JP2000280199A - Label manufacturing apparatus, label manufacturing method, and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To solve a problem caused by being able to perform full cut and half cut only at a predetermined position. SOLUTION: After inputting a character to be printed on a sheet using an editor (S1), following a half cut setting surrounding the character (S2), a half cut over an entire width of the sheet at an arbitrary position is set (S3). . Further, after setting a full cut by specifying one point (S4) and a full cut by specifying two points (S5), the sheet is printed and cut based on the input data (S6). As a result, a label that has been subjected to full cut and half cut as desired by the user can be obtained.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] The present invention relates to a label manufacturing apparatus,
The present invention relates to a label manufacturing method and a storage medium, and more particularly to a label manufacturing apparatus, a label manufacturing method, and a storage medium capable of performing full cut and half cut along an arbitrary line.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There is known a label manufacturing apparatus for a user to process a tack sheet or the like in which release paper is stuck to an adhesive sheet. In this type of label manufacturing apparatus, a roll sheet unit supporting a sheet wound around a core is detachable, and a transport roller for pulling out and transporting the sheet from the roll sheet unit, And a cutting mechanism for cutting the sheet conveyed by the conveying roller.

[0003] The cutting mechanism usually includes a cutter for cutting a sheet, and a carriage for reciprocating the cutter in a direction substantially orthogonal to a sheet conveying direction (a sheet width direction). Therefore, the cutter can be positioned at any position on the sheet by the forward and reverse rotation of the transport roller and the reciprocating movement of the carriage in the width direction of the sheet, and the sheet can be cut into a predetermined shape. It is.

[0004]

In such a label manufacturing apparatus, the sheet is cut halfway in the thickness direction, for example, a half cut in which only an adhesive sheet or release paper is cut, and the sheet is completely cut in the thickness direction. It is possible to cut the sheet in two modes of full cutting. However, currently known label manufacturing apparatuses only perform half-cut so as to surround an area where characters and figures are drawn on a sheet and full-cut to cut the sheet into a fixed length over the entire width. Can not do. Therefore, according to the current label manufacturing apparatus, the user may be forced to perform a complicated operation such as manually cutting the label discharged from the label manufacturing apparatus.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present inventor pays attention to such inconvenience of a current label manufacturing apparatus, and enables a user to perform full cut and half cut along an arbitrary line and a label manufacturing method. I thought. That is, claim 1 of the present application is a label manufacturing apparatus that manufactures a label by cutting a sheet,
Full-cut means for full-cutting the sheet, half-cut means for half-cutting the sheet, full-cut line setting means for setting a full-cut line along an arbitrary line on the sheet, A half-cut line setting unit for setting a half-cut line along an arbitrary line, and the full-cut line and the half-cut unit based on settings of the full-cut line setting unit and the half-cut line setting unit. And a control means for controlling the operation of the label manufacturing apparatus.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the label manufacturing method for manufacturing a label by cutting a sheet, a step of setting a full cut line along an arbitrary line on the sheet; Setting a half cut line along a line, and performing a full cut and a half cut on the sheet based on the set full cut line and the set half cut line. This is a label manufacturing method.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in a recording medium recording a program for manufacturing a label by cutting a sheet by at least one of a full cut means and a half cut means, the recording medium is arranged along an arbitrary line on the sheet. Full cut line setting means for setting a full cut line, half cut line setting means for setting a half cut line along an arbitrary line on the sheet, and the full cut line setting means and the half Based on the setting of the cut line setting means,
A computer-readable recording medium that stores a computer as a control unit that controls operations of the full-cut unit and the half-cut unit and a program for operating a device including the full-cut unit and the half-cut unit.

According to the first, fifth, and ninth aspects, it is possible to perform full cut and half cut along an arbitrary line on a sheet, and therefore, an arbitrary size having half cut at various positions. Sheet can be obtained. For this reason, a practically excellent effect is obtained that the user is not forced to perform a complicated operation such as manually cutting the label discharged from the label manufacturing apparatus.

Further, in the label manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, the full cut line setting means and the half cut line setting means may set a width direction cut mode for setting the sheet to be cut in the width direction. Operation is possible.

In the label manufacturing method according to the sixth aspect, in the step of setting the full cut line and the step of setting the half cut line, a width for setting the sheet so as to be cut in the width direction is provided. It is possible to select the direction cut mode.

According to a tenth aspect, the full cut line setting means and the half cut line setting means have a width direction cut mode for setting the sheet to be cut in the width direction. I have.

According to the second, sixth, and tenth aspects, the sheet can be full-cut and half-cut in the width direction at an arbitrary position by the width-direction cut mode. A cut can be set, and work efficiency can be improved.

