JP2011173297A - Controller, control method and program thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily obtain approximated recording results, even in the case of recording images on recording mediums of different widths, regarding the result obtained by recording the image on the recording medium by a recording apparatus with built-in font data. <P>SOLUTION: A host computer 10 includes: a user interface configured to specify width information showing the width of thermosensitive roll paper stored in a printer P; and first and second recording control units 21 and 22 configured to adjust setting related to the font so as to obtain the approximated recording results, regardless of the width of the thermosensitive roll paper, in accordance with the width information specified by the user interface, and then, control the printer P to perform recording. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a control device that controls a recording device that performs recording on a recording medium, a control method of the control device, and a program for controlling the control device.

  Conventionally, a recording apparatus incorporating font data is known (for example, see Patent Document 1). The recording apparatus according to Patent Document 1 records characters using a built-in font when a job is transmitted from a control device such as a host computer to a recording apparatus by specifying a font.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-034142

By the way, with respect to the result of recording an image on a recording medium by a recording apparatus incorporating font data as described above, an approximate recording result is maintained even when the image is recorded on a recording medium having a different width. May be required. For example, a receipt is delivered to a customer after an image is recorded, and it is always required to maintain an approximate recording result regardless of the width of the receipt. Here, in the conventional control device, it is necessary to make a setting according to the changed width so that an approximate recording result is maintained every time there is a change in the width of the recording medium used by the recording device. Each time the apparatus is replaced with another recording apparatus, it is necessary to make settings according to the changed recording apparatus so that an approximate recording result is maintained, and the work is complicated.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and even when an image is recorded on a recording medium having a different width as a result of recording an image on a recording medium by a recording device incorporating font data. The object is to easily obtain an approximate recording result.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is connected to a recording apparatus incorporating font data relating to a plurality of types of fonts, and performs recording on the recording apparatus by designating the font data based on the setting relating to the font A user interface that specifies width information indicating a width of the recording medium used in the recording device, and the width information indicated by the width information according to the width information specified by the user interface. And a recording control unit that causes the recording apparatus to execute recording after adjusting the setting related to the font so that the recording result approximates regardless of the width of the recording medium.
According to this configuration, the recording control unit adjusts the setting related to the font so that the recording result approximates regardless of the width of the recording medium indicated by the width information in accordance with the width information specified by the user interface. The recording apparatus executes recording. For this reason, it is possible to obtain an approximate recording result regardless of the width of the recording medium by a simple operation of specifying the width information using the user interface. Here, the approximate recording result indicates that at least the amount of information such as one sheet or one line of the recording result on a receipt or the like is the same or close.

Here, in the control device according to the invention, setting information for adjusting settings related to the font so that a recording result is approximated regardless of a width of the recording medium used in the recording device is set by the user interface. For each of the width information that can be specified, a setting information storage unit that stores the width information in association with the width information is further provided, and the recording control unit stores the width information specified in association with the user interface. The recording apparatus may perform recording with reference to setting information.
According to this configuration, for each piece of width information that can be specified by the user interface, setting information for adjusting the setting related to the font so as to approximate the recording result regardless of the width of the recording medium is stored in association with each piece of width information. Is done. Therefore, by using this setting information, an approximate recording result can be obtained regardless of the width of the recording medium by a simple operation of specifying the width information using the user interface.

Further, in the control device according to the invention, the recording control unit performs one line in the recording medium according to the width information designated by the user interface regardless of the width of the recording medium indicated by the width information. You may make it make the said recording apparatus perform recording, after adjusting the setting which concerns on the said font so that the number of per recording digits may become the same.
According to this configuration, the number of recording digits per line in the recording medium is the same regardless of the width of the recording medium by a simple operation of specifying width information using the user interface, that is, An approximate recording result can be obtained.

In the control device according to the above invention, the setting relating to the font may include at least one of the setting of the font type and the space between characters.
According to this configuration, the recording control unit, according to the width information specified by the user interface, the font type and the inter-character space so that the recording result is approximated regardless of the width of the recording medium indicated by the width information. Are adjusted, and font data is designated based on these settings, and the recording apparatus executes recording. For this reason, the font type and inter-character space settings are automatically adjusted by a simple operation of specifying width information using the user interface so that an approximate recording result can be obtained regardless of the width of the recording medium. Can be.

Further, in the control device according to the invention, the recording control unit relates to the font so that a recording result is approximated regardless of a width of the recording medium indicated by the width information and a recording resolution of the recording device. You may make it make the said recording apparatus perform recording after adjusting a setting.
According to this configuration, it is possible to obtain an approximate recording result regardless of not only the width of the recording medium but also the recording resolution of the recording apparatus by a simple operation of specifying the width information using the user interface. it can.

Further, in the control device according to the invention, the recording control unit operates according to a recording instruction of an application execution unit that executes an application program, and causes the recording device to execute recording, and the setting relating to the font When the recording apparatus is caused to execute recording after adjusting the information, information related to the setting relating to the font may be output to the application execution unit.
According to this configuration, when an image recorded on a recording medium is displayed on a display panel or the like using the function of the application program, characters can be displayed based on the font of characters actually recorded on the recording medium. This makes it possible to display an image having consistency with the image actually recorded on the recording medium.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes a user interface that specifies width information indicating a width of a recording medium used in a recording apparatus that records on the recording medium, and a control apparatus that controls the recording apparatus The width information designated by the user interface is acquired, and the font is approximated according to the acquired width information so that the recording result is approximated regardless of the width of the recording medium indicated by the width information. The recording apparatus is caused to execute recording after adjusting the setting according to the above.
According to this control method, the control device adjusts the settings related to the font according to the width information specified by the user interface so that the recording result is approximated regardless of the width of the recording medium indicated by the width information. The recording apparatus executes recording. For this reason, it is possible to obtain an approximate recording result regardless of the width of the recording medium by a simple operation of specifying the width information using the user interface.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes a user interface that specifies width information indicating a width of a recording medium used in a recording apparatus that records on the recording medium, and a control apparatus that controls the recording apparatus According to the width information designated by the user interface, the recording result is approximated regardless of the width of the recording medium indicated by the width information. In this manner, after adjusting the setting relating to the font, the recording apparatus is caused to function as a recording control unit that performs recording.
By executing this program, the control unit functioning as the recording control unit allows the font so that the recording result is approximated according to the width information specified by the user interface regardless of the width of the recording medium indicated by the width information. The recording apparatus is caused to execute recording after adjusting the setting related to the above. For this reason, it is possible to obtain an approximate recording result regardless of the width of the recording medium by a simple operation of specifying the width information using the user interface.

