KR101665659B1 - Printing Automated System and Printing Automated Method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a printing automation system and a printing automation method. In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a template or a creation guide necessary for creating a printed matter to a customer using an information communication network, The present invention has an object of providing a function of accepting order items such as a print file and an option, automatically processing print files and data, and delivering a print result of a print job using a printing device to a customer.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a printing automation system and a printing automation method,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printing automation system and a printing automation method, and automatically prints a print job file using a homepage or a mobile app connected to an information communication network, And a printing automation system and a printing automation method capable of delivering the printed result in real time using customer information.

The printing industry in recent years has a tendency to produce small quantities of various products to meet various requirements from customers. In addition, the development of technology has made automation in various industries, and modern delivery systems such as drones are also being developed and customers want to receive printed results faster.

In the conventional printing method, the printing contents and requirements of the customer are received online or offline, and the printing design file is generated and processed by the professional designer so as to meet the requirements of the customer. Recently, various design programs have been spread, The number of cases in which a file to be printed is generated using a design program and printing is requested through the file is much more increased.

However, due to the characteristics of the print job, it is not possible to print directly with only the files generated by the customer, so it is necessary to communicate with the professional designers or the print specialists about the design and print file creation that can be printed between the customers, Depending on the option, a relatively large amount of time is required for the required requirement.

In addition, even when instructing a print job, the administrator must convert the file into a file required for each printing machine and issue a processing instruction to the printing machine, so that the production time is considerably delayed and the production cost is high. And if rework occurs, additional weighted costs are inevitable.

In addition, conventional on-going quotation systems have increased the cost of printing due to unnecessary expense because basic printing costs are estimated not only by the number of pages but also by the total size of the paper regardless of the type of paper or the size and length of each post-processing.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a template or a creation guide necessary for creating a printed matter to a customer using an information communication network, receives an order such as a customer's print file and an option tailored to a template or a creation guide, The present invention provides a printing automation system and a printing automation method for processing a file and data and delivering a print result obtained by performing a printing operation using a printing apparatus to a customer.

In order to achieve the above object, a printing automation system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an input / output module for receiving a file to be printed and providing an option of selecting a printing option and a post-processing option necessary for printing, And a print file storage module for storing a print file received by the input / output module, and a validity checking module for verifying whether a print file stored in the print file storage module is an error or a file suitable for a printing process, A validity module for correcting an error, and an object to be printed in an effective file stored in the validity module are created and stored in the option storage module, and a post-production layer corresponding to the processing options is created. A preprocessing module for displaying a printed material and a printed material generated by the preprocessing module, Is accepted receive a respective post-processing files stored broken down by post-processing of the same file types include automatic typesetting module for performing a printing and post-processing task to transmission of each printing unit.

The printing automation system according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a quotation storage module for storing a quotation generated by summing a basic printing cost according to a printing option stored in an option storage module and a cost estimate for each post-processing option performed in the preprocessing module, A preview file provided from a payment waiting module and a payment waiting module for displaying a preview file generated by the module and a quotation stored in the quotation storage module on a preview and an estimate screen, and a payment module for confirming the estimate and payment, And a distribution management module for verifying the printed information on the basis of the image information of the printed matter and the preview file generated by the preprocessing module through an image matching algorithm and confirming the delivery information of the customer ordered by the image matching algorithm.

The printing automation system according to another embodiment of the present invention is a printing automation system in which a print file stored in a print file storage module is converted into an image, and a preview file generated through a preprocessing module is verified through an image matching algorithm Modules.

A printing automation method according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a print file receiving step of receiving and storing a file to be printed, an option selecting step of selecting and storing print options and post-processing options necessary for a print job, And a validation step of correcting an error, and a validation step of creating an object to be printed from the valid file stored in the validation step, storing the object in the option storage module, A preprocessing step of generating a post-production layer corresponding to the options, and displaying a preview file on a preview screen, and a step of receiving the post-processed files generated in the preprocessing step and the post-processing files stored in the post- Classified and transmitted to each printing-related device to perform printing and post-processing And an automatic engraving step.

The printing automation method according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a quotation storing step for storing a quotation generated by summing a basic printing cost according to a printing option stored in the option selection step and a cost estimate for each post-processing option performed in the preprocessing module, A payment waiting step for displaying a preview file generated in the step and a quotation stored in the quotation storage module on a preview and an estimate screen, a payment step for confirming the preview file and the quotation provided in the payment waiting step, And if it is completed, verifies the image information of the printed matter through the image matching algorithm between the preview file generated in the preprocessing step and the delivery information of the customer who ordered the printed material by the image matching algorithm, .

