing device 151 via the access point 131. The access point 131 may be a known device such as a wireless LAN router that operates according to a wireless communication method compliant with the IEEE 802.11 standard. The communication unit 109 is capable of communicating using Wi-Fi (registered trademark), but may also be capable of communicating using other wireless communication methods such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). The communication unit 109 can also establish a direct connection with the printing device 151 based on a protocol such as Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) Direct (registered trademark). Furthermore, if the printing device 151 includes an access point (not shown), the communication unit 109 may establish a direct connection with the printing device 151 by connecting to that access point.

[0019] The short-range wireless communication unit 110 performs data communication by establishing a wireless connection with the printing device 151 when the printing device 151 is located within a predetermined distance. The short-range wireless communication unit 110 communicates using a different communication method than the communication unit 109, such as Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).

[0020] The printing device 151 acquires print data from the information processing device 101 and performs printing based on the print data. The printing device 151 may be an inkjet printer or the like, but it may also be a device capable of performing other printing methods, such as electrophotography. Furthermore, the printing device 151 may be a multifunction device having multiple functions such as copying, faxing, and printing.

[0021] The printing device 151 includes a ROM 152, RAM 153, CPU 154, print engine 155, communication unit 156, and short-range wireless communication unit 157. The communication unit 156 includes a baseband circuit, a radio frequency circuit, etc., for connecting to the information processing device 101, and communicates with the information processing device 101 using a wireless communication method such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, corresponding to the communication unit 109 of the information processing device 101. The communication unit 156 is configured similarly to the communication unit 109 and enables the establishment of a direct connection with the information processing device 101. In this example, the information processing device 101 and the printing device 151 are connected to an access point 131, but they may each be connected to different access points connected to a network and interconnected via the network.

[0022] The short-range wireless communication unit 157 performs data communication by establishing a wireless connection with the short-range wireless communication unit 110 of the information processing device 101 when the information processing device 101 is located within a predetermined distance. The short-range wireless communication unit 157 communicates with the information processing device 101 in correspondence with the short-range wireless communication unit 110 of the information processing device 101, for example, using a wireless communication method such as BLE. In general, the amount of data transmitted from the information processing device 101 is large, and high-speed, high-capacity communication is required, so the communication unit 156 may be used instead of the short-range wireless communication unit 157.

[0023] ROM152, RAM153, and CPU154 are configured similarly to ROM104, RAM105, and CPU103 in the information processing device 101, respectively, and implement corresponding functions. For example, RAM153 is used as the main memory and work memory of CPU154. RAM153 has a memory area for storing setting information and management data for the printing device 151, and RAM153 stores information necessary for printing on the printing device 151, such as print information received from the information processing device 101. ROM152 stores fixed data such as programs executed by CPU154 (and associated information such as data tables) and OS programs. CPU154 reads the necessary programs from ROM152 and loads them onto RAM153, and under the management of the OS, performs software execution control such as scheduling, task switching, and interrupt processing. CPU154 functions as a system control unit that controls the operation of the entire printing device 151 system. Furthermore, the printing device 151 may be connected to external memory such as an HDD (hard disk drive) or SSD (solid state drive), and all or part of the above-mentioned programs, data, and other information may be stored in that or that external memory.

[0024] The print engine 155 executes printing based on the information stored in the RAM 153 and the print information received from the information processing device 101. In this embodiment, it forms an image on a recording medium such as paper using a recording material such as ink and outputs the print result.

[0025] Communication between the information processing device 101 and the printing device 151 may be implemented in other ways; for example, the information processing device 101 and the printing device 151 may be connected via a wired line. In yet another embodiment, the system SY may be configured with the functions of both the information processing device 101 and the printing device 151 as a single unit, in which case communication between the information processing device 101 and the printing device 151 may be performed via a bus within the unit. Furthermore, the multiple blocks shown in Figure 1 may be integrated into a single block, or one block may be divided into multiple blocks. In addition, blocks other than those shown in Figure 1 may be added, or one or more of the blocks shown in Figure 1 may be omitted.

[0026] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the software configuration of the information processing device 101. The information processing device 101 includes a bookbinding application 201 for executing the processes described later, and a printer driver 202 for generating print data that can be processed by the printing device 151, as a configuration that enables its functions. When a user inputs a print command on a screen displayed by the bookbinding application 201 (described later), the printer driver 202 receives the application data output from the bookbinding application 201 and generates print data. The application data output by the bookbinding application 201 is data for bookbinding and is data based on the editing content performed by the user using the application data 201. An example of a print command on the screen of the bookbinding application 201 is pressing the "OK" button 1009 in Figure 10. The printer driver 202 sends the print data generated by the bookbinding application 201 to the printing device 151, and the printing process is executed in the printing device 151. Bookbinding is performed when the printed paper is assembled into a booklet.

[0027] Furthermore, bookbinding includes not only printing by the printing device 151, but also generating one or more printed sheets of paper to form a booklet, and incidentally, binding them together with staples or the like to form a booklet. From this perspective, system SY may also be referred to as a bookbinding system.

[0028] (Overview of how the bookbinding application works) The various processes for bookbinding performed by the bookbinding application 201 are primarily carried out by the CPU 103 reading and executing the program for the bookbinding application 201.

[0029] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a basic settings screen 300 that is displayed on the display unit 108 when the CPU 103 of the information processing device 101 executes a program corresponding to the bookbinding application 201 stored in the ROM 104 or external storage device 106. In this example, the basic settings screen 300 includes a bookbinding image 301, a printer selection area 302, a paper size selection area 303, a binding method setting area 304, a binding direction selection area 305, and a setting area 306 related to the cover paper.

[0030] The printer selection area 302 is an area for selecting the printing device to be used to perform printing. When the pull-down button in the printer selection area 302 is pressed, the information processing device 101 displays a list of available printing devices, and the user can select any printing device from that list. The list of printing devices displayed when the pull-down button in the printer selection area 302 is pressed should preferably only display printing devices compatible with the bookbinding application 201, but it is not limited to this, and may display all printing devices with which the information processing device 101 can communicate.

[0031] The paper size selection area 303 is the area for selecting the size of paper to be used for binding. When the pull-down button in the paper size selection area 303 is pressed, a list of paper sizes that the printer selected in the printer selection area 302 can handle is displayed. The user can select any size from the displayed list of paper sizes. Information on the paper sizes that the printer selected in the printer selection area 302 can handle can be obtained from that printer, for example, via the printer driver 202.