[0013] In the label manufacturing apparatus according to the third aspect, the full cut line setting means and the half cut line setting means may be configured such that, in the width direction cut mode, the sheet is designated by an arbitrary point. A one-point designation mode for setting the sheet to be cut along the entire width of the sheet along the passing straight line, and designation of an arbitrary point and another point on the widthwise straight line passing through this point Accordingly, the operation in at least one of the two-point designation modes for setting the sheet to be cut between the two points is possible.

According to the label manufacturing method of the present invention, in the width direction cut mode, the sheet is cut over the entire width of the sheet along a width direction straight line passing through the one point by designating an arbitrary point. One point designation mode for setting, and setting so that the sheet is cut between the two points by designating an arbitrary point and another point on a straight line in the width direction passing through this point It is possible to select at least one of the two-point designation modes.

[0015] In the eleventh aspect, the full cut line setting means and the half cut line setting means are arranged such that, in the width direction cut mode, the sheet is formed into a straight line in the width direction passing through the one point by designating an arbitrary point. 1 point designation mode for setting so that the sheet is cut along the entire width of the sheet along with, and designation of an arbitrary point and another point on a straight line in the width direction passing through this point, the sheet is set to the 2nd position. 2 for setting to be cut between points
It has at least one of the point designation modes.

According to the third, seventh and eleventh aspects, in the one-point designation mode, the full cut and the half cut can be set by designating one point, so that the work efficiency can be improved. In the two-point designation mode, the sheet is cut between two points, so that a portion that is not cut at the end of the sheet can be left freely according to a user setting, and is not separated over the entire width of the sheet. The sheet can be processed in a state where it can be easily separated.

Further, the label manufacturing apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention further comprises display means for displaying the sheet together with the full cut line and the half cut line, wherein the full cut line and the half cut line are The display means is configured to be distinguishable from each other by at least one of a color, a line type, and a pattern.

In the label manufacturing method according to the present invention, in the step of setting the full cut line and the step of setting the half cut line, the full cut line and the half cut line may include at least a color, a line type, and a pattern. Any one of them is displayed so as to be distinguishable from each other.

In the twelfth aspect, the full cut line and the half cut line are displayed so as to be distinguishable from each other by at least one of a color, a line type, and a pattern.

According to the fourth, eighth and twelfth aspects, the full cut line and the half cut line are displayed so as to be distinguishable from each other by at least one of a color, a line type, and a pattern. It is possible to know at a glance whether a cut has been set. When there are a plurality of full cut lines or half cut lines, it is not necessary to display them all in the same manner. For example, the lines set in the width direction cut mode and other modes may be displayed differently. ,
Lines set in the one-point designation mode and the two-point designation mode may be displayed differently.

[0021]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

A label manufacturing apparatus 100 according to this embodiment shown in FIG. 1 includes a sheet processing apparatus (hereinafter, referred to as a “cutting printer”) 11 and a personal computer 110.
It is composed of Here, the structure of the cutting printer 11 will be described first. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a main configuration of the cutting printer 11 of the label manufacturing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a main part of the cutting printer 11 shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a sectional side view of a main part showing a cutting mechanism of the cutting printer 11 shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing a schematic positional relationship between the roll sheet unit shown in FIG. 2, the cutting mechanism, and the image forming mechanism. FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the cutter unit of the cutting mechanism.

The cutting printer 11 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 has a tack sheet 13 as a sheet in a frame 12 having side walls 9 and 10 provided on both left and right sides.
The roll sheet unit 14 rotatably supports in a state of being wound, a transport mechanism section 15 as transport means capable of transporting the tack sheet 13 in both forward and reverse directions, and a tack sheet transported by the transport mechanism section 15. A cutting mechanism 16 for cutting the sheet 13 and an upstream side of the cutting mechanism 16 for transporting the tack sheet 13 in the forward direction (discharge direction), for forming a predetermined image on the tack sheet 13. An image forming mechanism 17 as image forming means is provided.

The roll sheet 51 is, as shown in FIG.
The tack sheet 13 is wound around a cylindrical core 55 in a roll shape. The tack sheet 13 is composed of two layers: an adhesive sheet 18 whose front surface is printable and an adhesive is applied to the back surface, and a release paper 19 bonded to the back surface of the adhesive sheet 18.

First, the transport mechanism 15 of the components constituting the cutting printer 11 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the transport mechanism unit 15 includes the image forming mechanism unit 1.
7 and a discharge roller 25 disposed downstream of the cutting mechanism 16. The driven roller 8 is disposed at a position facing the discharge roller 25 with the tack sheet 13 interposed therebetween. The driven roller 8 is supported by a pressing plate 7 that presses and biases the driven roller 8 toward the discharge roller 25 by a spring. Then, the first
By the forward / reverse drive of the drive motor 21, the platen roller 2
4 and the discharge roller 25 are connected via the first gear train 22
The tack sheet 13 is rotated so as to be transported in the forward and reverse directions.

