Printing programs and font programs

Abstract

To simply issue an instruction for printing by a label printer with a font which has been selected.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus 1 includes a label creation application 42 corresponding to an URL scheme. The label creation application 42 acquires, when started by the URL scheme, font data designated by the URL scheme, label data, and a character string. The label creation application 42 draws the acquired character string, using the acquired font data, on a text object of an acquired template file. The label creation application causes a label printer 2 to perform printing based on the label data formed by drawing the character string on the text object.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The technical field disclosed in this specification relates to a printing program for editing data to be printed on a label printer and a font program having font data.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a technique of creating label data including arbitrary text and images and performing printing based on the label data using a label printer is known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a label printer capable of editing text to be printed, in which the label printer downloads additional menu data including font data from a font server to customize the font.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In a program for a label printer that edits data to be printed on a label printer, a plurality of fonts can be used, and it is desirable to be able to use various fonts according to the application. Therefore, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, the options for fonts can be increased by downloading fonts from a server. On the other hand, the work of selecting an appropriate font from them and then causing the label printer to print is cumbersome and there is room for improvement.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] A printing program designed to solve the above-mentioned problems is a printing program that allows editing of data to be printed by a label printer, and when launched by a URL scheme, causes the computer of the information processing device to execute an acquisition process to acquire font data, label data, and a string specified in the URL scheme, the printing program is a program corresponding to the URL scheme, and the URL scheme for launching the printing program can specify font data which is data indicating a font, label data which includes a text object, and the string to be written to the text object, and is configured to cause the computer to execute a drawing process which uses the font data acquired in the acquisition process to draw the string acquired in the acquisition process onto the text object included in the label data acquired in the acquisition process, and a printing process which causes the label printer to print based on the label data in which the string has been drawn onto the text object in the drawing process.

[0006] The printing program having the above configuration supports URL schemes and can be automatically launched via a URL scheme. It can then automatically print based on specified label data using the font data and strings specified in the URL scheme. Therefore, by preparing a URL scheme for printing the desired label in advance and launching the printing program through that URL scheme, the launched printing program can create the desired label without requiring any operations to read the label data, select a font, or edit the text.

[0007] The devices, control methods, and storage media readable by the computer storing the above-mentioned program are also novel and useful for realizing the functions of the program. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The technology disclosed herein provides a program that allows editing of text to be printed, and enables easy instruction of printing on a label printer after selecting a font. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of the information processing device. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of a URL scheme. [Figure 3] This is a sequence diagram showing an example of the label creation procedure. [Figure 4] This is a flowchart showing the procedure for the judgment process. [Figure 5] This is an example of a drawing preview screen. [Figure 6] This is an example of a warning screen. [Figure 7] This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the label creation process. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The following describes in detail an embodiment of a program incorporated into an information processing device, with reference to the attached drawings. This embodiment discloses a printing application program (hereinafter referred to as "the application") incorporated into an information processing device capable of displaying information.

[0011] As shown in Figure 1, the information processing device 1 in this embodiment includes a CPU 11 and a controller 10 including memory 12, and is connectable to a label printer 2. Furthermore, the information processing device 1 includes a user interface (hereinafter referred to as "user IF") 20, a communication interface (hereinafter referred to as "communication IF") 30, and a camera 40, which are electrically connected to the controller 10. The CPU 11 is an example of a "computer." The controller 10 may also be an example of a "computer."

[0012] Information processing device 1 is, for example, a device capable of executing various applications for printing to label printer 2. Information processing device 1 may be a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet, or a stationary personal computer. Note that the controller 10 in Figure 1 is a general term for the hardware and software used to control information processing device 1, and does not necessarily represent a single piece of hardware actually present in information processing device 1.

[0013] The CPU 11 executes various processes according to the program read from memory 12 and based on user input. Memory 12 includes ROM, RAM, and non-volatile memory such as HDD and flash memory, and stores various programs and data.

[0014] The user interface 20 includes a touch panel that has both display and operation reception functions. The user interface 20 may also include a combination of a display for displaying information and a keyboard or mouse for receiving user input.

[0015] The communication IF30 includes hardware for communicating with external devices such as the label printer 2. The communication method of the communication IF30 may be wireless or wired, and any standard such as Wi-Fi®, Bluetooth®, USB, or LAN may be used.