[0032] The binding method setting area 304 is the area for setting the binding method of the booklet. When the pull-down button in the binding method setting area 304 is pressed, a list of binding methods such as "flat binding" and "saddle stitching" is displayed. In "saddle stitching," the pages are bound together at the part that will become the spine of the booklet, while in "flat binding," the pages are bound together at a predetermined distance from the part that will become the spine of the booklet. For example, if "saddle stitching" is selected, it is assumed that the pages will be folded in half, so the 2-in-1 print setting may be automatically selected. In this case, other print settings such as 4-in-1 may also be displayed as selectable options. If "flat binding" is selected, the 1-in-1 print setting may be automatically selected. In this case as well, 2-in-1, 4-in-1, and other print settings may also be displayed as selectable options.

[0033] In this specification, the setting for printing K pages' worth of images on one side of a single sheet of paper is referred to as Kin1 (where K is an integer of 1 or greater). If K is 2 or greater, i.e., if two or more pages of data are printed on one side of a sheet, the images on each page will be reduced in size.

[0034] The binding direction setting area 305 is the area for setting the binding direction of the booklet. When the pull-down button in the binding direction setting area 305 is pressed, options such as "right binding" and "left binding" will be displayed as selectable options. Here, "right binding" means that the booklet is bound by binding the right side of the front cover (the front side of the cover), and "left binding" means that the booklet is bound by binding the left side of the front cover. Right-opening corresponds to right binding, and left-opening corresponds to left binding. The setting in this area determines whether the pages of the created booklet progress from right to left or from left to right. Additionally, "top binding" may be displayed as a selectable option, and "top binding" means that the booklet is bound by binding the top of the cover. The "binding direction" in the binding direction setting area 305 may also be expressed as "opening direction," etc.

[0035] The setting area 306 for the cover paper is where you configure how the cover paper will be used. For example, radio buttons are displayed that allow you to select between creating the cover and body text on the same type of paper, and creating them on different types of paper. In the setting area 306, if you choose to create the cover and body text on the same type of paper, the paper type for the body text (e.g., "plain paper") will be set as the paper type for the cover. Therefore, the area where you can select the paper type for the cover may be displayed in a grayed-out state, making it unavailable for selection.

[0036] On the other hand, in the settings area 306, if the cover and the main text are to be created on different types of paper, the area that allows selection of the cover paper type is activated. When the pull-down button in the area for setting the cover paper type is pressed, a list of selectable paper types (e.g., plain paper, glossy paper, etc.) is displayed. For example, if "plain paper" is selected, the message "Borderless printing is not possible" may be displayed, and if "glossy paper" is selected, the message "Borderless printing is possible" may be displayed.

[0037] Additionally, necessary information may be set for each paper type, and a string of text corresponding to the paper type selected by the user may be displayed. Furthermore, if the user selects to create the cover and body on different types of paper, a message such as "You need to load separate paper sheets for the cover and body before printing" may be displayed.

[0038] If "OK" is pressed on the basic settings screen 300 in Figure 3, the screen will transition to the editing screen. The editing screen may vary depending on the settings, such as whether the binding method and the type of paper used for the cover should be the same as the paper used for the main text. Examples of editing screens corresponding to these basic settings are described below.

[0039] [When the book is saddle-bound and the cover and body are made on the same type of paper] Figure 4 shows an example of editing screen 400 when the binding method is perfect binding (1-in-1) and right-bound, and the cover and body text are set to use the same type of paper. The figure illustrates a state where page data for 8 pages (from the page labeled "A" to the page labeled "H") has already been loaded.

[0040] Here, page data corresponds to image data for individual pages, and the concept of manuscript data includes all page data for multiple pages. Before the manuscript (document) is loaded, the editing area 401 and the manuscript data area 402 are set to a predetermined state (e.g., a blank state) that allows the user to recognize that the manuscript has not been loaded. For example, a message such as "Please load the manuscript data to be included in the booklet" may be displayed in the editing area 401, and incidentally, a message informing the user how to load the data may also be displayed. Such a message may also be displayed in the manuscript data area 402, or it may be notified by other methods such as a dialog box. Note that the manuscript data may consist of only one page or multiple pages.

[0041] When the "Load" button 403 is pressed, for example, a file selection dialog box is displayed, and the user can select any of the displayed files (manuscript data) if there are two or more. The page data contained in the selected file is then expanded into the manuscript data area 402. Furthermore, as will be described in detail later, the page data contained in that file is allocated based on the settings in the basic settings screen 300 and the page order (hereinafter referred to as "booklet allocation"; details will be described later), and the result may be displayed in the editing area 401.

[0042] As shown in Figure 4, the layout for the booklet can be done such that, for example, the page data for pages 1 to 4 become the "front cover," "back cover," "inside of the front cover (inside of the front cover)," and "inside of the back cover (inside of the back cover)," respectively, and the page data thereafter becomes the main text. Of the files thus expanded, page 1 (page data with "A" written on it) is assigned to the "front cover," and page 2 (page data with "B" written on it) is assigned to the "back cover." Similarly, page 3 (page data with "C" written on it) is assigned to the "inside of the front cover," and page 4 (page data with "D" written on it) is assigned to the "inside of the back cover."

[0043] In other words, the bookbinding application 201 generates booklet data, which is the result of allocating page data included in the manuscript data. The booklet data includes page data corresponding to multiple pages that make up the booklet, and the bookbinding application 201 displays preview images of each page in the editing area 401 of Figure 4 based on the generated booklet data. To put it another way, booklet data can be said to be manuscript data with page data allocated and rearranged. Booklet data may also be expressed as booklet page data, booklet page data, or simply booklet data, etc.

[0044] Alternatively, the page data for the first and second pages may be assigned to the "front cover" and "inside the front cover," respectively, while the data for the last page and the page immediately preceding it may be assigned to the "back cover" and "inside the back cover," respectively.

[0045] The examples in Figure 4 (and some of the examples described later) illustrate the case of right-bound books, where the front cover is displayed on the far right and the back cover on the far left. However, in the case of left-bound books, the front cover may be displayed on the far left and the back cover on the far right.

[0046] Furthermore, when the contents of the file are expanded into the manuscript data area 402, a confirmation message such as "Do you want to perform automatic page layout?" may be displayed, allowing the user to choose whether or not to perform booklet layout. If the user chooses to perform booklet layout, the results of the booklet layout are displayed in the editing area 401; if the user does not choose to perform booklet layout, the editing area 401 may remain blank. Alternatively, regardless of the user's selection, the page data contained in the selected file may be expanded into the manuscript data area 402 without performing booklet layout. Even if booklet layout is not performed, pressing the "Add All" button 404 may still perform booklet layout in the order of the pages contained in the file.