The drive from the first drive motor 21 is transmitted to a gear 59 provided on a flange gear (not shown) of the roll sheet unit 14 via a second gear train 27 including a planetary gear mechanism 26. It is configured to:
The planetary gear mechanism 26 is configured to mesh with the gear 59 only when the tack sheet 13 is transported in the reverse direction, and not to mesh with the gear 59 when transporting the tack sheet 13 in the forward direction. Therefore, tack sheet 1
When the sheet 3 is transported in the forward direction, the roll sheet 51 is rotated by the force of pulling out the tack sheet 13 by the rotation of the platen roller 24 and the discharge roller 25, while when the tack sheet 13 is transported in the reverse direction, the first drive motor is used. The drive from 21 rotates the roll sheet 51 in the reverse direction.

Next, the cutting mechanism 16 will be described. The cutting mechanism 16 includes the tack sheet 13.
And a cutter unit 30 as cutting means facing the cutting bed 29 with the tack sheet 13 interposed therebetween, and a carriage 31 to which the cutter unit 30 is removably mounted. .

As shown in FIG. 2, the carriage 31 is provided at one position of an endless timing belt 34 which is stretched over a pair of pulleys 32 and 33 disposed outside the side walls 9 and 10 of the frame 12. Are linked. As shown in FIG. 3, of the pair of pulleys 32 and 33,
One pulley 32 is driven by a second drive motor 35 disposed outside the side wall 10 of the frame 12 via a third gear train 36 including a bevel gear and the like. As a result, the carriage 31 is reciprocated in a direction substantially perpendicular to the transport direction of the tack sheet 13 (the sheet width direction).

As shown in FIG. 4, both ends of the carriage 31 are supported by both side walls 9 and 10 of the frame 12 at an end opposite to the end on which the cutter unit 30 is mounted. The carriage 31 is slidably supported by the main guide shaft 37. Further, an auxiliary guide shaft 38 extending substantially parallel to the main guide shaft 37 is slid in an intermediate portion between the end on which the cutter unit 30 is mounted and the end on which the main guide shaft 37 is inserted. It is movably inserted. Both ends of the auxiliary guide shaft 38 are supported by a pair of rotating arms 39 rotatably provided on both side walls 9 and 10 of the frame 12.

One end of the auxiliary guide shaft 38 is connected to an output shaft 42 of a solenoid 41 via an operation link 40. When the solenoid 41 is in the ON state (excited state), the cutter unit 30 is operated by the urging force of a spring (not shown) so that the lower end thereof presses the upper surface of the cutting portion bet 29. When the solenoid 41 is in the off state (non-excited state), the output shaft 42 of the solenoid 41 advances upward, and the operation link 40 and the auxiliary guide shaft 38
The end of the carriage 31 on the side where the cutter unit 30 is mounted rotates upward with the main guide shaft 37 as a fulcrum. Therefore, the cutter unit 30 is operated so that the lower end side is separated from the upper surface of the cutting bet 29.

As shown in FIG. 6, the cutter unit 30
Is a cutter (full cut means and half cut means) 43 for cutting the tack sheet 13 at its lower end side.
have. The cutter 43 is urged upward by a spring mechanism (not shown). The full-cut positioning sphere 15 is provided at the upper end of the cutter support 150 for supporting the cutter 43.
6 is in contact. At this time, the cutter 43 is at the full cut position where the release paper 19 is cut together with the adhesive sheet 18. The full cut positioning sphere 156 is fitted to the lever 154 together with the half cut positioning sphere 158 having a smaller diameter. The lever 154 is supported so as to be able to selectively protrude from one of the left and right side walls of the housing 152 of the cutter unit 30, and has a spring 1.
It is urged upward by 60. At the upper end of the cutter unit 30, a cutter fine-adjustment mechanism 162 for finely adjusting the amount of protrusion of the blade edge of the cutter 43 by a user turning a screw with a driver is provided.

The cutter unit 30 configured as described above
To switch the cutter 43 from the full-cut position to the half-cut position where only the adhesive sheet 18 is cut, the carriage 31 moves the cutter unit 30 to a position adjacent to the side wall 10 of the frame 12. As a result, the lever 154 projects from the right side wall of the housing 152, and the half-cut positioning sphere 158 is positioned at the upper end of the cutter support 150. Then
The cutter 43 urged upward moves upward to the half-cut position. Conversely, to switch the cutter 43 from the half-cut position to the full-cut position, the carriage 31 may be used to move the cutter unit 30 to a position adjacent to the side wall 9 of the frame 12. Thus, the cutter 43 is selectively supported at any one of the full-cut position and the half-cut position.

Next, the image forming mechanism 17 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the image forming mechanism 17
Is a line type thermal head 44 as a print head having a length substantially equal to the width dimension of the tack sheet 13.
And a platen roller 24 opposed to the thermal head 44 with the tack sheet 13 interposed therebetween.