  According to the present invention, the result of recording an image on a recording medium by a recording device incorporating font data is easily approximated even when an image is recorded on a recording medium having a different width. be able to.

It is a block diagram which shows the functional structure of the POS system which concerns on this embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the functional structure of a POS system. It is a table | surface which shows the structure of a 1st printer and a 2nd printer. It is a figure for demonstrating font data. It is a figure which shows typically the structure of a font A data group. It is a figure which shows an example of a setting window. It is a figure which shows typically the structure of a reference setting file table. It is a figure which shows the content of a setting file typically. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of a host computer.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 and 2 are block diagrams showing the functional configuration of the POS system 1 according to the present embodiment. In particular, FIG. 1 shows the functional configuration of the host computer 10 (control device) included in the POS system 1 in detail. FIG. 2 shows in detail the functional configuration of the first printer P1 (recording apparatus) and the second printer P2 (recording apparatus) included in the POS system 1.
The POS system 1 is a system that is applied to a store such as a supermarket or a convenience store, and issues a receipt in response to payment for a customer who has visited the store. As shown in FIG. 1, a host computer 10 (control device) A POS server 11 connected to the host computer 10, and a first printer P1 and a second printer P2 connected to the host computer 10. In the following description, when the first printer P1 and the second printer P2 are not particularly distinguished, they are expressed as a printer P.

  The POS server 11 is communicably connected to the host computer 10 via a network, and indicates information necessary for issuing a receipt such as a product code, name, and price of a product sold at a store. Store data as a database. When issuing a receipt, the host computer 10 refers to a database stored in the POS server 11 as appropriate, and acquires necessary information.

The host computer 10 includes a control unit 15, a display unit 16, an input unit 17, an interface unit 18, and a storage unit 19.
The control unit 15 centrally controls each unit of the host computer 10, and stores a CPU as a calculation execution unit, a basic control program executed by the CPU, data related to the basic control program, and the like in a nonvolatile manner. ROM, a program executed by the CPU, a RAM that temporarily stores data related to the program, and other peripheral circuits.
As shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 15 includes a POS application execution unit 20 (application execution unit), a first recording control unit 21, and a second recording control unit 22, which will be described later. To do.

The display unit 16 includes a display panel 23 such as a liquid crystal display panel or an organic EL panel, and displays various information on the display panel 23 under the control of the control unit 15.
The input unit 17 is connected to input devices such as a keyboard, a mouse, a barcode reader, and a card reader, and outputs output signals from these input devices to the control unit 15. The barcode reader is used for reading a barcode recorded on a product wrapping paper or the like, and the card reader is used for reading information recorded on a credit card, a membership card or the like. Information acquired using an input device such as a barcode reader or a card reader is used for processing relating to receipt issuance.
The interface unit 18 is connected to the first printer P1 and the second printer P2 via the port 26 and the port 27 such as a USB port and a printer port. Under the control of the control unit 15, the first printer P1 and the second printer Communication with P2 conforming to the communication standard is performed.
The storage unit 19 is a part that stores various data in a rewritable manner, and includes a storage device such as a hard disk or an EEPROM. The programs and various data stored in the storage unit 19 will be described later.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for describing the configuration of each of the first printer P1 and the second printer P2.
Each of the first printer P1 and the second printer P2 transports a thermal roll paper, which is a thermal recording paper wound in a roll, by a roller-shaped platen, and includes a heating element on the recording surface of the thermal roll paper. This is a thermal head type printer that records characters and images in monochrome or multiple colors by applying heat with a line thermal head.
Each of the first printer P1 and the second printer P2 according to the present embodiment is configured to be able to selectively store a thermal roll paper having a width of 80 mm or a thermal roll paper having a width of 58 mm.
As shown in FIG. 3, the first printer P1 is a printer having a recording resolution of 203 dpi (dots / inch). In relation to the recording resolution, the thermal roll paper having a width of 80 mm has pixels of 576 dots per line. In addition, for a thermal roll paper having a width of 58 mm, pixels of 418 dots can be recorded per line.
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, the second printer P2 is a printer having a recording resolution of 180 dpi (dots / inch), and in relation to the recording resolution, the thermal roll paper having a width of 80 mm has 512 dots per line. In the case of a thermal roll paper having a width of 58 mm, it is possible to record 374 dots per line.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the first printer P1 includes a first printer-side control unit 301, a first printer-side display unit 311, a first printer-side input unit 321, a first print engine 331, and a first engine. A controller 341, a first printer-side storage unit 351, and an interface unit 361 are provided.
The first printer-side control unit 301 centrally controls the first printer P1 and includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and other peripheral circuits as with the control unit 15 described above.
The first printer side display unit 311 includes an LED that displays an operation state of the first printer P1 and the like, and displays the LED in a predetermined manner under the control of the first printer side control unit 301.
The first printer side input unit 321 is connected to an operation switch provided in the first printer P1, detects an operation on the operation switch, and outputs the operation signal to the first printer side control unit 301 as an operation signal.
The first print engine 331 executes printing on the thermal roll paper by each unit including the above-described line thermal head and platen under the control of the first printer-side control unit 301.
The first engine controller 341 controls the first print engine 331 under the control of the first printer-side control unit 301 to record characters and images on the thermal roll paper.
The first printer-side storage unit 351 includes a nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory or a hard disk, and stores various data in a rewritable manner. The first printer-side storage unit 351 stores a font A data group 40, a font B data group 41, a font C data group 42, and a font D data group 43, which will be described later.
The interface unit 361 performs communication based on a communication standard with the host computer 10.