[0016] The information processing device 1 has a function of connecting to the Internet 3 via the communication IF 30. The information processing device 1 can connect to the server 4 via the Internet 3 and download various applications and various data. For example, the information processing device 1 can download the template file 5 and the font file 6 stored in the server 4. The template file 5 stores information regarding the template used for label editing. The font file 6 stores information regarding the font. The template file 5 and the font file 6 may be provided by the vendor of the label printer 2 or may be provided by others than the vendor. Also, the template file 5 and the font file 6 may be provided by different servers respectively. The template file 5 is an example of "label data". The font file 6 is an example of "font data".

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, in the memory 12 of the information processing device 1 of this embodiment, an operating system (hereinafter referred to as "OS") 41, a label creation application 42, and a font application 43 are incorporated. The label creation application 42 is an example of a "print program". The font application 43 is an example of a "font program".

[0018] The OS 41 is, for example, any one of iOS (registered trademark), Android (registered trademark), Windows (registered trademark), MacOS (registered trademark), and Linux (registered trademark). In the memory 12, a system font file 60 is stored. The system font file 60 includes information regarding the system font registered in the OS 41. The OS 41 has a mechanism of starting a program by a URL scheme and executing the function specified by the URL scheme. Programs started by the URL scheme are registered in the OS 41. That is, the OS 41 stores by associating a scheme name with the program started by the scheme name.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 2, the URL scheme has a function specifying unit 110 and a data specifying unit 120. In the function specifying unit 110, a program to be launched by the URL scheme and a function to be executed by the launched program are specified. For example, in this embodiment, the scheme name of the label creation application 42 and information for executing the printing function are described in the function specifying unit 110.

[0020] In the data specifying unit 120, data used when executing the function specified by the URL scheme is specified. The data specifying unit 120 describes, for example, data specified for the first specifying unit 121, the second specifying unit 122, and the third specifying unit 123. For example, in this embodiment, the template used for label printing is specified by the first specifying unit 121, the character string to be drawn on the text object included in the template is specified by the second specifying unit 122, and the font for drawing the character string is specified by the third specifying unit 123. In the data specifying unit 120, further, print settings such as paper size may be specified.

[0021] Information on the function to be executed by the program and the data that can be specified is defined in the program in advance. Note that the number of data specified by the data specifying unit 120 may be one, two, or four or more. Depending on the function of the program to be launched, the data specifying unit 120 may not be provided.

[0022] The label creation application 42 and the font application 43 are installed in the information processing apparatus 1 from the server 4 or the label printer 2 via the Internet 3, for example. The label creation application 42 and the font application 43 may be Web applications operating on the server 4.

[0023] The label printer 2 of this embodiment includes, for example, a thermal transfer type print head, accommodates label paper wound in a roll shape, and performs printing while unwinding the label paper. The label printer 2 performs printing of an image on the accommodated label paper and conveyance of the label paper based on the print data received from the information processing apparatus 1, for example, and causes the printed portion to protrude outside the machine.

[0024] The label creation application 42 in this form is an application for creating various labels using the label printer 2. The label creation application 42 accepts instructions for creating and editing images to be printed on the label printer 2, and displays the received images on the user interface 20. Editing the data to be printed on the label printer 2 includes editing the text. In addition to editing the text itself, it is possible to edit, for example, the font, font weight, font size, and text decorations.

[0025] Fonts greatly influence the image of a label. In recent years, a wide variety of font designs have become available. Furthermore, there is a high demand for creating labels that support multiple languages ​​using label printers. Therefore, it is desirable to have a wide variety of fonts available when editing text.

[0026] However, installing all fonts into the label creation application 42 from the beginning would cause problems such as taking a long time to install and putting a load on memory 12. Therefore, the label creation application 42 installs only font files that store information about fonts provided by vendors, for example. Fonts installed in the label creation application 42 will be referred to as "built-in fonts" below. Font files that store information about built-in fonts will be referred to as "built-in font files" below. The label creation application 42 stores the built-in font files 50A, 50B, and 50C in its own memory area, and can freely view and use the built-in fonts 50A, 50B, and 50C.

[0027] The label creation application 42 can access the system font file 60 managed by the OS 41 and view and use system fonts.

[0028] Font app 43 is a program that makes custom fonts available. Font app 43 may be provided by a vendor or by a third party. Font app 43 has several custom font files 80A, 80B, and 80C installed. Custom font files 80A, 80B, and 80C store information about the custom fonts.