Next, a control system of the label manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

The personal computer 110 includes a keyboard 14 and a main body 130 and a display 132.
1 and a mouse 142. The main unit 130 has a CPU 134, a RAM 136, and a hard disk (HD) 138, which are connected to each other by a bus and also to an input / output interface 140. Also, the main body 130
Has a drive device according to the present embodiment for reading a program recorded on a recording medium such as an FD or a CD-ROM.

The hard disk 138 stores programs such as editor software for label production,
Data related to character fonts and graphic fonts are stored. The editor software is software for printing an image on a sheet and cutting the image at a desired position. The user uses the personal computer 110 to view the image content to be printed on the sheet and the cut position while looking at the display 132 and using the keyboard 141. And mouse 1
42 allows input and editing.

The CPU 134 performs a predetermined operation based on programs and data read from the hard disk 138 and data supplied from the cutting printer 11. The RAM 136 temporarily stores the result of the operation performed by the CPU 134 and the like.

The input / output interface 112 of the cutting printer 11 has a personal computer 11
0 is connected to the input / output interface 140.
Further, the input / output interface 112 includes a CPU 1
14, a ROM 116, a RAM 118, a head drive circuit 120 for driving the thermal head 44 (see FIGS. 2 and 3), a first drive motor 21 and a second drive motor 35 (all shown in FIG. 3). And a solenoid drive circuit 126 for driving the solenoid 41 (see FIG. 4).

The ROM 116 stores a program for controlling the operation of the cutting printer 11, as well as necessary data. The CPU 114 performs a predetermined operation based on the program and data read from the ROM 116 as well as data supplied from the personal computer 110, and supplies a control signal to the head drive circuit 120 and the like. The RAM 118 temporarily stores data supplied from the personal computer 110 side, calculation results by the CPU 114, and the like.

In the present embodiment, the editor software incorporated in the main body 130 of the personal computer 110 includes the CPU 134, the RAM 136,
The keyboard 141 and the mouse 142 constitute a full cut line setting unit and a half cut line setting unit. The CPU 134 of the main body 130 and the CPU 114 of the cutting printer 11 constitute a control unit. The display 132 constitutes a display unit.

Next, a specific procedure for manufacturing a label using the label manufacturing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a schematic procedure for manufacturing a label using the label manufacturing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the display contents of the editor. FIG. 9 to FIG. 33 are diagrams showing display screens at the time of label editing by the editor according to the editing procedure. FIG. 34 is a schematic diagram of a label manufactured according to the present embodiment.

The label manufacturing apparatus 100 operates when a user gives an instruction to editor software incorporated in the personal computer 110. As shown in FIG. 8, on the display screen of the editor on the display 132,
On the upper side of the drawing screen 171, “File”, “Edit”
A menu bar 172 having menus of “magnification”, “character”, “cut”, “option”, and “help” is provided. On the left side of the drawing screen 171, a selection icon 173, a straight line icon 174, an ellipse icon 175, a square icon 176, an arc icon 177, a free line icon 178, a full cut (one point) icon 17
9, a full cut (two points) icon 180, a full width half cut icon 181, and a character icon 182 are provided. In the drawing screen 171, a pointer cursor 183 indicating the editing position is shown.

For example, the "File" menu on the menu bar 172 includes "New", "Open", "Close", "Overwrite", "Print", "Save as", and "Exit". Each item such as "" may be included as a pull-down menu. The “edit” menu may include “cut”, “copy”, and “paste” items as pull-down menus.

First, in step S1 of FIG. 7, characters are input. At this time, as shown in FIG. 9, a sheet image 184 having a length corresponding to a predetermined length of one page of the tack sheet 13 is displayed on the drawing screen 171. Then, move the character icon 182 to the pointer cursor 1
Click 83 to select. This places the editor in the character input mode. In this state, the keyboard 141
When the character string "ABCDEFG" is input from the user, "ABCDEFG" is added to the sheet image 184 as shown in FIG.
The character string "G" is displayed. Accordingly, in a predetermined area of the RAM (storage means) 136 of the personal computer 110, data representing the character type of "ABCDEFG" is stored as buffer data together with data such as the font size, position, and color.

Next, in step S2, half-cut data surrounding the character is input. here,
It is assumed that a half cut is made around the characters “A”, “C”, “D”, and “F”. First, as for “A”, an ellipse icon 175 is moved to the pointer cursor 18 as shown in FIG.
3 Click to select. This puts the editor in elliptical drawing mode. Then, as shown in FIG. 12, the area around “A” is clicked with the pointer cursor 183 by a predetermined method. Thereby, “A” in the sheet image 184
Is surrounded by an oval or circular thin line 185,
After the character data of "ABCDEFG" in a predetermined area of the RAM 136, data relating to the half cut surrounding "A" (here, data such as the center position and radius, and the fact that half cut is performed along the set line) Is stored as buffer data. Here, it is assumed that the thin line 185 is a line indicating that half cutting along this line is performed later.

