JPH1071747A - Tape printer - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To automatically lay out character strings and figures at equal intervals on a label of a predetermined length in a tape printer. SOLUTION: When a character string and a margin M are input and a print key is pressed (21, 22), a value obtained by dividing the margin M by the number of characters A is calculated (23). The size B is set (24). Thereafter, the character spacing P is calculated based on the margin M, the number of characters N, and the character size B (25), and a character string or a graphic is printed on the label at regular intervals using the character spacing P.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a tape printer for printing characters and figures on a tape, and more particularly to a tape printer having editing means for editing characters and figures to be printed.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional tape printer, the size of a character to be printed and the space between characters (hereinafter referred to as a character space) are determined by a user of the tape printer and are input by an input device such as a keyboard. I was

[0003]

However, when a conventional method is used to make a piece of tape (hereinafter referred to as a label) on which characters or figures are printed within a predetermined length,
Depending on the number of characters printed on the label, the size of the characters to be printed and the character spacing are determined by some method,
It was necessary to input the obtained character size and character spacing using an input device such as a keyboard.

An object of the present invention is to input the length of a label (hereinafter referred to as a margin) and a character string to be printed on a label, and to automatically determine the size and character spacing of a character to be printed based on the number of characters and the margin of the character string. And a tape printer having a function of printing a label, that is, an automatic layout function of a character string to be printed.

[0005]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a tape printer according to the present invention comprises a printing means for printing a character string or a figure along the longitudinal direction of a print medium tape, a character string for printing on a tape, Input means for inputting a figure, print driving means for driving the printing means based on a character string or figure input by the input means while moving the tape in the longitudinal direction of the tape, and printing length in the longitudinal direction of the tape Print length setting means for setting the print length, and when the print length is set by the print length setting means, the print driving means sets the print length set by the print length setting means to a character string or the like. It is characterized in that figures are printed at equal intervals.

The print driving means calculates a character interval based on the print length set by the print length setting means, the number of input character strings and figures, and the size of printable character strings and figures. It is desirable to assign a character string or a figure using the character spacing.

[0007]

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural view showing an embodiment of a tape printer according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a keyboard (input device) for inputting a character string to be printed and control commands, and 2 denotes a keyboard. A display device for displaying the input character string and other information, a printing device 3 for thermally transferring and printing characters and graphics on the tape 6, a tape feeding device 4 for sending the tape 6, and a tape 6 for the tape 6 This is a cutting device for cutting a piece. A ROM 8 stores a program for editing input characters and a program for controlling peripheral devices and information and data necessary for printing, and 9 temporarily stores the input characters and information. RA
M and 7 control the peripheral devices of the input device 1, the display device 2, the printing device 3, the tape feeding device 4, and the cutting device 5 according to the program written in the ROM 8 and the character strings and print information input from the input device 1. It is a central processing unit (hereinafter, referred to as CPU) that performs editing work.

FIG. 2 shows a tape printer according to the present invention.
A flowchart for obtaining the size of the characters used for printing and the character spacing will be described below with reference to this figure. First, the user of the tape printer inputs a character string to be printed and a margin M (length in the horizontal direction of the label) from a keyboard (see FIG. 2).
1). In the present embodiment, the character string to be printed is four Chinese characters of “spring, summer, autumn and winter” and the margin M is 100 mm. Next, press the print key on the keyboard to start printing (2 in the figure).
2). The process up to this point is performed by the user, and the CPU automatically proceeds from here onward.

First, the number of characters N is obtained from the input character string, and a value A obtained by dividing the margin M by the number of characters N is calculated (23 in the figure). Since the number of characters N = 4 and the margin M = 100 mm, A = M / N = 100 mm / 4 = 25 mm. Next, a character size B smaller than A and closest to A is selected from printable character sizes (24 in the figure). However, the printable character size of the tape printer in this embodiment is 5 mm, 10 mm, 15 mm, 20 mm,
There are five 25 mm square sizes. Character size B that is less than A = 25 mm and closest to A = 25 m among these 5 types
Is selected, B = 20 mm. Finally, the character spacing P = 4 mm is obtained by the formula 25, and the obtained character size B is obtained.
The label printing of the character string “spring, summer, autumn and winter” is performed with the character spacing P = 4 mm and the character spacing P = 4 mm (26 in the figure).

FIG. 3 is an external view of the label printed at this time. An input character string is evenly laid out in the input margin to obtain a printed label.

[0011]

As described above, according to the present invention, if only the character string to be printed and the margin are input, the size of the character to be printed and the character spacing are automatically calculated from the number of characters and the margin of the character string. Since it is determined, when printing the label, the user does not have to select the character size and character spacing.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural view showing an embodiment of a tape printer of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for obtaining the size and character spacing of characters used for printing in the tape printer of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a print example of a label printed by the tape printer of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: Keyboard 3: Printing device 4: Tape feeder 10: Editing means

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A printing means for printing a character string or a figure along a longitudinal direction of a print medium tape; an input means for inputting a character string or a figure to be printed on the tape; While moving
A print driving unit that drives the printing unit based on a character string or a figure input by the input unit; and a printing length setting unit that sets a printing length in a longitudinal direction of the tape, the printing length When the print length is set by the print length setting means, the print drive means prints the character string or graphic at equal intervals at the print length set by the print length setting means. A tape printer. 2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the print driving unit is configured to control the print length set by the print length setting unit, the number of input character strings and graphics, and the number of printable character strings and graphics. A tape printer which calculates a character interval based on a size and allocates the character string or graphic using the character interval.