[0029] The custom font files 80A, 80B, and 80C are stored in the memory area of ​​the font application 43 and are managed by the font application 43. Therefore, the label creation application 42 may not be able to freely view or use the custom font files 80A, 80B, and 80C. The font application 43 creates a URL scheme that specifies the custom fonts it possesses, and the label creation application 42 can then print labels using the custom fonts. The procedure for creating labels using the URL scheme will be described later.

[0030] The label creation application 42 is a program registered with the OS 41 as a program that is launched by a URL scheme. In other words, the scheme for the label creation application 42 is registered with the OS 41. As a result, when the information processing device 1 receives a URL scheme that includes the scheme for the label creation application 42, the label creation application 42 is automatically launched and executes the printing and other functions specified in the URL scheme. The registration of the scheme with the OS 41 is performed, for example, when the label creation application 42 is installed or when the label creation application 42 is launched for the first time. In addition, the label creation application 42 can specify data via a URL scheme, such as template type, string, font type, paper size, and paper type. For example, when specifying a string, "TEXT="Please note!" is written in the second specification part 122 of the URL scheme.

[0031] Furthermore, the label creation application 42 can save data specified by a URL scheme. The saved data includes font files. This allows the label creation application 42 to freely view the saved font files and other data, and use them for printing labels, etc.

[0032] The label creation application 42 may download font files 6 and template files 5 from the server 4 for fonts not stored in the label creation application 42 or the information processing device 1. Hereinafter, these downloaded fonts and font files 6 will be referred to as "downloaded fonts" and "downloaded font file 6," respectively.

[0033] The label creation application 42, in the text editing screen, accepts the selection of a font from several available fonts when a text object is selected, and can render the text object using the selected font. These multiple fonts include built-in fonts, system fonts, and downloaded fonts. Furthermore, if, for example, the label creation application 42 saves a font file based on a URL scheme, that saved font file will also be included among the multiple fonts.

[0034] The data formats for various font files are, for example, TTF and OTF. Font files contain information such as the font name, version information, and information used for rendering.

[0035] The label creation application 42 receives a command to print the image being edited, generates print data based on the image being edited, and sends it to the label printer 2. Note that the label creation application 42 in this configuration may be a program that can be executed independently based on a user's execution command, or it may be a program that is called and executed by another program while that program is running.

[0036] Next, the label creation procedure for creating labels using a URL scheme will be explained with reference to the sequence diagram in Figure 3. Each process shown in Figure 3 is executed by the CPU 11 of the information processing device 1. Note that the following processes and each process step in the flowchart basically show the CPU 11's processing according to the instructions written in each program, but for the sake of explanation, the main entity of the processing may be described as each program. The processing by the CPU 11 also includes hardware control using the API of the OS 41 of the information processing device 1. In this specification, the description of OS 41 will be omitted when describing its operation. In the following, the case in which the label creation application 42 creates labels using the font of the custom font file 80A will be used as an example.

[0037] As shown in Figure 3, after the font application 43 is launched (A01), it accepts the specification of the data to be used to create the label (A02). For example, the font application 43 displays a reception screen to the user IF20 and accepts the specification of the data to be used when the label creation application 42 executes the printing function.

[0038] The reception screen displays, for example, multiple template images for selection. The displayed template images may reside within the information processing device 1 or on an external device such as the server 4. When a template containing a text object is selected, the font application 43 accepts the specification of the string to be entered into the text object. The specified string may be arbitrary or predetermined. Alternatively, a screen that only accepts the specification of the string may be displayed without showing the template image.

[0039] The reception screen can accept the specification of the font to be used when a text object draws a string. Font application 43 displays a list of fonts, including custom fonts managed by font application 43. The user selects one font from the list of font options, for example. Font application 43 accepts the specification of the selected font. The selected font may be a font managed by something other than font application 43, such as the built-in fonts 50A, 50B, and 50C of label creation application 42, system fonts, or downloaded fonts. A02 is an example of "specification processing".

[0040] A confirmation button is placed on the reception screen. When this confirmation button is pressed, the CPU 11 receives the data specified on the reception screen and generates a URL scheme (A03). A03 is an example of the "creation process".

[0041] For example, the font application 43 describes the scheme "app" of the label creation application 42 and the information "print" that specifies the printing function of the label creation application 42 in the function specification section 110 of the URL scheme. Also, when the font application 43 receives a specification of the template file "file.lbx", the string "Please note!", and the font file "custom.ttf" that indicates the font on the reception screen, it describes them in the first specification section 121, the second specification section 122, and the third specification section 123 of the data specification section 120 of the URL scheme. In other words, the font application 43 generates the URL scheme "app: / / print?filename=file.lbx&text_TEXT=Please note!&font_TEXT=custom.ttf".