As for "C", a square icon 176 is clicked with the pointer cursor 183 to select it, as shown in FIG. This puts the editor in rectangular drawing mode. Then, as shown in FIG. 14, the area around “C” is clicked by the pointer cursor 183 by a predetermined method. As a result, “C” in the sheet image 184 is surrounded by a rectangular thin line 185, and after the half-cut data surrounding “A”, data related to the half-cut surrounding “C” (here, the center position and the vertical and horizontal lengths). In addition to such data, data indicating that half cutting is performed along the set line) is stored as buffer data.

For "D", a half-cut of a figure surrounded by a free line along the outline of the character is performed.
As shown in FIG. 15, the free line icon 178 is selected by clicking with the pointer cursor 183. This puts the editor in free line drawing mode. Then, as shown in FIG. 16 and FIG.
Click around the object along its outline. As a result, “D” in the sheet image 184 is surrounded by a thin line 185 along the contour, and “C”
After the half-cut data surrounding the data, the data on the half-cut surrounding "D" (here, in addition to the data such as the position of the end point of each line constituting the free line, the fact that the half-cut is performed along the set line) Is stored as buffer data.

As for “F”, a free line icon 178 is clicked and selected with the pointer cursor 183 to continuously surround the character with a free line.
As shown in FIG. 8, the cursor is traced around the “F” with the pointer cursor 183 along the outline thereof while clicking. As a result, “F” in the sheet image 184 is surrounded by a thin line 185 along the outline thereof, and after the half-cut data surrounding “D”, the data related to the half-cut surrounding “F” (the case of “D”). Is stored as buffer data.

In this embodiment, when the same operation is continuously performed (for example, as described above, when free-line drawing is performed twice), the editor is maintained in the previous mode. It may be. In this case, it is not necessary to newly click the icon with the pointer cursor 183.

When a thin line is drawn along the outline of a character or figure as in the above-mentioned character "F", a dedicated icon for that purpose may be selected. In this case, the contour line of the character is moved along the contour of the character or figure by a simple process of moving the contour dot by a predetermined dot in eight directions of up, down, left, right, and the respective intermediate directions, and performing AND operation. You can draw a line on the outside.

Next, in step S3, a full width half cut is set. In the present embodiment, “D” and “E”
And a full width half cut is made between “F” and “G”. For this purpose, the full width half cut icon 181 is selected by clicking with the pointer cursor 183 as shown in FIG. This places the editor in full width half cut position input mode. Then, as shown in FIG. 20, the pointer cursor 183 is moved to an arbitrary position between "D" and "E" and the mouse is clicked. Then, Figure 2
As shown in FIG. 1, a thick line 186 with a downward arrow (↓) between “D” and “E” is drawn in the width direction of the sheet passing through one point selected by clicking over the entire width of the sheet image 184. , After the half-cut data surrounding "D", data on the half-cut between "D" and "E" (here, data such as the position of the half-cut line and half-cut along the set line) Is stored as buffer data. Here, a thick line 1 with a downward arrow (↓)
Reference numeral 86 denotes a line indicating that the full width half cut will be performed later. In other words, the setting is made such that by specifying one point between "D" and "E", the sheet is half-cut over the entire width at that position.

Further, in order to perform a full-width half-cut between "F" and "G", the full-width half-cut icon 181 is clicked with the pointer cursor 183 to enter a full-width half-cut position input mode, and as shown in FIG. Is moved to an arbitrary position between "F" and "G", and the mouse is clicked. Then, as shown in FIG. 23, a thick line 186 with a downward arrow (↓) between “F” and “G” extends over the entire width of the sheet image 184.
Data is drawn in the width direction of the sheet passing through one point selected by clicking, and data on half cut between "F" and "G" after half cut data between "D" and "E" (here In this case, in addition to data such as the position of the half-cut line, data indicating that half-cut is performed along the set line) is stored as buffer data.

Next, in step S4, full width full cut is set by designating one point. In the present embodiment, a full width full cut is designated between “A” and “B” by designating one point. For this purpose, a full cut (one point) icon 179 is clicked and selected with the pointer cursor 183 as shown in FIG. As a result, the editor enters the full width full cut position input mode by specifying one point. Then, as shown in FIG. 25, the pointer cursor 183 is moved to an arbitrary position between “A” and “B” and the mouse is clicked. Then, as shown in FIG. 26, between the “A” and “B”, a thick line 187 with one black circle (●) is selected by clicking over the entire width of the sheet image 184.
The data is drawn in the width direction of the sheet passing through the point, and after the half-cut data between “F” and “G”, data relating to the full cut over the entire width of the sheet between “A” and “B” (here, In addition to the data such as the position of the full cut line, data indicating that a full cut is performed along the set line) is stored as buffer data. Here, a thick line 187 with one black circle (●)
Is a line indicating that a full cut over the entire width of the sheet will be performed later. That is, "A" and "B"
Is set so that the sheet is fully cut at the position over the entire width.