Since the printing automation system and the printing automation method according to the present invention can easily print and designate the requirements of the customer, the printing operation is easy, and when the error of the file is checked at the same time of providing the print file of the customer, It is easy to supplement.

It enables customers to check the print contents in real time, which greatly shortens review time. By accurately estimating the size of the post-processed part compared to the existing estimate, it can reduce the overall printing cost by providing a reasonable and relatively inexpensive quotation in real time .

And from the customer's request to delivery after printing, it is almost real-time, so you can see the printed results quickly.

From the standpoint of producers, it is possible to automate data processing by professional designers and data processing by expensive design programs, reduce production costs by reflecting in real time the requests of customers in printing jobs, It is possible to reduce the production period.

Automatic printing machine can increase the utilization rate by selecting the printing equipment which can be duplicated according to the order, and the logistics management system can check the customer's delivery information after the production of the prints, thereby improving the overall printing process speed The production cost can be improved.

In addition, there is an effect of contributing to environmental protection by reducing the waste of paper by optimizing the printing object of the customer printed on the area of the determined paper.

1 is a conceptual diagram of a printing automation system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a monitoring screen for validating a validity module of a printing automation system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG.
3 is an error correction screen of the validity module of the printing automation system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a screen for providing a preview of an ordered product and a quote for a quote module of the printing automation system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a flowchart of a printing automation method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

For a better understanding of the present invention, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments of the present invention may be modified into various forms, and the scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described in detail below. The present embodiments are provided to enable those skilled in the art to more fully understand the present invention. Therefore, the shapes and the like of the elements in the drawings can be exaggeratedly expressed to emphasize a clearer description. It should be noted that in the drawings, the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals. Further, detailed descriptions of well-known functions and configurations that may be unnecessarily obscured by the gist of the present invention are omitted.

1 is a conceptual diagram of a printing automation system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1, a printing automation system 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes an input / output module 110, an option storage module 120, a print file storage module 130, a validity module 140, Module 150, a quote storage module 160, a payment waiting module 170, a payment module 180, a data verification module 190, an automatic keying module 200, and a logistics management module 210.

The input / output module 110 accesses a home page or an app and receives a print file requesting a print job. At this time, a template or a production guide can be provided to the customer so that a print file corresponding to the print job requested by the customer can be more easily produced for printing.

The customer can make a print file so that the shape and size of the image are not distorted to the utmost by utilizing the template provided, or the print file can be produced according to the guide of the production guide.

In addition, the input / output module 110 provides a printing option and a post-processing option that the customer desires to select. Printing options include various types of paper, such as paper type, thickness of paper, size, quantity and printing frequency. Finishing options include cutting, sewing, osci, braille, white, half curl, grounding, gold foil, silver foil, embossing, embossing, .

The option storage module 120 may store various print options and post-processing options selected by the customer through the input / output module 110 in a separate file format, for example, as XML format files in various storage devices such as a hard disk or a database.

The print file storage module 130 stores the print file received from the input / output module 110 in various storage devices such as a hard disk or a database. The provided print file is stored in the print file, for example, JPG, GIF, TIFF, PDF, or the like.

The validity module 140 detects an error in the print file stored in the print file storage module 130 and performs validity checking to see if it is made in accordance with a template or a production guide provided for ease of the print processor.

This validation can be done by checking whether the print file is in the CMYK mode for printing, whether the margin size is suitable, whether the size of the print is suitable for the size of the cut, the accuracy of the arrangement of the front and back sides in the number of prints on both sides, , Whether the number of layers in the file matches the post-processing option, whether the size of the font applied by the customer is printable, and the like.

FIG. 2 is a monitoring screen for validating a validity module of a printing automation system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG.

As shown in Fig. 2, a validation process such as confirming layer information of a PDF file conforming to a print target and a post-processing option in a print target file produced by a customer, or deleting a layer not necessary for printing is performed by a task manager .

It is possible to respond more precisely and promptly to customers in the process of identifying print jobs by internally recognizing the part of the error that is monitored and confirmed by the task manager and the cause thereof.

