JP7615801B2 - Support programs and printing systems - Google Patents

Description

The technical field disclosed in this specification relates to a support program and a printing system that support the control of a printer.

In recent years, a technology has been put into practical use that controls a printer without using a printer driver, but instead uses a print program that is built into the operating system (OS). With this technology, the OS associates the printer with the OS's standard print program, and thereafter, when a print command is received for that printer, printing can be performed using the OS's standard print program, without using a printer driver.

There is also known technology for a printer to register specific print settings through user operation and use the registered print settings when printing. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which specific print settings can be registered, and if the print job settings differ from the registered print settings, the printer's operation panel asks whether or not to continue printing.

JP 2016-055633 A

When accepting print settings in an information processing device, for example, some printer drivers can accept settings that indicate that the print settings registered in the printer should be followed, such as "Print with the printer's settings." When the printer receives a print job with such settings, it prints according to the print settings registered in the printer.

However, when an information processing device accepts print settings, the user may not know what specific print settings are registered in the printer itself. Therefore, even if a setting that indicates that the print settings registered in the printer should be followed is selected, there is a possibility that printing that the user does not intend may be performed. Furthermore, with the OS's standard general-purpose printing program, it is not possible to leave the print settings to the printer, such as following the print settings registered in the printer.

This specification discloses a technology that reduces the possibility of printing unintended by the user when printing according to print settings registered in a printer in an information processing device that has a standard OS general-purpose printing program built in.

The support program made for the purpose of solving the above-mentioned problems is executable by a computer of an information processing device, corresponds to a printer connected to the information processing device, and supports a general-purpose printing program pre-installed in the operating system of the information processing device, causes the computer to execute an acquisition process to acquire registered print settings from the printer, the printer accepts registration of a specific print setting, and is capable of storing the registered print setting, which is the registered specific print setting, and further causes the computer to execute a display process to display the setting screen using a user interface of the information processing device when a display instruction is output from an editing application program installed in the information processing device, the display instruction being a display instruction to the general-purpose printing program to display a setting screen that accepts print settings to be used for printing on the printer, the options that can be accepted on the setting screen include a setting indicating that the registered print setting is followed, and further causes the computer to execute a notification process to notify the registered print setting acquired in the acquisition process using the user interface of the information processing device while the setting screen is displayed.

An information processing device incorporating the support program of the above configuration acquires the registered print settings registered in the printer from the printer, and notifies the user of the registered print settings acquired from the printer while the settings screen is displayed. This allows the user to understand the contents of the registered print settings on the information processing device when selecting a setting on the settings screen that indicates that the registered print settings should be followed. This reduces the possibility of printing unintended by the user when printing according to the print settings registered in the printer.

The printing system, control method, computer program, and computer-readable storage medium that stores the computer program for implementing the functions of the above-mentioned device are also novel and useful.

The technology disclosed in this specification realizes a technology that reduces the possibility of printing unintended by the user when printing according to print settings registered in a printer on an information processing device that has an OS-standard general-purpose printing program built in.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an outline of the electrical configuration of a PC. 5 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a procedure of a printing operation by each program. FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a detailed setting screen. 13 is a flowchart showing a control procedure for a screen operation acceptance process. 13 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of a notification process. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a notification screen. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a detailed setting screen. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a notification process. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a notification screen. 10 is a sequence diagram showing another example of the procedure of the printing operation by each program. FIG.

A personal computer (hereafter referred to as "PC") that uses the support program of this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. This specification discloses a printing system that includes a printer with a printing function and a support program that runs on a PC connected to the printer.

First Embodiment
First, a first embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, a printing system 100 of this embodiment includes a PC 1 and a printer 2. The PC 1 is an example of an "information processing device." The printer 2 is a device having a printing function. The PC 1 and the printer 2 are connected so as to be able to communicate with each other. The printer 2 of this embodiment receives print data from the PC 1 or the like, for example, and executes printing based on the received print data.