[0047] If multiple files are read, all page data from those files will be expanded into the document data area 402. The order in which the page data is expanded can be determined by the pull-down menu 405. As illustrated in Figure 4, if "Read Order" is selected, the page data will be expanded into the document data area 402 so that it is displayed from left to right in order from the page data of the selected file.

[0048] On the other hand, if, for example, "File name order" (not shown) is selected, the page data will be expanded so that the file names are in ascending (or descending) order. For example, if a file named "A.pdf" is opened after a file named "B.pdf", in the case of "Load order", the page data of "A.pdf" will be displayed to the right of the position where the page data of "B.pdf" would be displayed. Also, in the case of "File name order", even if "B.pdf" is opened first, the page data of "B.pdf" will be displayed to the right of the position where the page data of "A.pdf" would be displayed.

[0049] Furthermore, the sorting order is not limited to the order in which files were read or by filename; various other orders can be used, such as sorting by creation date (modification date) or by frequency of use in this application.

[0050] In the editing area 401, images of the page data are displayed in the order of the pages of the bound booklet. The page data images are displayed such that the distance between two adjacent pages displayed as a spread is smaller than the distance between two other adjacent pages that are not displayed as a spread. This allows the user to easily distinguish between pages that make up a spread and those that do not. For example, in Figure 4, the distance between the page labeled "C" and the page labeled "E" is sufficiently small. This allows the user to easily understand that the pages labeled "C" and "E" form a spread. On the other hand, the distance between the page labeled "E" and the page labeled "F" is larger than the distance between the pages labeled "C" and "E". This allows the user to easily understand that the pages labeled "C" and "E" do not form a spread. In this way, images of all pages are displayed in the editing area 401 based on the page data of each page included in the booklet data.

[0051] In the example shown in Figure 4, all pages included in the booklet data are displayed. However, in this case, the size of each page becomes smaller as the number of pages increases. Therefore, it is preferable that the bookbinding application 201 be configured to allow each page to be enlarged or reduced for display. If it is difficult to display all pages in the editing area 401, the display range may be changed by, for example, displaying a scroll bar at the bottom of the editing area 401.

[0052] If perfect binding is selected, the binding positions 406 for stapling, etc., are displayed in the editing area 401. The display of the binding positions 406 should preferably be in a different color (for example, red) from other displays to make it easily recognizable to the user. The display of the binding positions 406 may also be printed on the paper, so that the user can relatively easily bind the printed paper with a stapler at the printed binding positions 406 to make a booklet.

[0053] Furthermore, a boundary line 407 is displayed in the editing area 401, indicating the boundary between the print area and the margin area. For example, in page setup 408, the user can set whether to enlarge / reduce the original data to fit the margins and paper size, or to display it at its original size, and can also set the position in the up, down, left, and right directions. Based on the settings in page setup 408 entered by the user, the page data may be placed within the page and the boundary line 407 may be displayed. The up, down, left, and right positions can be adjusted by, for example, setting a negative value to move the original data upward or to the left, and setting a positive value to move the original data downward or to the right. This allows the user to set the page data to be placed within the page in the desired manner.

[0054] These settings may be applied on a page-by-page basis. For example, if a page with "E" written on it is selected in the editing area 401, and a setting value is entered in the page settings 408, that setting value will be applied to the selected page. If "Apply to all pages" is selected in the page settings 408, that setting value will be applied to all pages at once. In this case, as shown in Figure 4, the page frame 409 of the page with "E" written on it may be highlighted, so that the user can see the selected page and recognize that the settings have been changed for a specific page. The user can also delete this page from the editing area 401 by, for example, clicking icon 410.

[0055] Additionally, if the "Spread" checkbox 415 is selected (checked), the spread attribute can be set for a single page of data.

[0056] Figure 5 shows an example of the editing screen 500 when the page with "E" written on it is selected and the "Spread" checkbox 415 is selected. For example, when the "Spread" checkbox 415 is selected, the spread attribute is added to the page data corresponding to the selected page, and the page data is allocated to an area equivalent to two pages on the editing area 401.

[0057] Here, as an example of another embodiment different from the examples in Figures 4 and 5, we describe the case where the "Spread" checkbox 415 is selected when an even-numbered page of the main text (for example, corresponding to the right-hand page of a spread in the case of right-bound, and the left-hand page of a spread in the case of left-bound) is selected. In this example, the page data that was assigned to the selected page is displayed in the center of the spread containing the selected page, and the page data is rearranged so that the pages after that page are shifted back by one page each. That is, the binding application 201 generates a new spread area by adding one page after the selected page, and places the page data of the selected page in the center of the new spread area.

[0058] On the other hand, if an odd-numbered page of the main text (for example, the left-hand page of a spread in the case of right-bound books, and the right-hand page of a spread in the case of left-bound books) is selected, as shown in Figure 4 where "E" is written, the page following the selected page will be included in a different spread than the one containing the selected page. Therefore, simply adding one page after the selected page to create a new spread area and assigning one page data to this new spread area will not display that page data as a spread. Thus, as illustrated in Figure 5, when an odd-numbered page of the main text is selected and the "Spread" checkbox 415 is selected, one page is added after the selected page and one page before the selected page, and the page data is rearranged so that the pages after the selected page are shifted back by two pages each.

[0059] If an odd-numbered page is selected and the "Spread" checkbox 415 is selected, a message may be displayed to the user informing them that one page will be added before the selected page. If the user approves the addition of the page, the spread attribute may be set for the selected page data, and the selected page data may be placed across multiple pages. This prevents the addition of pages that the user did not intend. If the user does not approve the addition of the page, the setting of the spread attribute may be canceled, or a space equivalent to one page may be added after the selected page, and the selected page may be allocated to a two-page area.

[0060] Furthermore, if an odd-numbered page is selected and the "Spread" checkbox 415 is selected, instead of displaying the above message, a space equivalent to one page may be added after the selected page, and the selected page may be allocated to a two-page area. In this case, a message may be displayed to indicate that the page data of the selected page will not be placed in the spread area.

[0061] Furthermore, if the "Facing Pages" checkbox 415 is unchecked (i.e., the check is canceled) after the facing pages attribute has been set for the page data, the facing pages attribute for that page data will be removed. As a result, the pages that were added (before and after) during the allocation will be deleted, and the pages after that will be re-allocated. In this case, a message may be displayed to the user asking whether or not to delete pages such as blank pages that were added when odd-numbered pages were allocated as facing pages.