[0042] The template file described in the first specification section 121 and the font file described in the third specification section 123 may be the file itself, compressed data of the file, or data indicating the storage location. If the template file and font file are data indicating the storage location, the storage location may be the storage area of ​​the label creation application 42, the shared storage area in the memory 12 of the information processing device 1, or the server 4. If you want to specify a font managed by something other than the font application 43, you can use data that indicates a string that uniquely identifies the font, such as a font name or ID, rather than a font file.

[0043] The font application 43 may also accept print settings such as paper size on the reception screen and write them in the data specification section 120 of the URL scheme.

[0044] The font application 43 passes the generated URL scheme to the OS 41 (A04). Upon receiving the URL scheme, the OS 41 parses it. The OS 41 stores, for example, the association between the label creation application 42 and the scheme "app" of the label creation application 42. For example, if the OS 41 receives a URL scheme that includes the scheme "app", it launches the label creation application 42 associated with the scheme "app" (B01). At this time, the OS 41 passes the data specified in the URL scheme received from the font application 43 to the label creation application 42. A01 is an example of the "launch process".

[0045] The launched label creation application 42 obtains the data specified in the data specification section 120 of the URL scheme received from the OS 41 (B02). For example, if the path to the location where the template file is saved is described in the first specification section 121, the label creation application 42 accesses the template file based on that path and obtains the template file. Also, for example, if the path to the location where the custom font file 80A is saved is described in the third specification section 123, the label creation application 42 reads and obtains the custom font file 80A from memory 12 based on that path. If a string is described in the second specification section 122 of the URL scheme, the label creation application 42 obtains that string.

[0046] B02 is an example of "acquisition processing". The template file specified in the first specification section 121, the string specified in the second specification section 122, and the font file specified in the third specification section 123, specifically the custom font file 80A, are examples of "label data", "string", and "font data" specified in the URL scheme.

[0047] If the label creation application 42 obtains a custom font file 80A based on a URL scheme, for example, it saves the custom font file 80A to the storage area of ​​the label creation application 42, for example, to a directory created by the label creation application 42 (B03). This allows the label creation application 42 to use the custom font file 80A managed by the font application 43 in the same way as the built-in fonts 50A, 50B, and 50C. B03 is an example of a "font saving process".

[0048] The font file specified in the URL scheme may not have been created for the label creation application 42. In this case, the label creation application 42 may not be able to properly render text objects using the custom font when creating labels. Therefore, the label creation application 42 performs a judgment process (B04). The judgment process determines whether or not it is possible to render text objects using the font specified in the URL scheme. Note that if no font is specified in the URL scheme, or if a font managed by an application other than the font application 43 is specified, the judgment process may be skipped and the application may proceed directly to the printing process.

[0049] The determination process will be explained with reference to Figure 4. The CPU 11 determines whether or not the font file specified in the URL scheme can be read (S101). If the font file specified in the URL scheme is a custom font file 80A, the CPU 11 determines whether or not the custom font file 80A can be read. This is because if the font file specified in the URL scheme cannot be read, the font to be drawn becomes unknown.

[0050] For example, even if the extension and format of the acquired custom font file 80A indicate a font, if it does not contain any font information, or only contains some information, the CPU 11 determines that it cannot be read (S101: NO). In this case, the CPU 11 determines that it cannot draw a text object with the acquired font (S111) and terminates the determination process.

[0051] If CPU11 determines in S101 that the data can be read (S101: YES), CPU11 then determines whether the string specified in the URL scheme contains characters that are not supported by the font specified in the URL scheme (S102). This is because if the string to be drawn in the text object contains characters that are not supported by the font specified in the URL scheme, the string cannot be drawn.

[0052] For example, suppose the custom font file 80A specified by the URL scheme stores a font for Western characters. On the other hand, suppose the string specified by the URL scheme contains hiragana characters. Western fonts cannot render hiragana characters. In this case, CPU 11 determines that the string specified by the URL scheme contains characters that are not supported by the font specified by the URL scheme (S102: YES). CPU 11 determines that it cannot render the text object with the font specified by the URL scheme (S111) and terminates the determination process.