3 is an error correction screen of the validity module of the printing automation system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 3, the validity module 140 may change the portion where the error occurs, for example, to a portion that can be directly modified in the print file, for example, a CMYK mode for printing, The module 140 may correct the data after confirming the customer and store only the valid file in various storage devices such as a hard disk or a database.

However, if there is a problem with the print file itself produced by the customer, the user can notify the user of the correction and receive the modified print file directly from the customer.

The preprocessing module 150 generates the object to be printed so that the printed material can be produced by reflecting the post-processing option through the inherent file information of the valid file stored in the validity module 140, You can check whether there is a halftone layer, print layer, etc.

The preprocessing process is divided into two processes. In one process, a shape to be printed is generated, and one shape is created by superimposing layers on which a plurality of graphics are drawn. Therefore, there is a process of creating a single shape by removing overlapping lines and planes in the overlapping shapes.

Another process is, for example, in the case of sticky printing, there is a half-cut layer, which is a region separated as a sticker in the printed material after the printing job is completed, and a print layer, And the layer does not exist in some cases.

When the layer exists in the valid file, the preprocessing module 150 stores the valid file in the layer folder, and separates the print layer and the post-processing layer according to the post-processing option to generate the layer file.

The preprocessing module 150 may convert the preview file, the print layer file, and the post-processing layer file of the same layer name from the layer file into an image file of JPG, GIF, TIFF, or PDF in order to eliminate the risk of modification.

The generated files are separately stored in various storage devices such as a hard disk or a database, and then preview files are displayed on the preview screen of FIG.

If the layer does not exist in the valid file, the preprocessing module 150 specifies the region to be printed instead of the layer and the region to be post-processed by designating the region as SPOT COLOR.

Therefore, the preprocessing module 150 stores the valid file in the SPOTCOLOR folder, and then separates the printing area and the post-printing area according to the post-processing option and converts them into the preview file, the printing area file and the post- And is stored in various storage devices such as a disk or a database, and a preview file is displayed on the preview screen of FIG.

It is preferable to convert the print area file and the post-processing area file into an image file in the form of JPG, GIF, TIFF or PDF in order to eliminate the risk of modification.

The quotation storage module 160 generates the basic printing cost generated by calculating in real time based on the printing option of the customer stored in the option storage module 120 and the estimated cost of each post-processing performed in the preprocessing module 150 An estimate is stored in various storage devices such as a hard disk or a database and displayed on the quotation screen of FIG.

4 is a screen for providing a preview of an ordered product and a quote for a quote module of the printing automation system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4, the payment waiting module 170 sends a preview file generated through the preprocessing module 150 to the customer and a quotation stored in the quotation storage module 160, And quotation screen.

The settlement module 180 can settle the non-cash deposits, the credit card, the cacao pay, etc. in various ways for the estimated amount provided from the payment waiting module 170.

The data verification module 190 checks whether the customer's payment is confirmed through the payment module 180. The data verification module 190 reads the image file converted from the print file stored in the print file storage module 130 into an image, Verifies the match of the view file through the image matching algorithm.

If the verification result shows that there is an error, if there is a problem with the image file, check the file for printing again and perform the re-conversion. If the preview file has a problem, the preprocessing step and the data verification step are executed again to eliminate the error.

After the data verification is completed, the automatic plate making module 200 receives the printed objects generated by the preprocessing module 150 and the post-processed files stored after the post-processing, and classifies them according to the same type of post-processing file.

The automatic engraving module 200 converts each classified post-processing file into a file corresponding to various printing-related devices such as a printing machine, a cutter for creating a sticky area, a device for generating embossing, .

The automatic typing module 200 grasps the current operation status of various printing related devices in the idle state, estimates the time required for each printing device according to the printing process, and transmits the converted file to each printing device to perform printing and post- .

When the print job is completed and the print job is completed, the logistics management module 210 verifies the completeness of the print production through a preview file and an image matching algorithm generated by the preprocessing module 150, do.

The distribution management module 210 confirms the shipping address and the name of the customer information matching the preview file by using the image matching algorithm to deliver the printed matter generated in a large quantity to each customer accurately.

5 is a flowchart of a printing automation method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5, an automatic printing method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a print file receiving step S110, an option selecting step S120, a validating step S130, a validity error processing step S140, Step S150, quote storage step S160, waiting for payment step S170, settlement step S180, data verification step S190, automatic plate making step S200, and logistics management step S210.

The print file receiving step (S110) receives the print file produced by the customer and stores it in various storage devices such as a hard disk or a database. At this time, a template or a production guide is provided so that a print file corresponding to a print job requested by a customer can be more easily produced in printing.