[0062] Furthermore, when landscape-oriented page data is assigned to the editing area 401 (for example, by drag and drop), the facing-page attribute may be set for the page data without user input. In this case, the "facing-page" checkbox 415 will be checked at the time of assignment. Also, if the insertion position of this page data is an odd-numbered page, as described above, a blank page or the like may be inserted before that page, or a predetermined error message may be displayed.

[0063] Furthermore, if the "Spread" checkbox 415 is deselected after a landscape-oriented page data has been assigned the spread attribute and allocated to a spread area, the spread attribute of the landscape-oriented page data is removed. As a result, the landscape-oriented page data can be allocated to one of the pages constituting the spread (for example, by scaling or rotation). Alternatively, the landscape-oriented page data may be allocated to one of the pages, similar to a portrait-oriented page, without setting the spread attribute.

[0064] Referring again to Figure 4, for the selected page, the bound image of the spread containing that page is displayed as a booklet preview 411. This allows the user to relatively easily recognize the bound state of the selected page. Also, if "<" or ">" which is displayed along with the booklet preview 411 is selected, a preview of the adjacent spread is displayed. The selected page may be shifted or moved in conjunction with / synchronized with this, but this is not required.

[0065] Furthermore, users can manipulate the page data expanded in the document data area 402 on a page-by-page basis. For example, they can select a single page from the document data area 402 and drag and drop it into the editing area 401. This adds the selected page data as one page in the booklet. In the example in Figure 4, the page labeled "C" is selected from the data expanded in the document data area 402.

[0066] The page data selected in this way is inserted by drag and drop at any position in the editing area 401 and incorporated into the booklet data as the page corresponding to that position. For example, consider the case where any page data is inserted by drag and drop into a predetermined range between the page labeled "F" and the page labeled "G" in the editing area 401. In this case, the bookbinding application 201 generates booklet data in which the page data labeled "C" is inserted between the page data labeled "F" and the page data labeled "G". When such page data is inserted, a reassignment is performed based on the booklet data after insertion, and the relationship between facing pages is reconstructed. That is, the page labeled "F" and the newly added page labeled "C" become facing pages, and the page labeled "G" becomes facing pages with the page labeled "H" due to the addition of the page labeled "C".

[0067] Additionally, if the "Add Blank Page" button 412 is pressed, a blank page will be added. For example, if the "Add Blank Page" button 412 is pressed while a page labeled "C" is selected, a blank page will be added between the page labeled "C" and the page labeled "E". In this case, the bookbinding application 201 will generate booklet data that includes the blank page data between the page data of "C" and the page data of "E". The manner in which the blank page is added can be changed by setting it; for example, the blank page may be added before the selected page, or if two pages are selected, it may be added between them. This allows users to add blank pages at any position in the booklet based on their preferences, such as wanting the inside of the front cover to be blank.

[0068] If page data within the manuscript data area 402 is used within the editing area 401, it is preferable to include information in the upper left corner of each data item to identify this. As illustrated in Figure 4, for example, page data labeled "A" and page data labeled "C" are used for the front cover (or the inside of the front cover for "C"). Page data labeled "B" and page data labeled "D" are used for the back cover (or the inside of the back cover for "D"). Other page data are used for the main text. This allows users to relatively easily recognize whether the usage of page data is appropriate, for example, whether page data that should be included in the booklet pages is not being used, or whether page data that should not be included in the booklet pages is being used.

[0069] Furthermore, users can delete page data that is not used in the booklet from the manuscript data area 402. For example, a delete icon 413 is displayed in the upper right corner of the selected page data, and the user can delete the selected page data from the manuscript data area 402 by selecting this icon 413. This prevents the editing process from becoming complicated due to the presence of a large amount of unused data in the manuscript data area 402.

[0070] Furthermore, users can select multiple data items at once in the manuscript data area 402 and manipulate them collectively. For example, if page data labeled "C" and page data labeled "D" are selected, and these page data items are then dragged and dropped into the editing area 401, these page data items will be incorporated into the booklet data as two consecutive pages. The same applies when three or more page data items are selected.

[0071] Furthermore, if the "Delete Multiple" button 414 is pressed while multiple page data is selected, those multiple page data can be deleted from the document data area 402 all at once. Note that if only one data is selected or no data is selected, the "Delete Multiple" button 414 may be displayed in a grayed-out state, for example, and pressing the "Delete Multiple" button 414 may be restricted.

[0072] After the editing of the booklet is completed as described above, the print settings button 416 is pressed to execute printing for the booklet (so-called booklet printing). That is, the booklet application 201 outputs application data based on the booklet data, which includes page data arranged in the desired order through the editing described above. The printer driver 202 generates print data based on the output application data.

[0073] In the case of perfect binding (1-in-1), where n is an integer greater than or equal to 1, double-sided printing is performed such that page (2n-1) and page 2n are on opposite sides. Furthermore, double-sided printing is performed such that the front cover and its inside are on opposite sides, and the back cover and its inside are on opposite sides.

[0074] [When saddle-stitched binding is used, and the cover and main text are printed on the same type of paper] Figure 6 shows an example of the editing screen 600 when the binding method is saddle-stitched (2-in-1) and the cover and body text are set to use the same type of paper, similar to Figure 4. In the case of saddle-stitched binding, the binding position is between pages, so as can be seen from Figure 6, a mark indicating the binding position is unnecessary and is not displayed in this example. However, the mark indicating the binding position may be displayed when printing on paper.

[0075] If the binding method is saddle stitching (2-in-1), double-sided printing is performed in a 2-in-1 manner, resulting in 4 pages per sheet of paper. Therefore, if the number of pages added to editing area 401 is not a multiple of 4, a blank page may be added at the end, for example, to make the total number of pages a multiple of 4.

[0076] In the case of saddle-stitched (2-in-1) and right-bound, let N be the total number of pages and m be a non-negative integer. On one sheet of paper, the front side is printed such that page (N / 2 + 2m + 2) is on the right and page (N / 2 - 2m - 1) is on the left. On the back side, the back side is printed such that page (N / 2 - 2m) is on the right and page (N / 2 + 2m + 1) is on the left. For example, if N=8, the front side will have page 6 on the right and page 3 on the left, and the back side will have page 4 on the right (the back of page 3) and page 5 on the left (the back of page 6). Similarly, the front side will have page 8 on the right and page 1 on the left, and the back side will have page 2 on the right (the back of page 1) and page 7 on the left (the back of page 8). Furthermore, the front side is printed with the back cover on the right and the front cover on the left, while the back side is printed with the inside of the front cover on the right and the inside of the back cover on the left. For left-bound books, the process is the same as above, except that the left-right relationship is reversed.