[0053] For example, suppose the custom font file 80A specified by the URL scheme stores fonts that support both kanji and hiragana. On the other hand, suppose the string specified by the URL scheme is rendered as text composed only of hiragana. A font that supports both kanji and hiragana can handle hiragana characters. In this case, the CPU 11 determines that the string specified by the URL scheme does not contain any characters that are not supported by the font specified by the URL scheme (S102: NO). In this case, the CPU 11 determines that the label creation application 42 uses the font file specified by the URL scheme to render the string specified by the URL scheme onto the text object included in the template specified by the URL scheme (S103). S103 is an example of the "rendering process".

[0054] CPU 11 uses OCR (Optical Character Reader) processing to recognize text from an image of a string drawn with the font specified in the URL scheme (S104). CPU 11 then determines whether the text recognized using OCR processing matches the string specified in the URL scheme (S105). This is because if the text recognized by OCR processing from an image of a text object with a string drawn with the font specified in the URL scheme does not match the string specified in the URL scheme, it is possible that the correct text has not been drawn.

[0055] For example, if the text recognized using OCR processing, that is, the text rendered with the font specified in the URL scheme, contains dots or has missing lines, the result may differ from the original text. Such fonts are unlikely to render appropriate text. Therefore, CPU 11 determines that the text recognized using OCR processing does not match the string specified in the URL scheme (S105: NO). In this case, CPU 11 determines that it cannot render the text object with the font specified in the URL scheme (S111) and terminates the determination process.

[0056] If CPU11 determines that the text recognized using OCR processing matches the string specified in the URL scheme (S105:YES), it displays a drawing preview screen to user IF20 and prompts the user to input whether the drawing was successful or not (S106).

[0057] The desired level of rendering quality varies from user to user. For example, users who design labels will have higher expectations for rendering quality because it affects the label's overall quality. On the other hand, general household users often only need the rendering to be legible. Therefore, the label creation app 42 allows users to judge the success or failure of the rendering and avoids using fonts that the user deems unsatisfactory.

[0058] For example, the drawing preview screen 300 shown in Figure 5 includes a preview image display area 301, a first button 302, and a second button 303. The preview image display area 301 displays a preview image of text drawn using the font specified by the URL scheme. The first button 302 is an operator that indicates successful drawing. The second button 303 is an operator that indicates failed drawing.

[0059] If the user sees the preview image and determines that the rendering has failed, they tap the second button 303. In this case, the CPU 11 accepts the failure input (S107: failure), determines that it cannot render the text object with the font specified in the URL scheme (S111), and terminates the judgment process.

[0060] The user views the preview image and, if they determine that the rendering was successful, taps the first button 302. In this case, the CPU 11 accepts the success input (S107: success), determines that it can render the text object with the font specified in the URL scheme (S108), and terminates the judgment process.

[0061] In Figure 4, it is not necessary to make decisions on all of S102, S105, and S107; at least one decision may be made, or additional decisions may be made. Furthermore, the user may be able to configure which decisions are made.

[0062] Returning to Figure 3, if the label creation application 42 determines in the B04 judgment process that it cannot render the text object with the font specified in the URL scheme (Alt: rendering impossible), it deletes the custom font file 80A saved in B03 from memory 12 (C01). By deleting the unusable font file, the load on memory 12 is reduced.

[0063] Furthermore, the label creation application 42, which determines in the judgment process that rendering is not possible, warns that it cannot use the font specified in the URL scheme (C02). For example, the label creation application 42 displays a warning screen 400, as shown in Figure 6, as a pop-up on the user IF20. The warning screen 400 displays a message 401 indicating that the font specified in the URL scheme cannot be used, and an OK button 402. The warning screen 400 disappears when the user operates the OK button 402. The warning screen 400 may also disappear after a certain period of time has elapsed. The warning may also be given by voice. The process in C02 is an example of "warning processing". The processes in C01 and C02 may be in reverse order.

[0064] If the label creation application 42 determines in the B04 judgment process that it cannot render text objects with the font specified in the URL scheme (Alt: rendering impossible), and deletes the font file and issues a warning, it will terminate (E01) without having the label printer 2 print the label data based on the template text objects rendered using the font specified in the URL scheme. As a result, the label creation application 42 will not have the label printer 2 print when it is unable to render text with the font specified in the URL scheme, thus avoiding unnecessary printing.