In the print file receiving step (S110), the customer can make a print file without distorting the shape or size of the image as much as possible using the template provided, or produce the print file according to the guide of the production guide.

The option selection step S120 may include printing options required for the printing job required by the customer, for example, the type of paper, the thickness of the paper, the size, the quantity, the printing frequency, , White, half-cut, ground, gold leaf, silver leaf, perforation, embossing, scoldix.

In the option selection step S120, various printing options and post-processing options selected by the customer through the input / output module 110 may be stored in various storage devices such as a hard disk or a database in a separate file format, for example, an XML format file.

The validation step S130 detects an error in the print file stored in the print file storage module 130 and performs a validity check on whether the print file is produced in accordance with a template or a production guide provided for the print processor.

In the validation step (S130), whether or not the print file is a CMYK mode file for printing, whether the margin size is suitable, whether or not the size of the printed material is suitable for cutting, the accuracy of arrangement of the front and rear sides in the number of prints on both sides, It is possible to check whether the number of layers of the file matches with the post-processing option and whether the size of the font applied by the customer is printable.

In the validity error processing step S140, if there is an error in the validity checking step S170, the validity module 140 changes a part where the print file can be directly modified, for example, a CMYK mode for printing, Size can be modified after confirmation by the customer in the validity module 140.

However, if there is a problem with the print file itself produced by the customer, the user can notify the user of the correction and receive the modified print file directly from the customer.

In the preprocessing step S150, an object to be printed is generated so that the printed material can be produced by reflecting the post-processing option through the inherent file information of the valid file stored in the validation step S170, and a layer suitable for the post- The presence of half-cut layers, print layers, and the like can be confirmed.

The preprocessing step (S150) is roughly divided into two processes. In one process, a shape to be printed is generated, and one shape is created by superimposing layers on which a plurality of graphics are drawn. Therefore, there is a process of creating a single shape by removing overlapping lines and planes in the overlapping shapes.

Another process is, for example, in the case of sticky printing, there is a half-cut layer, which is a region separated as a sticker in the printed material after the printing job is completed, and a print layer, And the layer does not exist in some cases.

In the preprocessing step S150, if there is a layer in the valid file, the valid file is stored in the layer folder, and the layer file is generated by separating the print layer and the post-processing layer according to the post-processing option.

The preprocessing step S150 may convert the preview file of the same layer name, the print layer file, and the post-processing layer file from the layer file into an image file of JPG, GIF, TIFF, or PDF in order to eliminate the risk of modification.

In the preprocessing step S150, the generated files are separately stored in various storage devices such as a hard disk or a database, and a preview file is displayed on the preview screen of FIG.

In the preprocessing step (S150), if there is no layer in the valid file, an area to be printed instead of a layer and an area to be post-processed are designated as SPOT COLOR.

In the preprocessing step S150, the effective file is stored in the folder SPOTCOLOR, the print area and the post-printing area are separated according to the post-processing option, and converted into the preview file, the print area file and the post- Or a database, and shows a preview file on the preview screen of FIG.

The estimate storing step S160 is a step of comparing the basic printing cost calculated in real time from the printing options of the customer stored in the option selecting step S120 and the estimates of the costs of each finishing work performed in the pre- Stored in various storage devices such as a disk or a database, and displayed on the quotation screen of FIG.

In the waiting for payment step S170, the customer accesses the payment waiting module through the information communication network, and stores the preview file generated in the preprocessing step S150 and the quotation stored in the estimate storing step S160, Screen and quotation screen.

In the payment step S180, the customer accesses the payment waiting step (S170) through the information communication network and confirms the contents and the estimate provided in advance, and can settle the transactionless deposit, credit card, cacao pay, etc. using various methods.

The data verification step (S190) checks whether the image file converted from the print file stored in the option selection step (S120) and the preview file generated in the preprocessing step (S150) are identical to the image matching algorithm .

In the data verification step (S190), if there is an error, if the image file has a problem, it checks the file for printing again and performs re-conversion. If the preview file has a problem, it executes the preprocessing step and data verification step again Remove.

The automatic engraving step S200 can receive the printed objects generated in the preprocessing step S150 and the post-processing files stored after the post-processing, and classify the objects according to the same kind of post-processing file.

The automatic engraving step (S200) converts each classified post-processing file into a file conforming to various printing-related devices such as a printing press, a cutter for creating a sticky area, a device for generating embossing, .

