Document processing device and method

A document processing device for performing a printing operation for a document in accordance with data representing items and printing positions of the items, which are stored in a memory comprising:

• input means for inputting characters and instructions;
• a data memory for storing item-title data for a plurality of items input with said input means, and item-content data which are input with said input means in correspondence with the respective item-titles in such a manner that the item-title data and the item-content data are matched with each other;
• display means including a display unit for displaying characters over several lines in a group, the display unit being divided into a first section and a second section, the first section displaying an item-title displaying area in which input item-titles are displayed, and the second section concurrently displaying a paper-imitating area in which a profile corresponding to the shape of a print paper is displayed;
• display control means for controlling the display means to display a plurality of item-titles read from the data memory in the item-title displaying area in accordance with a display instruction provided from the input means;
• selecting means for selecting a desired item-title from the item-titles displayed in the item-title displaying area;
• indicating means for indicating a selected one of a plurality of positions within the paper-imitating area, a location of the selected one of the plurality of positions being adjustable within the paper-imitating area to obtain a desired position;
• and
• print position setting means, responsive to a print position setting instruction from the input means, for instructing the display control means to display indicia representative of the item-title selected by the selecting means at the desired position within the paper-imitating area as indicated by the indicating means, and for storing, in association with each other, the selected item-title, or the item content thereof, and a printing position for the print paper corresponding to the indicated position on the paper-imitating area.

A method of setting printing positions for a plurality of items to be printed on a print sheet using a document processing device having item-content data for said plurality of items stored in a data memory in accordance with item-title data distinguishing said plurality of items by title-type, said document processing device including a display means having a display unit capable of displaying characters over a plurality of lines, said method comprising the steps of:

• displaying a plurality of item-titles read from said data memory in an item-title displaying area in a first section of said display unit;
• concurrently displaying a paper imitating area in a second section of said display unit corresponding to a shape of the print sheet on which the item contents in the data memory are to be printed;
• setting print positions for selected items to be printed on said print sheet, in response to a print position setting instruction, by displaying indicia representative of the selected items at a selected one of a plurality of positions within said paper imitating area of the display unit;
• and
• adjusting a location of the selected one of the plurality of positions within the paper-imitating area to obtain desired positions for the representative indicia within the paper-imitating area, said desired positions being stored in association with a corresponding selected item in a print position setting memory.