[0077] [When using perfect binding, and the cover and body text are made on different types of paper] Figures 7 and 8 show examples of editing screens 700 and 800, respectively, when the binding method is perfect binding (1-in-1) and different types of paper are used for the cover and the body. When different types of paper are used for the cover and the body, the editing screen 700 for the cover, as exemplified in Figure 7, and the editing screen 800 for the body, as exemplified in Figure 8, are used, and editing and printing can be performed separately for the cover and the body. In other words, the user gives separate print instructions for the cover and the body to the binding application 201.

[0078] If separate editing screens are provided for the cover page (700) and the main text (800), a cover page selection button (701) and a main text selection button (702) for switching between their displays are displayed, for example, within the editing area (401). When the cover page selection button (701) is selected, the cover page editing screen (700) is displayed; when the main text selection button (702) is selected, the main text editing screen (800) is displayed. Note that buttons 701 and 702 may be displayed outside the editing area (401), or the screens 700 and 800 may be selectively switched using, for example, a tab system.

[0079] The editing screen 700 for the cover displays the front and back covers. The front and back covers are displayed as viewed from the spine side of the booklet. That is, in the case of right-bound booklets, the front cover is displayed on the left and the back cover on the right. On the other hand, in the case of left-bound booklets, the front cover is displayed on the right and the back cover on the left. Therefore, when perfect binding is used, the binding position 406 is displayed. In the editing screen 700 for the cover, the binding position 406 is displayed on the front cover in a position close to the back cover, and on the back cover in a position close to the front cover.

[0080] Thus, in the editing screen 700 for the cover, the positional relationship between the front and back covers differs from that of the editing screens 400-600 (see Figures 4-6), where the cover and body text are edited together. The positional relationship is displayed in a horizontally inverted state. This display method allows users to relatively easily recognize how the bound booklet will look from the spine side when opened.

[0081] In the example above, the inside surfaces of the front and back covers are not used (i.e., they are blank), but they may be used. If the inside surfaces of the front and back covers are used, in the editing screen 700 for the cover, for example, the page data for the inside of the front cover may be displayed next to the page data for the front cover, and the page data for the inside of the back cover may be displayed next to the page data for the back cover. For example, in the example in Figure 7, the page data for the inside of the front cover may be displayed to the left of the page data for the front cover, and the page data for the inside of the back cover may be displayed to the right of the page data for the back cover.

[0082] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 8, in the editing screen 800 for the main text, the page data for the main text, excluding the front and back covers (and their inner pages), is displayed in the editing area 401. The editing screen 800 is the same as in Figure 4, except that it does not include the page data for the front and back covers and their inner pages.

[0083] [When saddle-stitched binding is used, and the cover and body text are made on different types of paper] When saddle stitching is selected and different types of paper are used for the cover and the main text, the editing screen is the same as in Figures 7 and 8, except that the binding position marks are not displayed. In the case of saddle stitching, the number of pages must be a multiple of 4, but when different types of paper are used for the cover and the main text, the number of pages in the main text must be a multiple of 4. That is, in the example above, it was explained that the number of pages of the cover and main text combined is adjusted to be a multiple of 4, but in this example, the number of pages of the main text alone is adjusted to be a multiple of 4. As a result, if the back of the cover is printed on one side only, the number of pages of the cover and main text combined will not be a multiple of 4 (if a is an integer, the total number of pages will be 4a + 2). Therefore, for example, if the main text contains data for 6 pages, 2 blank pages should be inserted so that the number of pages in the main text is a multiple of 4.

[0084] If different types of paper are used for the cover and the body of the document, borderless printing can be achieved for the cover by using, for example, glossy paper. Figure 9 shows an example of the editing screen 900 in this case. When printing borderless, it is necessary to make the image to be printed larger than the finished size, so-called "bleed." Therefore, when a borderless printable paper such as glossy paper is selected, an area 902 that includes the bleed size and its explanatory text 903 may be displayed. In addition, an option 901 for adjusting the image to the size including the bleed is displayed as one of the methods for enlarging / reducing the page data. This makes it possible for the user to create a borderless cover with relatively simple operations.

[0085] After the editing of the booklet is completed as described above, the printing of the booklet is executed when the print settings button 416 is pressed. Specifically, the bookbinding application 201 outputs application data based on the booklet data obtained in the editing described above, and the printer driver 202 generates print data based on the output application data.

[0086] When printing the cover and body on the same sheet of paper, the application data includes both the pages to be placed on the cover and the pages to be placed on the body. On the other hand, when printing the cover and body on separate sheets of paper, they will be printed separately, and a message may be displayed on a designated screen to allow the user to select either the cover or the body as the print target. If the user selects the cover and instructs the printer to print, the application data will include only the page data to be placed on the cover, and the printer driver 202 will generate the print data for the cover. On the other hand, if the user selects the body and instructs the printer to print, the application data will include only the page data to be placed on the body, and the printer driver 202 will generate the print data for the body.

[0087] (Regarding print settings) Figure 10 shows an example of the print settings screen 1000 that appears when the print settings button 416 is pressed after the editing process described above (see Figure 4, etc.) has been completed, under the state where the basic settings have been made on the basic settings screen 300 in Figure 3. The print settings screen 1000 includes areas 1001 and 1002, a print count setting area 1003, and a print range setting area 1004.

[0088] Areas 1001 and 1002 are areas that display the information set on the basic settings screen 300. If a user wishes to change the information in areas 1001 and 1002, they can press "Cancel" to return to the editing screen, and then press the "Basic Settings" button on the editing screen to return to the basic settings screen 300 and perform the change.

[0089] Area 1003 is where you set the number of copies to create. Area 1004 is where you set whether to print all of the text and cover, or only some of the pages. For example, by selecting the radio button corresponding to "Cover and Text," the user will print all pages at once. If the text and cover are created on different types of paper, the display of "Text and Cover" will be split into two items: "Text" and "Cover." This allows you to select between a mode where all of the text is printed at once (the cover is not printed) and a mode where all of the cover is printed at once (the text is not printed).

[0090] On the other hand, if the radio button corresponding to "Page Selection" is selected, only some pages will be printed. The number "(1-8)" displayed to the right of "Page Selection" indicates the number of pages in the booklet, and in this case, it indicates that the print range is from page 1 to page 8. In addition, the number of sheets of paper is determined according to the total number of pages and the binding method, and this information is displayed in area 1005. This allows the user to relatively easily recognize the number of sheets of paper that should be loaded into the printer 151.