The automatic prepara- tion step (S200) determines the current status of various printing-related devices in the idle state, estimates the time required for each printing device according to the printing process, and then transmits the converted file to each printing device to perform printing and post- Perform

When the print job is completed and the print job is completed, the logistics management step (S210) verifies the completeness of the print production through a preview file and an image matching algorithm generated by the preprocessing module (150) do.

In the logistics management step S210, the delivery address and the name of the customer information matching the preview file are checked using the image matching algorithm in order to accurately deliver the printed matter generated in large quantities to each customer.

It should be noted that the embodiments of the present invention disclosed in the present specification and drawings are only illustrative of the present invention in order to facilitate description of the present invention and to facilitate understanding of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other modifications based on the technical idea of the present invention are possible in addition to the embodiments disclosed herein.

100: printing automation system 110: input / output module
120: Option storage module 130: Print file storage module
140: validity module 150: preprocessing module
160: quotation storage module 170: payment waiting module
180: payment module 190: data verification module
200: automatic plate making module 210: logistics management module
S110: Print file reception step S120: Option selection step
S130: validity checking step S140: validity error processing step
S150: preprocessing step S160: quotation storage step
S170: Payment waiting step S180: Payment step
S190: Data validation step S200: Automatic engraving step
S210: Logistics management step

Claims (5)

An input / output module for receiving a file to be printed and providing an option to select a printing option and a post-processing option necessary for printing;
An option storage module for separately storing print options and post-processing options selected from the input / output module into separate files;
A print file storage module for storing a print file received by the input / output module;
A validity module for checking validity of whether a print file stored in the print file storage module is an error or a file suitable for a printing process and correcting an error;
A printing layer for creating an object to be printed in the valid file stored in the validity module and corresponding to printing options stored in the option storage module and a post-processing layer matching the post-processing options stored in the option storage module, A preprocessing module for generating a preview file on the preview screen after each generation according to the option; And
And an automatic typesetting module for receiving each of the post-processing files stored in the preprocessing module and the post-processing files stored in the post-processing module, and classifying the post-processing files according to the same kind of post-processing file, Wherein the printing system comprises: The method according to claim 1,
A quotation storage module for storing a quotation generated by summing a basic printing cost according to a printing option stored in the option storage module and a quotation cost of each post-processing option performed by the preprocessing module;
A payment waiting module for displaying a preview file generated by the preprocessing module and a quotation stored in the quotation storage module on a preview and an estimate screen, respectively;
A payment module for checking a preview file provided from the payment waiting module and an estimate and making a payment; And
When the printed product is completed, the product management module verifies the image information of the printed product through the image matching algorithm between the preview file generated by the preprocessing module, and confirms the delivery information of the customer who ordered the printed product by the image matching algorithm, Wherein the printing system comprises: 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
And a data verification module for verifying whether the image file converted from the print file stored in the print file storage module into an image matches a preview file generated through the preprocessing module through an image matching algorithm. system. A print file receiving step of receiving and storing a print target file;
An option selection step of separating the print option and the post-processing option into separate files by selecting a print option and a post-processing option necessary for a print job;
A validity checking step of checking the validity of whether a print file stored in the print file receiving step is an error or a file suitable for a printing process and correcting an error;
A print layer which is formed in correspondence with the print options stored in the option selection step, and a post-processing layer which matches the post-processing options stored in the option selection step, A preprocessing step of displaying a preview file on a preview screen after each generation according to a post-processing option; And
And an automatic prepara- tion step of receiving the printed objects generated in the preprocessing step and the respective post-processing files stored in the post-processing, and classifying the post-processing files according to the same kind of post-processing files, Characterized by a printing automation method. 5. The method of claim 4,
An estimate storing step of storing an estimate generated by summing a basic printing cost according to a printing option stored in the option selection step and a cost estimate of each post-processing option performed in the pre-processing step;
A payment waiting step of displaying a preview file generated in the preprocessing step and a quotation stored in the quotation storage step on a preview and an estimate screen, respectively;
A payment step of confirming the preview file and the estimate provided in the payment waiting step and making a settlement; And
When the print product is completed, the product information is verified through an image matching algorithm between the image information of the printed matter and the preview file generated in the preprocessing step, and the delivery information of the customer who ordered the printed product by the image matching algorithm is confirmed and delivered The method comprising the steps of:

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