Next, in step S5, an arbitrary width full cut is set by designating two points. In the present embodiment, an arbitrary width full cut is designated between “B” and “C” by designating two points. For this purpose, a full cut (two points) icon 180 is selected by clicking with the pointer cursor 183 as shown in FIG. As a result, the editor enters an arbitrary width full cut position input mode by designating two points. Then, as shown in FIG. 28, the pointer cursor 183 is moved to a position slightly away from the upper end of the sheet between “B” and “C”, and the mouse is clicked. Move. In this mode, left and right movements of the pointer cursor 183 are prohibited, and only the pointer cursor 183 can be moved in the sheet width direction.

Then, as shown in FIG. 29, between the “B” and “C”, a thick line 188 having a black circle (•) at the upper end.
Is drawn as the mouse moves. Further, as shown in FIG. 30, when the mouse is moved out of the sheet image 184 and then the click is released, another black circle (●) is attached at the lower end and a thick line is displayed as shown in FIG. 188
Terminates. In other words, the solid line 188 has a total of two black circles at its upper and lower ends. This thick line 188
Of the full cut data between "A" and "B" at the end of the drawing, and the data related to the full cut between two black circles between "B" and "C" (here, the full cut line In addition to the data such as the position of the full cut and the location of the full cut, data indicating that the full cut is performed along the set line) is stored as buffer data. It is assumed that a thick line 188 having black circles (•) at the upper end and the lower end is a line indicating that a full cut will be performed later between the two black circles. In other words, the setting is made such that, by designating two points between "B" and "C", the sheet is fully cut only between the two points designated at that position.

Next, in Step S6, Step S
Printing and cutting on the tack sheet 13 are performed based on the data input and set in 1 to S5. For this purpose, first, as shown in FIG. 32, the file menu on the menu bar 172 is clicked with the pointer cursor 183, and subsequently, as shown in FIG. 33, “Print (P)” is selected from the file menu, Perform printing and cutting.

When "print (P)" is selected, the editor shifts to the communication mode, and the contents of the buffer data in the RAM 136 are stored in the RAM 118 in the cutting printer 11.
Sent to.

When a print start command is received from the personal computer 110, the first drive motor 21 is driven to rotate forward while the solenoid 41 is in the off state, and the platen roller 24 and the discharge roller 25 move the tack sheet 13 in the forward direction. Rotate to transport. As a result, the leading end of the tack sheet 13 enters the image forming mechanism 17, that is, between the thermal head 44 and the platen roller 24. A predetermined image is formed on the entering tack sheet 13 by driving the heating elements of the thermal head 44. Then, the tack sheet 13 on which the predetermined image is formed is then conveyed to the cutting mechanism 16.

The tack sheet 13 conveyed to the cutting mechanism 16 is full-cut and half-cut at set positions in accordance with the contents of the buffer data stored in the RAM 118. That is, at the time of the half cut, the solenoid 41 is turned on at the start position of the half cut while the cutter 43 is supported at the half cut position by the switching mechanism between the full cut and the half cut as described in FIG. Thereby, the cutter unit 30 comes into contact with the tack sheet 13. Then, the first drive motor 21 is driven to rotate forward and backward, and the tack sheet 13 is transported in the forward and reverse directions, so that the adhesive sheet 18 is cut along the transport direction. In addition, along with such cutting along the transport direction, the second drive motor 35 is driven to rotate forward and backward, and the carriage 31 is reciprocated in the width direction of the tack sheet 13. It is cut along the width direction. Therefore, these first
A forward rotation drive and a reverse rotation drive of the drive motor 21;
By performing the forward rotation drive and the reverse rotation drive of the drive motor 35 at the same time, a portion on the tack sheet 13 where a predetermined image is formed is half-cut into an arbitrary shape such as a rectangular shape or an elliptical shape.

Next, at the time of full cut, the solenoid 41 is turned on while the cutter 43 is supported at the full cut position by the switching mechanism between full cut and half cut as described in FIG. Then, the second drive motor 35 is driven to rotate forward and reverse, and the carriage 31 is reciprocated in the width direction of the tack sheet 13 so that the tack sheet 13 is fully cut along the width direction.

FIG. 34 shows the structure manufactured by the above procedure.
Sheet. In FIG. 34, the half-cut lines are indicated by broken lines, and the sheets are separated from each other along the full-cut lines. As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to perform full cut and half cut along any line on the sheet. Obtainable.

In this embodiment, the sheet is fully cut in an arbitrary position in the width direction by a width direction cut mode such as a full width half cut position input mode, a full width full cut position input mode, and an arbitrary width full cut position input mode. And half cut. Therefore, full cut and half cut can be set by designating one point or two points, and work efficiency can be improved.