[0065] If the label creation application 42 determines in the B04 judgment process that it can render text objects with the font specified in the URL scheme (Alt: renderable), it sends print data based on the label data, which is the text object of the template using the font specified in the URL scheme, to the label printer 2 (D01). In other words, the label creation application 42, launched by the URL scheme, can send print data to the label printer 2 without displaying an editing screen to accept template selection, text input, or font selection. The label printer 2 then performs printing based on the received print data. The process in D01 is an example of a "print process".

[0066] When the label printer 2 has finished printing, it sends a print completion notification to the label creation application 42 (D02). Upon receiving the print completion notification, the label creation application 42 automatically terminates (E01). However, if the label creation application 42 receives a URL scheme while already running, it will not terminate after receiving the print completion notification, but will remain running.

[0067] Next, we will explain the label creation procedure using the label creation application 42. This label creation procedure involves manually launching the label creation application 42 and editing the label within the application 42, and differs from the procedure that automatically retrieves templates and files via a URL scheme and prints them. When the label creation application 42 receives a label creation instruction, it executes the label creation process shown in Figure 7. The label creation instruction is received via the top screen displayed on the user IF20 when the label creation application 42 is launched.

[0068] As shown in Figure 7, the CPU 11, upon receiving the label creation instruction, displays the editing screen to the user IF 20 (S201). S201 is an example of the "display process". Text objects are placed on the editing screen. Text is drawn on the text objects based on the currently set font. The editing screen 200 may also contain image objects that represent the image to be printed on the label paper.

[0069] When the user taps a text object, CPU 11 determines that text object 212 has been selected (S202: YES) and displays the text editing screen (S203). The text editing screen contains a button to instruct the user to select a font. When this button is pressed, CPU 11 accepts the font selection instruction (S204: YES) and accepts the font selection (S205). The font is selected from multiple font options displayed in the font list. S205 is an example of a "selection process". The font selected in S205 is an example of a "specific font".

[0070] Specifically, for example, CPU 11 retrieves multiple fonts to be displayed in the font list. These multiple fonts include, for example, built-in fonts stored in the memory area of ​​the label creation application 42, system fonts stored in memory 12, and downloaded fonts. If a font file specified by the URL scheme is stored in the memory area of ​​the label creation application 42, the fonts in that font file are also included in the multiple fonts. Fonts that are determined to be undrawable in the judgment process are deleted in C01 in Figure 3 and are therefore not included in the multiple fonts. CPU 11 displays the selected fonts in the font list.

[0071] In this case, the CPU 11 may, for example, display the font options specified by the URL scheme first, or display them in a way that distinguishes them from other font options. In other words, the font options specified by the URL scheme may be displayed with priority over other font options. This makes it easier for the user to select the font specified by the URL scheme.

[0072] When one font is selected from the multiple font options displayed in the font list, CPU11 uses the selected font to draw the text object placed on the editing screen (S206).

[0073] For example, suppose a custom font in font file 80A is specified in the URL scheme, and that custom font is stored in the memory of the label creation application 42. The custom font in custom font file 80A will be displayed as one of the options in the font list. If this custom font is selected, the CPU 11 will draw the text object using the custom font file 80A stored in the memory of the label creation application 42. The custom font file 80A has been determined to be capable of drawing text objects in the judgment process. Therefore, the label creation application 42 is highly likely to be able to draw the text object on the editing screen appropriately using the custom font in custom font file 80A.

[0074] When CPU11 finishes drawing, it determines whether or not it has received a completion instruction (S207). CPU11 waits until it receives a completion instruction (S207: NO). If CPU11 determines that it has received a completion instruction (S207: YES), it determines whether or not it has received a print execution instruction (S208). If CPU11 does not receive a print execution instruction (S208: NO), it returns to processing S202.

[0075] If CPU11 receives a print command (S208:YES), it generates print data containing the edited text object and sends the generated print data to label printer 2 (S209). Label printer 2 prints on label paper based on the received print data.

[0076] As explained above, the label creation application 42 in this form supports URL schemes and can be automatically launched via a URL scheme. It can then automatically perform printing based on a specified template using the font data and strings specified in the URL scheme. Therefore, by preparing a URL scheme in advance for printing the desired label and launching the label creation application 42 through that URL scheme, the launched label creation application 42 can create the desired label without requiring any operations to load a template, select a font, or edit text.