[0091] Incidentally, as mentioned above, it is possible to print only certain pages by specifying the paper number, but in the case of printing booklets, the settings are complicated, and there was a possibility that the pages would be printed in a way that was different from what the user intended. Therefore, in this embodiment, a settings screen is used that allows the user to intuitively select the pages to be printed.

[0092] Figure 11(A) is an example of the page-specific printing settings screen 1100 that appears when the "Select" button 1006 in Figure 10 is pressed. For ease of understanding, we will assume that a 40-page booklet will be printed here.

[0093] On the settings screen 1100, the page layout is displayed for each sheet of paper. That is, the layout of the page data to be printed on the front and back of each sheet of paper is displayed within the frame 1101 representing the sheet of paper, so that the user can recognize the page data assigned to each sheet. For example, in the example in Figure 11(A), the page data with "Body 3" written on the front and the page data with "Body 4" written on the back are arranged one above the other. In other words, the content of each page data selected from the original document data is displayed.

[0094] Note that X is an integer greater than or equal to 1, and "Text X" in Figure 11(A) and subsequent drawings is a convenient representation; in reality, a preview screen of the page content may be displayed.

[0095] The preview images displayed on the settings screen, such as in Figure 11, show the printed results of the paper that makes up the booklet, and can therefore also be called sheet preview images. Sheet preview images are generated based on multiple page data and print setting information.

[0096] Here, we will explain the difference between the editing screens in Figures 4 to 9 and the settings screens in Figures 11 to 13. The editing screens in Figures 4 to 9 can be described as page preview images based on page data arranged in the order that the pages would appear when a user turns the pages of a printed and bound booklet. On the other hand, the settings screens in Figures 11 to 12, which will be described later, can be described as sheet preview images showing the result of page data being laid out for each sheet of paper so that the content of the page data appears in the order that the user would turn the pages of a printed and bound booklet.

[0097] For example, when saddle-stitching is enabled, the editing screen 600 in Figure 6 displays page preview images in the order in which the pages appear when the user turns the pages of a printed booklet (i.e., page 1, page 2, etc.). On the other hand, when saddle-stitching is enabled, the page data is laid out in a different order than the order in which the pages appear when the user turns the pages of a printed booklet (i.e., page 1, page 2, etc.). For example, the front of the first sheet of paper has page data for pages 1 and 40 laid out, while the back of the first sheet of paper has page data for pages 2 and 39 laid out. Thus, the preview images displayed on the editing screen and the settings screen are different.

[0098] In the page-specific printing settings screen 1100, a checkbox 1102 is provided for each frame 1101. When checkbox 1102 is checked, the corresponding paper type will be selected as the print target.

[0099] In the example in Figure 11(A), the checkbox 1102 is shown within frame 1101, but it may also be shown outside frame 1101 or at any position on the line of frame 1101. Alternatively, another interface may be used instead of the checkbox 1102. When a check is entered in checkbox 1102, it is desirable that the user recognizes that frame 1101 has been selected, for example, by changing the color of the area within frame 1101 corresponding to the checkbox 1102. The selected frame 1101 is highlighted by filling, as shown in area 1103 in Figure 11(A). If the "OK" button 1104 is pressed in this state, the print settings for the selected items will be reflected in the print settings screen 1000. If the "OK" button is pressed on the print settings screen 1000, printing of the selected items will be performed. At that time, the information displayed in area 1005 will be changed or updated according to the number of pages, and the user will be notified of the number of pages required for printing.

[0100] If the "Cancel" button 1105 is pressed on the page-specific printing settings screen 1100, the system will return to the print settings screen 1000, regardless of the previous operations.

[0101] On the settings screen 1100, the user can select multiple page data at once. For example, if the "Select All" button 1106 is pressed, all of the currently displayed checkboxes 1102 will be checked, and it is also possible to uncheck some of them. Furthermore, if the "Deselect All" button 1107 is pressed, all of the checked checkboxes 1102 will be unchecked, returning to the initial state where no items are selected. With this configuration, the user can select or deselect multiple items without individually checking the checkboxes 1102, and print the desired page data all at once.

[0102] Furthermore, when the "Select from Selected Page Onward" button 1108 is pressed, all checkboxes 1102 from checkbox 1102 onward, including the currently selected page data, will be checked. For example, in Figure 11(A), if "Body 6" is selected and the "Select from Selected Page Onward" button 1108 is pressed, checkboxes 1102 onward, corresponding to "Body 5" and "Body 6," will be checked. This allows the user to properly retry printing only those pages if, for example, printing of one or more pages after a paper jam or insufficient ink fails. Similarly, when the "Select Page Before Selected Page" button 1109 is pressed, all checkboxes 1102 from checkbox 1102 onward, including the currently selected page data, will be checked. This allows the user to properly retry printing only those pages if, for example, printing of some pages after the start of printing fails.

[0103] Furthermore, the order in which the displayed page data is arranged may change depending on whether right-bound or left-bound is selected in the basic settings. For example, in the settings screen 1100, if right-bound is selected, the page data may be displayed in order from right to left (see Figure 11(A)), and if left-bound is selected, the page data may be displayed in order from left to right (see Figure 11(B)). This makes it possible to provide users with an intuitively easy-to-understand GUI (Graphical User Interface).

[0104] Figure 12(A) shows an example of the settings screen 1200 when saddle stitching (2-in-1) and right-bound are selected. Figure 12(B) shows an example of the settings screen 1210 when saddle stitching (2-in-1) and left-bound are selected.

[0105] When saddle stitching (2-in-1) and right-bound are selected, let N be the total number of pages and m be a non-negative integer. On a single sheet of paper, the (N / 2+2m+2)th page is printed on the right side of the front side of a given sheet. Similarly, the (N / 2-2m-1)th page is printed on the left side of the front side of the same sheet, and likewise, the (N / 2-2m)th page is printed on the right side of the back side of the same sheet, and the (N / 2+2m+1)th page is printed on the left side of the back side of the same sheet.

[0106] In this example, let N=40. On the right side of the front of a certain sheet of paper, page (40 / 2+2m+2) (page 40 if m=9) is printed, and on the left side of the front of the same sheet of paper, page (40 / 2-2m-1) (page 1 if m=9) is printed. On the right side of the back of the same sheet of paper, page (40 / 2-2m) (page 2 if m=9) is printed, and on the left side of the back of the same sheet of paper, page (40 / 2+2m+1) (page 39 if m=9) is printed.