  The second printer P2 has the same configuration as the first printer P1 described above. That is, the second printer P2 includes a second printer side control unit 302, a second printer side display unit 312, a second printer side input unit 322, a second print engine 332, a second engine controller 342, and a second printer controller 342. 2 printer-side storage unit 352 and interface unit 362. The second printer-side storage unit 352 includes a font A data group 40, a font B data group 41, a font C data group 42, and font D data. A group 43 is stored.

Next, the font A data group 40, the font B data group 41, the font C data group 42, and the font D data group 43 stored together in the first printer side storage unit 351 and the second printer side storage unit 352, respectively. explain.
Each of the first printer P <b> 1 and the second printer P <b> 2 stores font data related to each type of font for four types of fonts, font A, font B, font C, and font D. The font A data group 40 is data in which font data related to the font A (hereinafter referred to as “font A data”) is collected and stored. Similarly, the font B data group 41 includes the font data related to the font B ( Hereinafter, the font C data group 42 represents font data related to the font C (hereinafter referred to as “font C data”), and the font D data group 43 represents font data related to the font D (hereinafter referred to as “font B data”). This data is a collection of “font D data”). The font data is actual data that expresses characters in a form that can be printed on a recording medium. For example, bitmap font data, scalable font data, and the like exist.

FIG. 4 is a diagram used for explaining each of the fonts A to D.
As shown in FIG. 4A, in this embodiment, the font A data is font data of horizontal 12 dots × vertical 24 dots. Here, as shown in FIG. 4B, the font A data is formed with a character part 50 consisting of 11 dots horizontally and a space part 51 consisting of 1 dot adjacent to the right side of the character part 50. ing. The character part 50 is an area that defines a character indicated by the font A data by a combination of pixels. The space portion 51 is an area formed so that when the characters related to the font A data are continuously recorded in an adjacent state, an appropriate space is provided between the characters. . Since the space portion 51 is formed in each of the font A data, when characters related to the font A data are continuously recorded in an adjacent state, a space of several dots is provided as a space and the font A data is related. Appropriately appropriate space is provided between the characters without controlling the printer P to record the characters.
Further, as shown in FIG. 4A, the font B data is font data of horizontal 13 dots × vertical 24 dots, font C data is font data of horizontal 9 dots × vertical 17 dots, and font D data is The font data is 8 dots wide x 17 dots wide. In each of these font data, a character portion 50 and a space portion 51 are formed as in the font A data.

FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the font A data group 40.
As described above, the font A data group 40 is data in which font A data is collected and stored. More specifically, a plurality of divided storage areas are formed in the font A data group 40, and font A data is appropriately stored in each recording area. Further, “address” as information for identifying each storage area is uniquely assigned to each storage area. Although not shown, the font B data group 41, the font C data group 42, and the font D data group 43 are data having the same configuration as the font A data group 40.
As described above, since the font data is stored in the storage area where the address is uniquely assigned for each data group, the font data corresponding to one character to be recorded on the receipt By specifying the font type of the font data (which uniquely determines the font data group storing the font data) and the address in the font data group corresponding to the font type, the font data Can be specified.
In the present embodiment, each font data group stored in the first printer-side storage unit 351 of the first printer P1, and each font data group stored in the second printer-side storage unit 352 of the second printer P2. The content of is completely consistent. For example, the font A data stored at “address 50” of the font A data group 40 stored in the first printer side storage unit 351 of the first printer P1, and the second printer side storage unit 352 of the second printer P2. Is consistent with the font A data stored at “address 50” of the font A data group 40 stored in FIG.

  Next, the POS application execution unit 20, the first recording control unit 21, and the second recording control unit 22 included in the control unit 15 will be described in order. Each of these functions is realized through cooperation between software and hardware, such as the CPU of the control unit 15 executing a program stored in the ROM or reading and executing the program stored in the storage unit 19. Is done.

First, the POS application execution unit 20 will be described.
The POS application execution unit 20 reads out and executes the POS application program 60 (application program) stored in the storage unit 19 to generate print data relating to an image to be recorded on the receipt, and the first recording control unit 21. Alternatively, the data is output to the second recording control unit 22. Here, the image to be recorded on the receipt includes an image related to various characters such as an image related to a character indicating the name of a product and an image related to a character indicating a price. In the print data generated by the POS application execution unit 20, these characters are expressed as a predetermined character code such as Unicode.

Next, the first recording control unit 21 will be described.
The first recording control unit 21 reads and executes the first printer driver 61 (program) stored in the storage unit 19, so that the first recording control unit 21 executes the first printer P 1 based on the print data input from the POS application execution unit 20. A print command corresponding to the command specification is generated, and the generated print command is output to the first printer-side control unit 301 of the first printer P1. That is, the first recording control unit 21 controls the first printer P1 by the function of the first printer driver 61.
The print command is a command for causing the printer P to perform a series of operations related to the receipt issuance. For example, a print start command for instructing the start of image recording or an instruction for scanning the line thermal head. Various commands such as a scan command and a feed command for instructing to feed a roll paper by a predetermined amount in the transport direction are included.

Here, the processing for the character code included in the print data of the first recording control unit 21 will be described in detail.
When print data is input from the POS application execution unit 20, the first recording control unit 21 analyzes the print data and extracts a character code included in the print data.
Next, the first recording control unit 21 refers to a first reference setting file table 62 which will be described later, and according to the contents of the first reference setting file table 62, the first setting file 63 for 80 mm (setting information) and 58 mm One of the setting files in the first setting file 64 (setting information) is referred to, and the type of font used when recording the character related to the character code on the receipt is specified based on the content of the referenced setting file. Here, the setting file refers to a file in which the conditions for setting the issuance of a receipt, especially the recording of an image on a thermal roll paper, are described. 19 includes information stored in a storage area formed as a registry.