As shown in FIG. 1, the PC 1 of this embodiment is equipped with a controller 10 including a CPU 11 and a memory 12. The CPU 11 is an example of a "computer." The PC 1 also has a user interface (hereinafter referred to as "user IF") 13 and a communication interface (hereinafter referred to as "communication IF") 14, which are electrically connected to the controller 10. Note that the controller 10 in FIG. 1 is a general term for the hardware and software used to control the PC 1, and does not necessarily represent a single piece of hardware that actually exists in the PC 1.

The CPU 11 executes various processes according to the programs read from the memory 12 and based on the user's operations. The memory 12 stores various programs, including various application programs (hereinafter referred to as "apps"), and various data. The memory 12 is also used as a working area when various processes are executed. The buffer provided in the CPU 11 is also an example of a memory. Note that an example of the memory 12 is not limited to a ROM, RAM, HDD, etc. built into the PC 1, but may also be a storage medium that can be read and written by the CPU 11, such as a recording medium such as a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM.

User IF 13 includes hardware that displays a screen for notifying the user of information, and hardware that accepts operations by the user. User IF 13 may be a combination of a display capable of displaying information and a mouse or keyboard having an input reception function, or may be a touch panel having a display function and an input reception function.

The communication IF 14 includes hardware for communicating with external devices such as the printer 2. The communication standards of the communication IF 14 include Ethernet (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), USB, etc. The PC 1 may be equipped with multiple communication IFs 14 that support multiple communication standards.

As shown in FIG. 1, the memory 12 of the PC 1 stores an operating system (hereinafter referred to as "OS") 21 including a general-purpose print program 41, an auxiliary program 42, and an editing application 43. The auxiliary program 42 is an example of a "support program." The editing application 43 is an example of an "editing application program." The OS 21 is, for example, Windows (registered trademark), MacOS (registered trademark), Linux (registered trademark), iOS (registered trademark), or Android (registered trademark).

The general-purpose printing program 41 is an OS standard program that causes various printers, such as printer 2, to execute printing based on user instructions. In this embodiment, the general-purpose printing program 41 is a program that includes a function for generating intermediate image data based on the image data to be printed.

The generic printing program 41 supports functions that can be used commonly by multiple models of printers provided by various printer vendors. The generic printing program 41 does not support all of the functions that are unique to each printer, and the functions it supports are limited to generic ones.

The auxiliary program 42 is a program or group of programs that executes processing based on instructions from the OS 21 in conjunction with the processing of the generic printing program 41, and is an application that supports the control of the target hardware. In this embodiment, the auxiliary program 42 corresponds to the model of the printer 2 connected to the PC 1, and is launched from the generic printing program 41 when, for example, an instruction is received to cause the printer 2 to execute printing using the generic printing program 41. The auxiliary program 42 is called, for example, a hardware support application (abbreviated as HSA).

The auxiliary program 42 can accept multiple types of commands from the general-purpose printing program 41 and executes various processes based on the accepted commands. Note that the auxiliary program 42 may be a combination of multiple programs that each accept execution commands, or it may be a single program that can execute different processes depending on the command.

The auxiliary program may be a program prepared by the printer vendor for each type of printer. For example, an auxiliary program for inkjet printers and an auxiliary program for laser printers may be prepared separately. For example, when a new printer is connected to PC1, OS21 of PC1 downloads an appropriate auxiliary program from a server or the like according to the type of connected printer and incorporates it into its own device. Then, OS21 associates the identification information of the incorporated auxiliary program with the printer information of the newly connected printer and stores it in memory 12. Note that there may be auxiliary programs prepared not only for each type of printer, but also for each model of printer or each series of printer models.

The editing application 43 is, for example, an application for creating and editing image data and document data. The editing application 43 may be, for example, Microsoft (registered trademark) Word or PowerPoint, or may be an application provided by the vendor of the printer 2. The editing application 43 accepts user operations including instructions to cause the printer 2 to perform a specified operation. Specifically, the editing application 43 accepts, for example, a print execution instruction to cause the printer 2 to execute printing via the user IF 13.