[0107] When saddle stitching (2-in-1) and left-bound are selected, on a single sheet of paper, the (N / 2-2m-1)th page is printed on the right side of the front side of a given sheet. Similarly, the (N / 2+2m+2)th page is printed on the left side of the front side of the same sheet, and likewise, the (N / 2+2m+1)th page is printed on the right side of the back side of the same sheet, and the (N / 2-2m)th page is printed on the left side of the back side of the same sheet.

[0108] Thus, when saddle stitching is selected, calculation processing is required to identify the page data to be printed on each sheet of paper. In this embodiment, as shown in the setting screen 1200 (and 1210), all of the page data to be printed on each sheet of paper is shown by the frame 1201. This allows the user to visually confirm the contents to be printed on each sheet of paper and to select the sheet to be printed on relatively easily by checking the checkbox 1202. Also, similar to the area 1103 in Figures 11(A) and 11(B), the page data selected using the checkbox 1202 is highlighted by filling in the area 1203 as shown.

[0109] Figure 13(A) shows setting screen 1300 as another example of setting screen 1100 illustrated in Figure 11(A). Figure 13(B) shows setting screen 1310 as another example of setting screen 1200 illustrated in Figure 12(A).

[0110] If a double feed (where multiple sheets of paper are transported at once) occurs in the printing device 151 during printing, the paper may only be printed on one side before output. In this case, since the printing of one side can be completed properly, only the printing of the other side needs to be retried using that paper. Therefore, as illustrated in Figures 13(A) and 13(B), checkboxes 1302 and 1312 that allow individual selection of the front and back sides may be provided separately from checkboxes 1301 and 1311. If either checkbox 1302 or 1312 is checked, only the corresponding page data will be identified as the print target, and only that / that will be printed.

[0111] In the example in Figure 13, checkboxes 1302 and 1312 are displayed for all of the corresponding page data, but they may be displayed in a different manner. For example, checkbox 1302 (or 1312) may be displayed only when checkbox 1301 (or 1311) is checked. As another example, if multiple checkboxes 1301 (or 1311) are checked, checkboxes 1302 and 1312 do not need to be displayed.

[0112] According to this embodiment, the manuscript data is displayed in a manner in which page data is arranged to correspond to each of the multiple sheets of paper that make up the booklet. This makes it relatively easy to identify the page data to be printed or its paper number, that is, it becomes possible to perform partial printing in a desired manner, and thus the convenience of printing for booklets can be improved.

[0113] If the "OK" button 1104 is pressed with the paper to be printed selected in either Figure 11 or Figure 12, the bookbinding application 201 displays the print settings screen 1000 in Figure 10. If the "OK" button 1009 is pressed here, the bookbinding application 201 generates application data based on the page data to be placed on the paper selected in either Figure 11 or Figure 12. Similarly, if the checkbox 1302 (or 1312) is checked in Figure 13, the bookbinding application 201 generates application data based on the page data to be placed on the selected paper. The printer driver 202 receives the generated application data and executes printing.

[0114] Figure 14 shows an example of the editing screen 400 in Figure 4, where the settings are configured for left-bound binding and the use of the same type of paper for both the cover and the main text, and the page data is arranged in the manuscript data area 402 using the method illustrated in Figures 16 to 19 below. In this example, since the bound booklet will have pages progressing from left to right, the page data is displayed in the editing area 401 in order from left to right. Pages A, B, C, and D are displayed as the cover, and pages E, F, G, and H are displayed as the main text from page 1 onwards. In the manuscript data area 402, after the cover page data, E, F, G, and H are displayed in order from left to right.

[0115] Figure 15 shows an example of the editing screen 1500 when the editing screen 400 in Figure 4 is set to be right-bound and the cover and body use the same type of paper, and when the page data is arranged in the manuscript data area 402 using the method illustrated in Figures 16 to 19 described later. In this example, since the pages of the bound booklet are read from right to left, the page data is displayed in the editing area 401 in order from right to left (the opposite direction to Figure 14).

[0116] Figure 16 is a flowchart showing the calculation process when page data is added to the document data area 402 in the bookbinding application 201.

[0117] In step 1601, it is determined whether or not page data has been added to the document data area 402. Here, using the parameter x (initial value x=1), if page data has been added, x=x+1 (by adding 1 to x), and the process proceeds to step 1602.

[0118] In step 1602, the type of image in the page data to be added is determined. In this example, if it is JPEG or PNG, the process proceeds to step 1603; if it is PDF, the process proceeds to step 1604. Incidentally, other image types may also be considered. This determination is made, for example, based on whether a single file contains multiple pages; if the image format to be added contains multiple files, the process proceeds to step 1604; otherwise, the process proceeds to step 1603.

[0119] In step 1603, page data is added to the sorting order N[x], and the process proceeds to step 1607.

[0120] In step 1604, the number of pages in the file to be added is counted, and this counted number of pages is denoted as n.

[0121] In step 1605, page data is added from order N[x] to N[x+n], and then in step 1606, x = x + n (by adding n to x), and the process proceeds to step 1607.

[0122] Step 1607 determines whether or not there are any additional page data entries. If there are additional entries, the process returns to step 1601; otherwise, it proceeds to step 1608.

[0123] In step 1608, the document data area 402 is displayed. Details will be explained with reference to Figure 17.

[0124] Figure 17 is a flowchart showing how page data is arranged in the document data area 402.

[0125] In step 1701, the setting parameters are determined based on the order of the page data set by the pull-down menu 405 and the binding method set in the binding direction setting area 305. In this example, if "read order" and "right binding" are set, the process proceeds to step 1702, and the page data is arranged from right to left in the order n[x] shown in Figure 16. If "read order" and "left binding" are set, the process proceeds to step 1703, and the page data is arranged from left to right in the order n[x] shown in Figure 16. If "file name order" and "right binding" are set, the process proceeds to step 1704, and the page data is arranged from right to left in file name order. If "file name order" and "left binding" are set, the process proceeds to step 1705, and the page data is arranged from left to right in file name order.

[0126] In this way, the page data is displayed in the arrangement desired by the user, based on the order of the page data set by the pull-down menu 405 and the binding method set in the binding direction setting area 305. If the page data to be displayed does not fit within the document data area 402, some of the corresponding pages may be displayed using a slider bar or the like.

[0127] Figure 17 is a flowchart showing the case where the document data area 402 is provided in the left-right direction, but the document data area 402 may also be provided in the vertical direction. In that case, the page data will be displayed side by side in the vertical direction.

[0128] Figure 18 shows a flowchart illustrating how the display of the editing screen changes or updates in response to the setting of the binding method. Specifically, when the binding method is set in the binding direction setting area 305 of Figure 3, the page data displayed in the document data area 402 is rearranged.