In particular, the full-width full-cut position input mode and the full-width half-cut position input mode are one-point designation modes, and full-cut and half-cut can be set by designating one point, thereby further improving work efficiency. be able to. The arbitrary width full cut position input mode is a two-point designation mode. Since the sheet is cut between two points, a portion that is not cut at the end of the sheet can be freely left by a user setting. The sheet can be processed so as not to be separated over the entire width of the sheet and to be connected in one part. The sheet which has been largely cut in this way has the advantage that it can be easily separated as a label when needed, and that it is easier to handle than a state where the sheet is completely separated. At this time, if the first point is specified, the second point is restricted to another point on the straight line in the width direction of the sheet passing through the first point. It can be done easily. In the case of the half cut, as in the case of the full cut, a full width half cut position input mode and an arbitrary width half cut position input mode may be provided.

In the present embodiment, the full cut line and the half cut line are line types (thick line or thin line).
And the patterns (black circles, arrows, and the number thereof) attached to them, so that they can be distinguished from each other, so that the user can see at a glance where full width full cut, arbitrary width full cut, and half cut have been set. It becomes possible. Also, in addition to the line types and patterns, colors may be combined so that the lines are displayed so as to be distinguishable from each other.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various design changes are possible. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the label manufacturing apparatus 100 includes the cutting printer 11 and the personal computer 110. However, the cutting printer 11 is provided with all the functions of the personal computer 110. The label manufacturing apparatus 100 may be composed of only 11. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the full cut unit and the half cut unit are configured by one cutter, but they may be configured by separate cutters. Further, the order from step S2 to step S5 can be arbitrarily changed.

In the above-described embodiment, when performing character input and cut setting on a sheet using an editor, half-cut data and full-cut data are stored as RA as storage means after character data "ABCDEFG".
Although the data is stored in the M136, the data arrangement order and the like can be changed as appropriate. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the half cut is performed so as to surround the character, but the full cut may be performed so as to surround the character.

[0067]

As described above, the first, fifth and ninth aspects of the present invention are described below.
According to this method, it is possible to perform full cut and half cut along an arbitrary line on the sheet, and thus it is possible to obtain a sheet of any size in which half cut is performed at various positions.

According to the second, sixth and tenth aspects, the sheet can be full-cut and half-cut in the width direction at an arbitrary position by the width-direction cut mode. A cut can be set, and work efficiency can be improved.

According to the third, seventh and eleventh aspects, in the one-point designation mode, the full cut and the half cut can be set by designating one point, so that the work efficiency can be improved. In the two-point designation mode, the sheet is cut between two points, so that a portion that is not cut at the end of the sheet can be left freely according to a user setting, and is not separated over the entire width of the sheet. The sheet can be processed in a state where it can be easily separated.

According to the fourth, eighth, and twelfth aspects, the full cut line and the half cut line are displayed so as to be distinguishable from each other by at least one of a color, a line type, and a pattern. It is possible to know at a glance whether a cut has been set.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a label manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a main configuration of the cutting printer shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a main part of the cutting printer shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of a main part showing a cutting mechanism of the cutting printer shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a schematic positional relationship between a roll sheet unit, a cutting mechanism, and an image forming mechanism in the cutting printer illustrated in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a cutter unit of a cutting mechanism in the cutting printer shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a schematic procedure for manufacturing a label in one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining display contents displayed on an editor in one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a display screen at the time of label editing by an editor according to an embodiment of the present invention in order according to an editing procedure.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a display screen at the time of label editing by an editor according to an embodiment of the present invention in order according to an editing procedure.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a display screen at the time of label editing by an editor according to an embodiment of the present invention in order according to an editing procedure.

FIG. 12 is a diagram sequentially showing display screens at the time of label editing by an editor according to an editing procedure in one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a display screen at the time of label editing by an editor according to an embodiment of the present invention in order according to an editing procedure.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a display screen at the time of label editing by an editor according to an embodiment of the present invention in order according to an editing procedure.

FIG. 15 is a diagram sequentially showing display screens at the time of label editing by an editor according to an editing procedure in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a display screen at the time of label editing by an editor according to an embodiment of the present invention in order according to an editing procedure.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a display screen at the time of label editing by an editor according to an embodiment of the present invention in order according to an editing procedure.

FIG. 18 is a diagram sequentially showing display screens at the time of label editing by an editor according to an editing procedure in one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a diagram sequentially showing display screens at the time of label editing by an editor according to an editing procedure in one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a display screen at the time of label editing by the editor in order according to the editing procedure in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a diagram sequentially showing display screens at the time of label editing by an editor according to an editing procedure in one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a diagram sequentially showing display screens at the time of label editing by the editor according to the editing procedure in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a display screen at the time of label editing by an editor according to an embodiment of the present invention in order according to an editing procedure.