Next, the first recording control unit 21 selects the font A data conversion table 65, the font B data conversion table 66, the font C data conversion table 67, and the font stored in the storage unit 19 according to the type of the selected font. One of the D data conversion tables 68 is referred to.
These tables are stored in association with each character code that can be handled by the POS system 1 in association with the character code and the address in the font data group of the font data corresponding to the character code. In particular, the font A data conversion table 65 stores each character code in association with the address in the font A data group 40 of the font A data corresponding to each character code. Therefore, when the first recording control unit 21 specifies the font type of a character related to the one character code as font A for a certain character code, the first recording control unit 21 refers to the font A data conversion table 65 and Is converted into information indicating an address in the font A data group 40.
Similarly, the font B data conversion table 66 stores each character code and the address of the font B data corresponding to each character code in the font B data group 41, and the font C data conversion table 67 stores each character code. The character code and the address in the font C data group 42 of the font C data corresponding to each character code are stored in association with each other, and the font D data conversion table 68 stores each character code and the font D corresponding to each character code. The address in the font D data group 43 of the data is stored in association with it.

The first recording control unit 21 selects a font A data conversion table 65, a font B data conversion table 66, a font C data conversion table 67, according to the font type specified as the font type of the character code extracted from the print data. In addition, with reference to any one of the font D data conversion table 68, for each extracted character code, information indicating a font data group in which font data corresponding to each character code is stored, and the font data group A print command is generated after being converted into information combined with information indicating the address where the font data is stored, and is output to the first printer-side control unit 301.
When a print command is input from the first recording control unit 21, the first printer-side control unit 301 controls the first engine controller 341 based on the print command to issue a receipt.
In particular, the first printer-side control unit 301 determines the character to be recorded on the receipt based on the information indicating the font data group included in the print command and the information indicating the address in the font data group. The font data group in which the font data corresponding to is stored and the address in the font data group are specified, and the recording of the image related to the character is executed based on the specified font data.

  The second recording control unit 22 reads and executes the second printer driver 69 (program) stored in the storage unit 19, thereby performing the second printer by the same method as the first recording control unit 21 described above. P2 is controlled.

By the way, the receipt is delivered to the customer after being issued. Therefore, regardless of the size of the receipt and the recording resolution of the printer P that issues the receipt, the recording result is approximate, that is, the information amount of at least one receipt or one line is the same or close. It is required to be maintained. Because, the customer, the position where the character string indicating the purchased product in the receipt is recorded, the position where the character string indicating the price of each product is recorded, the position where the character string indicating the total purchase price is recorded, etc. In many cases, the relative position in the entire receipt is sensuously grasped, and the recording result is approximated regardless of the width of the receipt and the recording resolution of the printer P that issues the receipt. This is because the customer can intuitively grasp each position described above, and the convenience for the customer is improved.
Here, in the present embodiment, “the recording result is approximate” specifically refers to a receipt in each receipt regardless of the width of the receipt and the recording resolution of the printer P that issues the receipt. For each line in the width direction of each receipt, the balance of the width of the area in which characters for one line are recorded with respect to the width of the receipt is not so different and the appearance of the image recorded on the receipt is not deteriorated. This means that the number of characters recorded (the amount of information for one line) is the same (in this embodiment, “42 digits”). In particular, “In each receipt, the balance of the width of the area in which characters for one line are recorded with respect to the width of the receipt is not so different and the appearance of the recorded image of the receipt is not bad” In each receipt, a state in which a width direction area in which one line of characters is recorded extends over substantially the entire area in the width direction excluding margin portions at both left and right ends. Thereby, in each receipt, the balance of the width of the area in which the characters for one line are recorded with respect to the width of the receipt is substantially the same, and the area in which the image is recorded in the receipt is not biased, and the appearance is prevented from being deteriorated. Is done. In addition, as a result, in the receipt, the relative positional relationship such as the character string indicating the purchased item, the character string indicating the price of each item, the character string indicating the total amount of the purchase amount, the size of the width of the receipt, In addition, the positional relationship is the same regardless of the recording resolution of the printer P that issues the receipt, and the recording result is approximated.

Based on the above, in this embodiment, for example, when the thermal roll paper stored in the printer P is changed to a thermal roll paper having a different width, or the printer P connected to the host computer 10 is changed to a printer P having a different recording resolution. Even if it is changed to, only a very simple setting is made by the user, and the number of recorded digits per line of the issued receipt is unified to “42 digits”. The balance of the width of the area in which characters for one line are recorded with respect to the width of the image is not so different, and the appearance of the image recorded on the receipt is prevented from deteriorating. The recording result is approximate.
In particular, in a system applied to a store such as the POS system 1, it is caused by a policy of an administrator who manages the store, a remaining amount of thermal roll paper stored as a spare, a failure state of the printer P, and the like. In many cases, the width of the thermal roll paper is changed or the printer P is changed to a printer P having a different recording resolution. However, according to the present embodiment, a very simple setting is performed by the user. The recorded result of the issued receipt is approximated.
Hereinafter, the first printer P1 will be described in detail by taking as an example a case where the thermal roll paper having a width of 58 mm is changed to a thermal roll paper having a width of 80 mm.

When changing the thermal roll paper having a width of 58 mm to the thermal roll paper having a width of 80 mm for the first printer P1, the user first takes out the thermal roll paper having a width of 58 mm from the first printer P1 and at the same time the thermal roll having an width of 80 mm. The paper is stored and the setting switch is operated to set the width of the thermal roll paper to 80 mm. For example, when the width of the thermal roll paper is set to 80 mm and the print command for recording on the thermal roll paper having a width of 58 mm is input, the setting here is used to notify an error. Is done.
Next, the user operates an input device such as a mouse or a keyboard of the host computer 10 to display a setting window 70 (user interface) on the display panel 23. The setting window 70 is displayed on the display panel 23 by the function of the first recording control unit 21 that executes the first printer driver 61.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the setting window 70.
As illustrated in FIG. 6, the setting window 70 includes a printer setting tab 71 for performing various settings of the printer P and a layout tab 72.
In the layout tab 72, a paper size selection area 73 and an output paper selection area 74 are formed.
The paper size selection area 73 is an area for selecting whether the print data generated by the POS application execution unit 20 is print data for recording an image on a thermal roll paper having a width of 80 mm or a width of 58 mm. The same value as the width of the thermal roll paper accommodated in the first printer P1 is selected.
In the output paper selection area 74, the width of the thermal roll paper accommodated in the first printer P1, that is, the width of the thermal roll paper on which an image is recorded by the first printer P1, is either 80 mm or 58 mm. This is the area to select.