[0077] The above embodiments are merely illustrative and do not limit the present invention in any way. Therefore, the present invention can naturally be improved and modified in various ways without departing from its essence. For example, the label creation application 42 does not need to have a text scanning function or a translation function. TTC and OTC, which are data formats that combine multiple fonts into one, are also examples of data formats that indicate fonts.

[0078] The printing method of label printer 2 is not limited to thermal transfer; for example, it may be a thermal, inkjet, or electrophotographic method. The printing medium used by label printer 2 is not limited to label paper; for example, it may be cut paper or plain roll paper.

[0079] Each form of label creation application 42 is designed to create and send print data itself, but is not limited to this. For example, the image data to be printed and the print settings may be passed to another program, allowing the other program to create and send the print data.

[0080] The URL scheme may be created by a program other than the font application 43. For example, you can manually enter the URL scheme into the browser's URL input field and have the browser execute the URL scheme. In this case, the browser becomes an example of a "font application".

[0081] The font application 43 may terminate after creating the URL scheme, and then perform the A04 process if it receives an execution instruction for the created URL scheme.

[0082] The font application 43 may also provide a button to automatically input a URL scheme once one has been created, so that in subsequent uses, the URL scheme can be entered simply by pressing this button.

[0083] The function specified by the URL scheme for the label creation application 42 may be a function other than printing, such as saving a file. In Figure 2, A02 may accept different data depending on the function to be executed. Also, in Figure 2, A02 may accept the specification of the program or function to be launched.

[0084] The process in B03 of Figure 3 may be omitted. However, by saving the font file specified by the URL scheme, the label creation application 42 allows users to select the saved font when editing the label separately after the font file has been saved, thus increasing the flexibility of font selection.

[0085] Whether or not to save the font file can be set in the label creation application 42, or the user can be prompted each time printing is performed using a URL scheme, or it can be specified in the URL scheme.

[0086] In the above configuration, all font files specified by the URL scheme were saved to the memory area of ​​the label creation application 42. Alternatively, it is possible to save only specific font files.

[0087] For example, if the font file specified by the URL scheme is the font file 6 obtained by downloading from server 4 in Figure 3, B02, it may be cached in the memory area of ​​the label creation application 42. However, if the font file is obtained without downloading from server 4 in Figure 3, B02, it may not be saved in the memory area of ​​the label creation application 42. The time it takes to download and obtain a font file is longer than the time it takes to obtain the font file from memory 12. Therefore, as described above, by caching only the downloaded file and using the cached font data the next time the application is launched from the URL scheme, the download can be omitted and printing can be completed faster. Note that the cached font data may be automatically deleted after an expiration date. Cached fonts do not need to be displayed in the font list in Figure 7, S205.

[0088] For example, if the received URL scheme specifies printing but no font file is specified, the label creation application 42 may not perform the processing from B02 onwards in Figure 3 as an error, or it may print based on the specified template file without changing the font. If the URL scheme does not specify a string, the label creation application 42 may not perform the processing from B02 onwards in Figure 3 as an error, or it may draw the string that was originally written in the text object into the text object and print it. If the received URL scheme specifies label printing but no template file is specified, the label creation application 42 will not perform the processing from B02 onwards in Figure 3 as an error. The label creation application 42 may also not perform the processing from B02 onwards in Figure 3 as an error if the acquired template file does not contain a text object.

[0089] The font file saved in B03 of Figure 3 may be deleted manually. In this case, the user can delete the saved font file at any time, making it user-friendly. The saved font file may also be deleted automatically. In this case, the accumulation of font files and the resulting pressure on memory 12 can be avoided.

[0090] The processing of C02 in Figure 3 may be omitted, resulting in a configuration that does not issue a warning. However, if the text object cannot be rendered using the font specified in the URL scheme, a warning will be issued to that effect, allowing the user to understand that the font specified in the URL scheme cannot be used.

[0091] If the label creation application 42 determines that rendering is possible based on the judgment process shown in B04 of Figure 2, it may notify the user of the font information specified by the URL scheme. In this case, the user can immediately find out about the newly available fonts.

[0092] Furthermore, in any flowchart disclosed in the embodiments, the execution order of any multiple processes in any multiple steps can be arbitrarily changed or executed in parallel, as long as no inconsistencies arise in the processing content.