FIG. 24 is a diagram sequentially showing display screens at the time of label editing by the editor according to the editing procedure in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 25 is a diagram sequentially showing display screens at the time of label editing by the editor according to the editing procedure in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 26 is a diagram sequentially showing display screens at the time of label editing by the editor according to the editing procedure in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 27 is a diagram sequentially showing display screens at the time of label editing by the editor according to the editing procedure in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 28 is a diagram sequentially showing display screens at the time of label editing by the editor according to the editing procedure in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 29 is a diagram sequentially showing display screens at the time of label editing by the editor according to the editing procedure in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 30 is a diagram sequentially showing display screens at the time of label editing by an editor according to an editing procedure in one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 31 is a diagram sequentially showing display screens at the time of label editing by the editor according to the editing procedure in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 32 is a diagram sequentially showing display screens at the time of label editing by the editor according to the editing procedure in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 33 is a diagram sequentially showing display screens at the time of label editing by the editor according to the editing procedure in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 34 is a schematic view of a label manufactured according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 11 cutting printer (sheet processing device) 43 cutter 100 label manufacturing device 110 personal computer 130 main body 132 display 141 keyboard 142 mouse

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A label manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a label by cutting a sheet, wherein: a full cut means for cutting the sheet fully; a half cut means for half cutting the sheet; and an arbitrary line on the sheet. Full cut line setting means for setting a full cut line along the line, half cut line setting means for setting a half cut line along an arbitrary line on the sheet, the full cut line setting means and the A label manufacturing apparatus comprising: a control unit that controls operations of the full cut unit and the half cut unit based on a setting of a half cut line setting unit. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the full cut line setting unit and the half cut line setting unit are operable in a width direction cut mode for setting the sheet to be cut in the width direction. Claim 1
2. The label manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1. 3. The full-cut line setting unit and the half-cut line setting unit, in the width direction cut mode, specify a desired one point and move the sheet along a straight line in the width direction passing through the one point. 1 point designation mode for setting the sheet to be cut across the entire width of the sheet, and designation of an arbitrary point and another point on a straight line in the width direction passing through this point, the sheet is moved between the two points. The label manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein operation in at least one of the two-point designation modes for setting to be cut is possible. 4. A display for displaying the sheet together with the full cut line and the half cut line, wherein the full cut line and the half cut line are at least one of a color, a line type, and a pattern. The label producing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the label producing apparatus is configured to be displayed on the display means so as to be distinguishable from each other by one of the methods. 5. A label manufacturing method for manufacturing a label by cutting a sheet, wherein a full cut line is set along an arbitrary line on the sheet, and a half cut line is formed along an arbitrary line on the sheet. A label manufacturing method, comprising: setting a cut line; and performing a full cut and a half cut on the sheet based on the set full cut line and the half cut line. 6. In the step of setting the full cut line and the step of setting the half cut line, it is possible to select a width direction cut mode for setting the sheet to be cut in the width direction. The label manufacturing method according to claim 5, wherein 7. In the width direction cut mode, one point designation for setting the sheet so as to be cut along the width direction straight line passing through the one point by designating an arbitrary point over the entire width of the sheet. Mode and any one
Selecting at least one of a two-point designation mode for setting the sheet to be cut between the two points by designating a point and another point on a straight line in the width direction passing through the point; The label manufacturing method according to claim 6, wherein 8. In the step of setting the full cut line and the step of setting the half cut line, the full cut line and the half cut line each include at least one of a color, a line type, and a pattern.
The label manufacturing method according to claim 5, wherein the labels are displayed so as to be distinguishable from each other. 9. A recording medium on which a program for manufacturing a label by cutting a sheet by at least one of a full cut unit and a half cut unit is recorded, wherein a full cut line is formed along an arbitrary line on the sheet. A full cut line setting unit for setting, a half cut line setting unit for setting a half cut line along an arbitrary line on the sheet, and a full cut line setting unit and the half cut line setting unit. Computer-readable recording of a program for operating a computer and a device including the full-cut unit and the half-cut unit, as a control unit that controls the operation of the full-cut unit and the half-cut unit based on the setting. Recording medium. 10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the full cut line setting means and the half cut line setting means have a width direction cut mode for setting the sheet to be cut in the width direction. A computer-readable recording medium according to claim 9. 11. The full-cut line setting unit and the half-cut line setting unit, in the width direction cut mode, specify a desired one point and move the sheet along a width direction straight line passing through the one point. 1 point designation mode for setting the sheet to be cut across the entire width of the sheet, and designation of an arbitrary point and another point on a straight line in the width direction passing through this point, the sheet is moved between the two points. The computer-readable recording medium according to claim 10, wherein the recording medium has at least one of a two-point designation mode for setting to be cut. 12. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the full cut line and the half cut line are displayed so as to be distinguishable from each other by at least one of a color, a line type, and a pattern. 14. A computer-readable recording medium according to item 13.