  After displaying this setting window 70 on the display panel 23, the user selects 80 mm as the width of the thermal roll paper accommodated in the first printer P1 in the output paper selection area 74 (in the example of FIG. 6, “80 mm”). Select “Width Roll Paper”.). Then, an OK button 75 for confirming selection in the paper size selection area 73 and the output paper selection area 74 is selected.

Here, an operation of the first recording control unit 21 when a print command is generated after an 80 mm width roll paper is selected in the output paper selection area 74 of the setting window 70 will be described.
As described above, the first recording control unit 21 refers to the first reference setting file table 62 when generating the print command, and sets the setting file to be referred to based on the contents of the first reference setting file table 62. The first setting file 63 for 80 mm and the first setting file 64 for 58 mm are selected and a print command is generated.

FIG. 7A is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the first reference setting file table 62.
As shown in FIG. 7A, the first reference setting file table 62 is a table that stores selection width information 80 and reference setting file information 81 in association with each other. The selection width information 80 is information indicating the width of the thermal roll paper selected by the user in the output paper selection area 74 of the setting window 70. The reference setting file information 81 corresponds to the reference setting file information 81. The information indicating the setting file to be referred to by the first recording control unit 21 when the information indicating the width of the thermal roll paper stored together is selected in the output paper selection area 74.
As shown in FIG. 7A, when 80 mm wide roll paper is selected in the output paper selection area 74 of the setting window 70, the first recording control unit 21 generates the first setting file 63 for 80 mm when generating the print command. On the other hand, when the 58 mm width roll paper is selected in the output paper selection area 74 of the setting window 70, the first recording control unit 21 refers to the first setting file 64 for 58 mm when generating the print command. .
The storage unit 19 functions as a setting information storage unit by storing the first reference setting file table 62.

FIG. 8A is a diagram schematically showing the contents of the first setting file 63 for 80 mm, and FIG. 8B is a diagram schematically showing the contents of the first setting file 64 for 58 mm.
As described above, these setting files are files in which setting conditions relating to image recording on the thermal roll paper are described. In particular, the setting files include information regarding a recording form when the first printer P1 records characters. Yes.
As shown in FIG. 8, the information relating to the recording form includes “font type” indicating the font type of the character to be recorded, and “inter-character” indicating the width of the space formed between the characters by the number of dots. , “Line feed width” that represents the width (height) of the blank portion formed between the lines in dots, and “Margin” that indicates the width of the non-printed portion (margin) provided on both sides of the thermal roll paper , And “recording digit” defined as the number of digits of characters that can be recorded in one line extending in the width direction in the receipt. This recording digit number is uniformly set to “42 digits” in all setting files. Based on the font type, character spacing, line feed width, margin, and number of recording digits in the referenced setting file, the first recording control unit 21 is configured to issue a receipt in a state that complies with these information. A print command for controlling P1 is generated.

The first setting file 63 for 80 mm and the first setting file 64 for 58 mm will be described.
The first setting file 63 for 80 mm indicates the number of characters to be recorded per line in the width direction of the receipt when the first printer P1 records an image on a thermal roll paper having a width of 80 mm and issues a receipt. When “42 digits” is selected, the font type, character spacing, line feed width, and margin are defined so that an image is recorded on the thermal roll paper in an appropriate state.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8A, in the first setting file 63 for 80 mm, font B is defined as the font type.
Here, as shown in FIG. 3, the first printer P1 is a printer with a recording resolution of 203 dpi, and can record 576 dots of pixels per line on an 80 mm wide thermal roll paper. Therefore, when font A is selected as the font type of the character to be recorded among fonts A to D under this condition, the font A data is font data of horizontal 12 dots × vertical 24 dots (see FIG. 4) The recordable digit number is “48 digits”. The recordable number of digits is the number of digits that can theoretically record the characters related to the font data when the font data is continuously recorded in one line. Similarly, the recordable digit number of the font B data is “44 digits”, the recordable digit number of the font C data is “64 digits”, and the recordable digit number of the font D data is “72 digits”.
When the first printer P1 prints an image on a thermal roll paper having a width of 80 mm and issues a receipt, the number of characters recorded per line in the width direction of the receipt is “42 digits”. Font B is the most suitable font type for the character to be printed. This is because when the recordable digit number is less than 42 digits, 42 digits cannot be secured as the record digit number, and when the recordable digit number greatly exceeds 42 digits, characters are recorded with 42 digits. The character to be placed at the end of one line is separated from the end of the heat-sensitive roll paper, and the appearance of the image on the receipt tends to deteriorate, and the character for one line with respect to the width of the receipt is recorded. This produces a result that the balance of the width of the region is different from other receipts. This is because the number of recordable digits (44 digits) of font B data is a value of 42 digits or more and the value closest to 42 digits.
Based on the above, in the first setting file 63 for 80 mm, font B is defined as the font type.

Further, in the first setting file 63 for 80 mm, as shown in FIG. 8A, the space between characters is defined as 0 dots. This is because the above-described space portion 51 is provided in the font B data, and an appropriate space in appearance is formed between characters without providing a space between characters.
Further, in the first setting file 63 for 80 mm, the line feed width is defined as 6 dots as shown in FIG. The line feed width is appropriately defined so that characters are recorded on the receipt in an easy-to-read state, in relation to the width of the thermal roll paper.
In the first setting file 63 for 80 mm, as shown in FIG. 8A, the margin is defined as 5 mm on the left and 8 mm on the right. The margin is appropriately defined so that the character is recorded on the receipt in an easy-to-read state, in relation to the type of font of the character to be recorded and the width of the thermal roll paper.
In the first setting file 63 for 80 mm, as shown in FIG. 8A, the number of recording digits is defined as 42 digits. This is because, as described above, in this embodiment, the number of recording digits in each receipt is unified to 42 digits regardless of the width of the thermal roll paper and the recording resolution of the printer P.
As described above, in the first setting file 63 for 80 mm, when the first printer P1 records an image on a thermal roll paper having a width of 80 mm and issues a receipt, the characters per line in the width direction of the receipt are issued. When the number of recording digits is “42 digits” and the number of recording digits is “42 digits”, the font type, character spacing, line feed width, And a margin is defined.