[0093] Furthermore, the processes disclosed in the embodiments may be executed by a single CPU, multiple CPUs, hardware such as an ASIC, or a combination thereof. Also, the processes disclosed in the embodiments can be implemented in various forms, such as a recording medium or method that stores a program for executing the process. [Explanation of symbols]

[0094] 1. Information Processing Device 2 Label printers 11 CPU 20 User IF 42 Label creation apps 43 Font Apps

Claims

1. A printing program that allows editing of data to be printed on a label printer, and which is installed on the computer of an information processing device. When activated by a URL having a function specification section and a data specification section, an acquisition process is executed to acquire font data, label data, and a string specified in the data specification section. The function specification section includes a URL scheme for specifying the print program, and the data specification section can specify font data, which is data indicating a font, label data, which includes a text object, and a string to be written to the text object. Furthermore, the computer, A drawing process that uses the font data obtained in the acquisition process to draw the string obtained in the acquisition process onto the text object included in the label data obtained in the acquisition process, A printing process which causes a label printer to print based on the label data in which the string has been drawn on the text object in the drawing process, To execute A printing program configured in such a way.

2. A printing program according to claim 1, To the aforementioned computer, Using the font data obtained in the acquisition process, a determination process is executed to determine whether or not the text object included in the label data obtained in the acquisition process was able to be drawn. Furthermore, the computer, If the determination process determines that the text object has been drawn, the printing process is executed. If the aforementioned determination process determines that the text object could not be drawn, the printing process is not executed. A printing program configured in such a way.

3. A printing program according to claim 2, To the aforementioned computer, If the determination process determines that the text object could not be drawn, the printing process is not executed, and a warning process is executed that warns that the font indicated in the font data obtained in the acquisition process cannot be used. A printing program configured in such a way.

4. A printing program according to claim 2, To the aforementioned computer, In the aforementioned determination process, if the font data obtained in the acquisition process cannot be read, it is determined that the text object could not be drawn. A printing program configured in such a way.

5. A printing program according to claim 2, To the aforementioned computer, In the aforementioned determination process, if the string obtained in the acquisition process contains characters that are not supported by the font data obtained in the acquisition process, it is determined that the text object could not be drawn. A printing program configured in such a way.

6. A printing program according to claim 2, To the aforementioned computer, In the aforementioned determination process, after the drawing process is executed, the text is recognized from the image of the drawn text object, and if the recognized text does not match the string obtained in the acquisition process, it is determined that the text object could not be drawn. A printing program configured in such a way.

7. A printing program according to claim 2, To the aforementioned computer, In the aforementioned determination process, after the drawing process is executed, the drawn text object is displayed on the user interface of the information processing device, and input indicating success or failure is received. If failure is input, it is determined that the text object could not be drawn. A printing program configured in such a way.

8. A printing program according to claim 1, To the aforementioned computer, The font data acquired in the acquisition process is saved to the storage area of ​​the printing program by executing a font saving process. Furthermore, the computer, The system executes a display process to show the label editing screen on the user interface of the information processing device, and text objects can be placed on the editing screen. Furthermore, the computer, With the text object placed on the editing screen selected, a selection process is executed to accept the selection of a font from among multiple fonts. If the font data is saved in the font saving process, the multiple fonts include a specific font that is indicated in the font data saved in the font saving process. In the display process, if the specific font is selected in the selection process, the text object placed on the editing screen is drawn using the selected specific font. A printing program configured in such a way.

9. A printing program according to claim 1, To the aforementioned computer, In the acquisition process described above, if the font data is acquired by downloading it from an external device, a cache process is executed to cache the downloaded font data in the storage area of ​​the printing program. Furthermore, the computer, In the acquisition process described above, if the specified font data is cached in the storage area, the font data is read from the storage area and acquired. A printing program configured in such a way.

10. A printing program according to claim 1, To the aforementioned computer, When launched via the aforementioned URL, the printing process is executed, and then the printing program is terminated. A printing program configured in such a way.

11. A font program having font data, which can be installed on a computer of an information processing device that can install a printing program, A specification process that specifies label data and strings, A creation process that creates a URL including a function specification unit that specifies the printing program as the program to be launched, and a data specification unit that specifies the label data and string specified in the specification process and the font data possessed by the font program, A startup process is performed to launch the print program using the URL created in the above creation process, The print program is a program corresponding to the function specification unit, and when the print program is started by the URL, the print program uses the font data specified by the data specification unit to draw the string specified by the data specification unit onto the text object included in the label data specified by the data specification unit, and the print program further causes the label printer to print based on the label data on which the string has been drawn onto the text object. A font program configured in such a way.

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