[0129] In step 1901, it is determined whether a binding method has been set. If a binding method has been set, the process proceeds to step 1608; otherwise, it returns to step 1901. In step 1608, the display in the document data area 402 is changed or updated based on the flowchart described with reference to Figure 17. Subsequently, in step 1903, the binding setting is notified to the user, and a message indicating the status after the setting change is displayed, for example.

[0130] According to this embodiment, the information processing device 101 generates booklet data by rearranging the order of multiple pages of manuscript data using a bookbinding application 201 to create a booklet layout. The booklet data includes the front and back covers, as well as the page data for the cover and the main text pages. The user can arbitrarily select which pages to include in the booklet data from the multiple pages of manuscript data, and by accepting the user's input for this selection, the necessary page data from the manuscript data can be incorporated into the booklet data all at once. The manuscript data and the booklet data are displayed in one direction on the display unit 108 as the editing screen 400 in Figure 4, etc. The booklet layout is performed based on the binding method setting during bookbinding, and the order of the page data of the booklet data to be displayed is changed or adjusted based on this setting.

[0131] Printing for booklets may be performed on all of the booklet data generated in this way, or on only a portion of it. When printing only a portion of the booklet data, the user can view the page data for each corresponding sheet of paper and, as needed, edit, insert, delete, or manage them all at once. This configuration makes it possible to perform booklet printing, which tends to have complicated print settings, relatively easily, thereby improving its convenience.

[0132] Furthermore, the concept of the information processing device 101 includes a device on which a bookbinding application 201 (or a program capable of substantially realizing its function) is installed, and the information processing device 101 may also be described as an image processing device, an image layout device, or the like.

[0133] In the above explanation, for the sake of ease of understanding, each element has been given a name related to its function. However, each element is not limited to having the content described in the embodiment as its primary function, but may also have it as a supplementary function. Therefore, each element is not strictly limited to its expression, and its expression can be replaced with a similar expression. In the same vein, the expression "apparatus" may be replaced with "unit," "component, piece," "member," "structure," "assembly," etc., or may be omitted.

[0134] (program) The present invention may be implemented by supplying a program that implements one or more of the functions of the above embodiments to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and by a process in which one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program. For example, the present invention may be implemented by a circuit (e.g., an ASIC) that implements one or more functions.

[0135] The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, claims are attached to disclose the scope of the invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0136] 101: Information processing unit, 102: Input interface, 103: CPU, 104: ROM, 105: RAM, 107: Output interface, 108: Display unit, 109: Communication unit, 151: Printing device, 201: Bookbinding application, 202: Printer driver.

Claims

1. It is a program, The computer of the information processing device, A first display means that displays a preview in a first display area of ​​at least one page among a plurality of pages included in a booklet-like printed material that is printed based on booklet data, A second display means for displaying multiple allocation target data in a second display area different from the first display area, A setting means for setting the binding method of the aforementioned booklet-like printed material, To operate as, When any of the above-mentioned multiple data to be allocated is selected, the selected data to be allocated is allocated to one of the above-mentioned pages, and the selected data to be allocated is displayed in the first display area as a preview corresponding to the page to which the selected data to be allocated is allocated. The second display means arranges the order of the plurality of allocation target data displayed in the second display area differently based on whether the binding setting is the first setting or a second setting different from the first setting, and the page progression direction when the first setting is used and the page progression direction when the second setting is used are different from each other. A program characterized by the following features.

2. The first display means causes the order in which multiple previews corresponding to multiple pages among all pages displayed in the first display area differs based on whether the binding setting is the first setting or the second setting. The program according to feature 1.

3. The aforementioned booklet data includes page data for the front and back covers, and page data for the main text. The program according to feature 1.

4. The first setting is either left-bound or right-bound, and the second setting is the other of left-bound or right-bound. The program according to feature 1.

5. If the binding setting is the first setting, which is right-bound, the multiple data to be allocated are arranged from right to left in the second display area. If the binding setting is the second setting, which is left-bound, the multiple data to be allocated are arranged from left to right in the second display area. The program according to feature 1.

6. The sorting order of the aforementioned multiple data to be allocated is controlled based on the file name order. The program according to feature 1.

7. The first display area and the second display area are displayed by the program. The aforementioned multiple data to be allocated are data that are read by the program when selected in the file selection dialog. The order in which the aforementioned multiple data to be allocated are sorted is controlled based on the reading order. The program according to feature 1.

8. The preview displayed in the first display area shows a mark indicating the binding position. The program according to feature 1.

9. It further functions as an execution means that performs a process to cause a printing device to perform printing based on the aforementioned booklet data. The program according to feature 1.

10. The second display means, when the second display area contains PDF data including multiple allocation target data corresponding to multiple pages, displays in the second display area and causes the order of the multiple allocation target data included in the PDF data to differ based on whether the binding setting is the first setting or a second setting different from the first setting. The program according to feature 1.

11. The aforementioned program is an application program. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. An information processing device, A first display means that displays a preview in a first display area of ​​at least one page among a plurality of pages included in a booklet-like printed material that is printed based on booklet data, A second display means for displaying multiple allocation target data in a second display area different from the first display area, A setting means for setting the binding method of the aforementioned booklet-like printed material, It has, When any of the above-mentioned multiple data to be allocated is selected, the selected data to be allocated is allocated to one of the above-mentioned pages, and the selected data to be allocated is displayed in the first display area as a preview corresponding to the page to which the selected data to be allocated is allocated. The second display means arranges the order of the plurality of allocation target data displayed in the second display area differently based on whether the binding setting is the first setting or a second setting different from the first setting, and the page progression direction when the first setting is used and the page progression direction when the second setting is used are different from each other. An information processing device characterized by the following:

13. A method for controlling an information processing device, A first display step involves displaying a preview in a first display area that corresponds to at least one page among a plurality of pages included in a booklet-like printed material that is printed based on booklet data, A second display step in which multiple assignment target data are displayed in a second display area different from the first display area, A setting step to set how the aforementioned booklet-like printed material is bound, It has, When any of the above-mentioned multiple data to be allocated is selected, the selected data to be allocated is allocated to one of the above-mentioned pages, and the selected data to be allocated is displayed in the first display area as a preview corresponding to the page to which the selected data to be allocated is allocated. The second display step causes the order of the multiple allocation target data displayed in the second display area to differ based on whether the binding setting is the first setting or a second setting different from the first setting, and the page progression direction when the first setting is used and the page progression direction when the second setting is used are different from each other. A control method characterized by the following:

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