  On the other hand, in the first setting file 64 for 58 mm, when the first printer P1 records an image on a thermal roll paper having a width of 58 mm and issues a receipt, the number of characters recorded per line in the width direction of the receipt. When “is 42 digits”, font type, character spacing, line feed width, and margin are defined so that an image is recorded on the thermal roll paper in an appropriate state. The values of these information are defined based on the same viewpoint and purpose as the information of the first setting file 63 for 80 mm. The definition of the font type will be described in detail. When characters are recorded on a thermal roll paper having a width of 58 mm by the first printer P1, which is a printer having a recording resolution of 203 dpi, the number of dots per line is 418 dots, and font C data ( 9 × 17 dot font data) can be recorded in 46 digits. The number of printable digits (46 digits) of the font C data is a value of 42 digits or more and the value closest to 42 digits. Accordingly, the font C is defined as the font type in the first setting file 64 for 58 mm.

When the 80 mm width roll paper is selected by the user in the output paper selection area 74 of the setting window 70, the first recording control unit 21 generates a print command with reference to the first setting file 63 for 80 mm, The generated print command is output to the first printer-side control unit 301 of the first printer P1. The receipt issued by the first printer-side control unit 301 to which this print command is input has a recording digit number of 42 digits, and substantially the entire area in the width direction excluding margin portions at both the left and right ends. A region in the width direction in which characters for one line are recorded is extended.
As described above, for the first printer P1, when changing the thermal roll paper having a width of 58 mm to the thermal roll paper having a width of 80 mm, the user sets the display panel 23 by operating an input device such as a mouse or a keyboard. By simply performing a very simple operation of displaying the window 70 and selecting the width 80 mm in the output paper selection area 74, it is possible to maintain a recording result approximate to the recording result of the thermal roll paper having a width of 58 mm. .
In the above description, the case where the thermal roll paper having a width of 58 mm is changed to a thermal roll paper having a width of 80 mm has been described as an example, but conversely, the thermal roll paper having a width of 80 mm is changed to a thermal roll paper having a width of 58 mm. Even in this case, the user operates an input device such as a mouse or a keyboard to display the setting window 70 on the display panel 23 and selects a width of 58 mm in the output paper selection area 74. By simply performing the operation, it is possible to maintain a recording result approximate to the recording result of a thermal roll paper having a width of 80 mm.

In the above description, the first printer P1 has been described, but the second printer P2 also has a recording digit number of 42 according to the width of the thermal roll paper selected by the user in the setting window 70, and a receipt. In FIG. 2, a receipt is issued in which a region in the width direction in which characters of one line are recorded extends over substantially the entire region in the width direction excluding margin portions at both left and right ends.
More specifically, when the user changes the width of the thermal roll paper stored in the second printer P2, the setting window 70 is displayed on the display panel 23 by the function of the second printer driver 69, and the output paper selection area 74 is displayed. Select the width of the new thermal roll paper.
When the print command is generated after the width of the thermal roll paper is selected in the output paper selection area 74, the second recording control unit 22 is based on the content of the second reference setting file table 90 (FIG. 7B). , Referring to one of the setting files of the 80 mm second setting file 91 (setting information) (FIG. 8C) and the 58 mm second setting file 92 (setting information) (FIG. 8D), Generate a print command.
As shown in the second reference setting file table 90 of FIG. 7B, when 80 mm is selected in the output sheet selection area 74, the second setting control unit 91 refers to the second setting file 91 for 80 mm, On the other hand, when 58 mm is selected in the output paper selection area 74, the second setting control unit 92 refers to the second setting file 92 for 58 mm.

The second setting file 91 for 80 mm shown in FIG. 8C is one line in the width direction of the receipt when the second printer P2 records an image on an 80 mm wide thermal roll paper and issues a receipt. Font type, character spacing, line feed width, and margin are defined so that an image is recorded on the thermal roll paper in an appropriate state when the number of characters per character is “42 digits”. These pieces of information are defined based on the same viewpoint and purpose as the pieces of information in the 80 mm first setting file 63 described above. The definition of the font type will be described in detail. When characters are recorded on a thermal roll paper having a width of 80 mm by the second printer P2, which is a printer having a recording resolution of 180 dpi, the number of dots per line is 512 dots, and the font A data ( The number of recordable digits (12 × 24 dot font data) is 42 digits. The number of recordable digits (42 digits) of the font A data is a value of 42 digits or more and a value closest to 42 digits. Therefore, the font A is defined as the font type in the second setting file 91 for 80 mm.
The second setting file 92 for 58 mm shown in FIG. 8D is one line in the receipt width direction when the second printer P2 records an image on a thermal roll paper having a width of 58 mm and issues a receipt. Font type, character spacing, line feed width, and margin are defined so that an image is recorded on the thermal roll paper in an appropriate state when the number of characters per character is “42 digits”. These pieces of information are defined based on the same viewpoint and purpose as the pieces of information in the 80 mm first setting file 63 described above. The definition of the font type will be described in detail. When characters are recorded on a thermal roll paper having a width of 58 mm by the second printer P2, which is a printer having a recording resolution of 180 dpi, the number of dots per line is 374 dots, and the font D data ( The number of recordable digits (8 × 17 dot font data) is 42 digits. The number of recordable digits (46 digits) of the font A data is a value of 42 digits or more and the value closest to 42 digits. Accordingly, the font D is defined as the font type in the second setting file 92 for 58 mm.
The receipt issued by the second printer-side control unit 302 to which the print command is input from the second recording control unit 22 has a recording digit number of 42 digits, and in the width direction excluding the margin portions at the left and right ends. A region in the width direction in which characters for one line are recorded extends substantially over the entire region.

  As described above, when changing the thermal roll paper having a width of 58 mm to the thermal roll paper having a width of 80 mm for the second printer P2, the user operates the input device such as a mouse or a keyboard to set the display panel 23. By simply performing a very simple operation of displaying the window 70 and selecting the width 80 mm in the output paper selection area 74, it is possible to maintain a recording result approximate to the recording result of the thermal roll paper having a width of 58 mm. . Similarly, when changing the thermal roll paper having a width of 80 mm to the thermal roll paper having a width of 58 mm for the second printer P2, the user operates an input device such as a mouse or a keyboard to open the setting window 70 on the display panel 23. The recording result approximated to the recording result of the thermal roll paper having a width of 80 mm can be maintained only by performing a very simple operation of displaying and selecting the width of 58 mm in the output paper selection area 74.

Furthermore, in the POS system 1 according to the present embodiment, even when a printer P having a different recording resolution is connected instead of the already connected printer P, only a very easy operation by the user is possible. The recording result on the receipt issued by the printer P is similar to the recording result on the receipt issued by the changed printer P.
For example, in the POS system 1 shown in FIG. 1, the first printer P1 (recording resolution: 203 dpi) connected to the port 26 is a printer having the same configuration as the second printer P2 (recording resolution: 180 dpi). A case is assumed in which the printer is changed to the third printer P3 that is a printer that can be controlled by the second recording control unit 22. In this case, if the user opens the setting window 70 and selects the width of the thermal roll paper stored in the third printer P3 in the output paper selection area 74, the function of the second printer driver 69 allows the third printer to be used. From P3, the number of recording digits of one line in the receipt is 42 digits, and the characters in the width direction in which characters of one line are recorded in substantially the entire area in the width direction excluding the margin portions at the left and right ends. A receipt with the region extended is issued. Thereby, the recording result can be approximated before and after the printer change.
That is, in the POS system 1 according to the present embodiment, even if the already connected printer is changed to a printer with a different recording resolution, if the user performs a very simple operation, before and after the change of the printer. In, the recording result can be approximated.

Next, the operation of the first recording control unit 21 will be described using the flowchart of FIG.
In the following description, it is assumed that the user has input the correct thermal roll paper width in the output paper selection area 74 of the setting window 70 in advance for the printer P that should issue a receipt.
First, the first recording control unit 21 determines whether or not a print instruction and print data are input from the POS application execution unit 20 (step SA1). When there is an input (step SA1: YES), the first recording control unit 21 extracts a character code from the print data (step SA2). Next, the first recording control unit 21 acquires information indicating the width of the thermal roll paper selected in the output paper selection area 74 (step SA3). The information indicating the width of the thermal roll paper stores a value indicating that in a variable defined in the first printer driver 61 when the width of the thermal roll paper is selected in the output paper selection area 74. In addition, data indicating that may be stored in a predetermined storage area of the storage unit 19.
After acquiring information indicating the width of the thermal roll paper, the first recording control unit 21 refers to the first reference setting file table 62 and specifies a setting file to be referred to when generating a print command (step SA4). ). Next, the first recording control unit 21 refers to the setting file identified in step SA4 (step SA5), and identifies the font type of the character corresponding to the character code (step SA6). Next, the first recording control unit 21 stores font data corresponding to each character code for all the character codes included in the print data based on the font data conversion table corresponding to the specified font type. The information indicating the data group is converted into information combined with the information indicating the address where the font data is stored in the font data group (step SA7).
Next, the first recording control unit 21 generates a print command based on the contents of the setting file referred to in step SA5 and the information converted in step SA7 (step SA8), and the generated print command is transmitted to the first printer. The data is output to the first printer-side control unit 301 of P1 (step SA9).
The first printer side control unit 301 controls each unit of the first printer P1 based on the print command and issues a receipt. Here, the issued receipt has a recording digit number of 42 as described above, and a character for one line in substantially the entire area in the width direction excluding the margin portions at the left and right ends of the receipt. The receipt is in a state in which the area in the width direction in which is recorded is extended.

Further, the first printer-side control unit 301 outputs information indicating the contents of the setting file specified in step SA5 to the POS application execution unit 20. Referring to FIG. 8, the information indicating the contents of the setting file includes information related to the font type, character spacing, line feed width, margin, and the number of recording digits. The POS application execution unit 20 displays the image on the display panel 23 using the input information when displaying the image related to the receipt on the display panel 23 by the function of the POS application program 60. This makes it possible to display an image having consistency with the image recorded on the actually issued receipt.
In the above-described flowchart, the operation of the first printer-side control unit 301 has been described, but the second printer-side control unit 302 also generates a print command by executing the same operation.

As described above, the host computer 10 according to the present embodiment uses the function of the first printer driver 61 or the second printer driver 69 to adjust the width of the thermal roll paper (recording medium) used in the printer P on the display panel 23. A setting window 70 (with a user interface) for designating width information indicating the image information can be displayed. Then, the first recording control unit 21 or the second recording control unit 22 of the control unit 15 relates to the width of the thermal roll paper according to the information indicating the thermal roll paper width specified using the setting window 70. First, the printer P is caused to execute recording after adjusting the setting (font type) related to the font of the characters recorded on the receipt so that the recording results are approximate.
According to this, the first recording control unit 21 or the second recording control unit 22 approximates the recording result according to the width information designated by the setting window 70 regardless of the width of the thermal roll paper indicated by the width information. The printer P is caused to execute recording after adjusting the settings relating to the font so as to do this. For this reason, it is possible to obtain an approximate recording result regardless of the width of the thermal roll paper by a simple operation of specifying the width information using the setting window 70.

In the present embodiment, in the first reference setting file table 62 and the second reference setting file table 90, the setting corresponding to the width of the thermal roll paper that can be specified in the setting window 70 and the width of the specified thermal roll paper. Files are stored in association with each other.
Then, the first recording control unit 21 or the second recording control unit 22 generates a print command with reference to the setting file stored in association with the width of the thermal roll paper designated by the setting window 70. And output to the first printer P1 or the second printer P2.
According to this, it is possible to obtain an approximate recording result regardless of the width of the thermal roll paper by a simple operation of designating the width of the thermal roll paper using the setting window 70.

Further, in the present embodiment, the first recording control unit 21 or the second recording control unit 22 responds to the width of the thermal roll paper specified by the setting window 70, regardless of the width of the thermal roll paper. The printer P is caused to execute recording after adjusting the settings relating to the font recorded on the receipt so that the number of recording digits per line becomes 42 digits.
According to this, by the simple operation of specifying the width of the thermal roll paper using the setting window 70, the number of recording digits per line in the width of the thermal roll paper is 42 regardless of the width of the thermal roll paper. It is possible to obtain a digitized result, that is, an approximate recording result.

In the present embodiment, the settings relating to the font defined in the setting file include the font type and the inter-character space settings.
According to this, the first recording control unit 21 or the second recording control unit 22 makes the recording result approximate according to the width of the thermal roll paper specified by the setting window 70 regardless of the width of the thermal roll paper. After adjusting the settings of the font type and the space between characters, the font data is designated based on these settings, and the printer P is caused to execute recording. For this reason, the setting of the font type and the space between characters is adjusted by a simple operation of specifying the width of the thermal roll paper using the setting window 70, and an approximate recording result is obtained regardless of the width of the thermal roll paper. Can be obtained.

In this embodiment, the function of the first recording control unit 21 or the second recording control unit 22 adjusts the settings related to the font so that the recording result is approximated regardless of the recording resolution of the printer P, and then the printer. Recording is performed by P.
According to this, it is possible to obtain an approximate recording result regardless of not only the width of the thermal roll paper but also the recording resolution of the printer P by a simple operation of designating the width of the thermal roll paper using the setting window 70. Can be.

In the present embodiment, when the first printer-side control unit 301 or the second printer-side control unit 302 outputs a print command and causes the printer P to issue a receipt, it is referred to when generating the print command. Information indicating the contents of the setting file is output to the POS application execution unit 20.
According to this, when displaying the image related to the receipt on the display panel 23 by the function of the POS application program 60, the POS application executing unit 20 displays the image on the display panel 23 using the input information. This makes it possible to display an image having consistency with the image recorded on the actually issued receipt.

The above-described embodiment is merely an aspect of the present invention, and can be arbitrarily modified and applied within the scope of the present invention.
In the above-described embodiment, the case where a receipt is issued has been described, but the present invention is not limited to a receipt and may be a coupon. In other words, the present invention can be widely applied not only to the width of the recording medium and the recording resolution of the printer, but also to what requires an approximate recording result.
In the above-described embodiment, since the space portion 51 is formed in each font data, the space between characters is defined as “0 dot” in each setting file. For example, the space portion 51 is included in the font data. If it is not formed, the area in the width direction in which the number of recording digits is 42 and characters for one line are recorded in substantially the entire area in the width direction excluding the left and right margins. The character spacing is appropriately defined according to the type of font so that the recording result is extended.
In the above-described embodiment, the control unit 15 of the host computer 10 includes the POS application execution unit 20, the first recording control unit 21, and the second recording control unit 22. However, the first printer P1, Even if the first printer-side control unit 301 and the second printer-side control unit 302 of the second printer P2 are provided with these, the first printer P1 and the second printer P2 are independent and execute the above-described operation. Good. In this case, the first printer P1 and the second printer P2 each function as a control device.
The storage unit 19 of the host computer 10 stores a font A data group 40, a font B data group 41, a font C data group 42, and a font D data group 43, and the control unit 15 sets a setting window. When 70 is displayed, the font type and the inter-character space may be appropriately selected and displayed using the font data of each font group so as to show an approximate recording result. The approximate recording result can be confirmed in advance by the user.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Host computer (control apparatus), 15 ... Control part, 19 ... Memory | storage part (setting information storage part), 20 ... POS application execution part (application execution part), 21 ... 1st recording control part (recording control part), 22 ... Second recording control unit (recording control unit), 60 ... POS application program (application program), 61 ... First printer driver (program), 63 ... 80 mm first setting file (setting information), 64 ... 58 First setting file for millimeters (setting information), 69 ... second printer driver (program), 70 ... setting window (user interface), 91 ... second setting file for 80 mm (setting information), 92 ... first for 58 mm 2 setting files (setting information), P1... First printer (recording device), P2. Over (recording device).

Claims (8)

A control device that is connected to a recording device that incorporates font data relating to a plurality of types of fonts, and that causes the recording device to execute recording by designating the font data based on the settings relating to the font,
A user interface for designating width information indicating the width of the recording medium used in the recording apparatus;
In accordance with the width information specified by the user interface, the setting relating to the font is adjusted so that the recording result is approximated regardless of the width of the recording medium indicated by the width information, and then the recording is performed on the recording apparatus. And a recording control unit to be executed. For each of the width information that can be specified by the user interface, setting information for adjusting the setting related to the font so that the recording result is approximated regardless of the width of the recording medium used in the recording apparatus, the width information And a setting information storage unit that stores the information in association with
The recording control unit
The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording apparatus is caused to execute recording with reference to the setting information stored in association with the width information designated by the user interface. The recording control unit
In accordance with the width information designated by the user interface, the setting related to the font is set so that the number of recording digits per line in the recording medium is the same regardless of the width of the recording medium indicated by the width information. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the recording device is caused to perform recording after adjustment.   The control device according to claim 1, wherein the setting relating to the font includes at least one of the setting of the font type and the space between characters. The recording control unit
The recording apparatus is caused to execute recording after adjusting the settings relating to the font so that the recording result is approximated regardless of the width of the recording medium indicated by the width information and the recording resolution of the recording apparatus. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.   The recording control unit operates according to a recording instruction of an application execution unit that executes an application program, and causes the recording device to execute recording. After the setting relating to the font is adjusted, recording is performed on the recording device. The control device according to claim 1, wherein when executed, information related to settings relating to the font is output to the application execution unit. A user interface for designating width information indicating a width of a recording medium used in a recording apparatus that performs recording on the recording medium, and controlling a control device that controls the recording apparatus;
The width information specified by the user interface is acquired, and the setting related to the font is adjusted according to the acquired width information so that the recording result is approximated regardless of the width of the recording medium indicated by the width information. And then causing the recording apparatus to execute recording. A program that is provided by a control unit that controls a control device that controls the recording device, including a user interface that specifies width information indicating a width of a recording medium used in a recording device that records on the recording medium,
The control unit
In accordance with the width information specified by the user interface, the setting relating to the font is adjusted so that the recording result is approximated regardless of the width of the recording medium indicated by the width information, and then the recording is performed on the recording apparatus. A program that functions as a recording control unit to be executed.

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