The printer 2 accepts registration of a specific print setting via its own operation panel or a management device that manages the printer 2, and stores the registered print setting (hereinafter referred to as "registered print setting") 2a in the non-volatile memory of the printer. The registered print setting may be registered or changed from an external device using an embedded web server (EWS) built into the printer 2. The registered print setting 2a is not the default print setting 2b that is stored in advance from the time of shipment from the factory or before delivery to the user, but is a print setting that can be registered or changed by a user operation after shipment from the factory.

For example, when the printer 2 displays the print screen on the operation panel, it displays the values of each item according to the registered print settings 2a. Therefore, if a frequently used print setting is registered in the printer 2 as the registered print setting 2a, the frequently used print setting will be displayed from the start, eliminating the need to change the print setting to the frequently used print setting.

When printing by specifying printer 2, PC 1 accepts its own print settings. Therefore, PC 1 can generate a print job with print settings different from the registered print settings 2a of printer 2, send it to printer 2, and have printer 2 print.

Next, the printing procedure including the operation of the auxiliary program 42 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the sequence diagram in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 shows the operation when an application that accepts print instructions, such as an editing application 43, accepts a print execution instruction to cause the printer 2 to print using the general-purpose print program 41, and when the auxiliary program 42 corresponding to the printer 2 is installed in the PC 1.

Note that the processes and each processing step of the flowchart in this embodiment basically indicate the processing of the CPU 11 according to instructions written in a program such as the auxiliary program 42. The processing by the CPU 11 also includes hardware control using the API of the OS 21. In this specification, the operation of each program will be explained without a detailed description of the OS 21. Also, "obtain" is used as a concept that does not necessarily require a request.

The editing application 43 accepts creation and editing of text, charts, etc. based on instructions from the user. When the editing application 43 accepts an instruction to print the selected text, etc. (A01), it displays a print screen on the user IF 13 for accepting instructions from the user (A02). On the print screen, the editing application 43 accepts, for example, an instruction to execute printing, an instruction for basic print settings, and an instruction to start accepting detailed print settings.

When the editing application 43 receives an instruction to start accepting detailed print settings while printer 2 is selected on the displayed print screen (A03), it passes information about the received detailed setting instruction to the OS 21. When the OS 21 receives an instruction for detailed settings related to printing using the general-purpose printing program 41, it executes the general-purpose printing program 41 and passes an instruction to start accepting detailed print settings to the general-purpose printing program 41 (A04). The instruction to start accepting detailed print settings is an example of a "display instruction." When the general-purpose printing program 41 receives the instruction to start accepting detailed print settings, it passes an instruction to execute accepting detailed print settings to the auxiliary program 42 corresponding to printer 2, the currently selected printer (A05).

In response to an execution instruction, the auxiliary program 42 causes the user IF 13 to display a detailed settings screen for accepting print settings to be used for printing on the printer 2 (A11). The detailed settings screen is an example of a "settings screen." The process of A11 is an example of a "display process." An example of the detailed settings screen is shown in FIG. 3.

The detailed settings screen 230 displays print setting items. These print setting items include print setting items specific to the printer 2 that the general-purpose printing program 41 cannot handle. Therefore, the detailed settings screen 230 allows the user to set print settings that the general-purpose printing program 41 cannot handle. Note that the print setting items displayed on the detailed settings screen 230 may further include print setting items that the general-purpose printing program 41 can handle.

The print settings include items for processing images (hereafter referred to as "image processing items") and items for not processing images (hereafter referred to as "non-image processing items"). Image processing items include, for example, color correction, toner saving, aggregate printing such as Nin1, composite printing such as watermarks, and double-sided printing. Non-image processing items include, for example, paper feed tray, paper output tray, double-sided printing, color printing, eco mode, and accumulated printing.

Each item has a radio button for selecting a setting that the printer 2 can handle. For example, the print setting for paper size has a radio button for selecting the standard sizes "A4" or "A3." Even if a setting value cannot be set in the general-purpose printing program 41 for each item, it can be set as long as it is a setting value that the printer 2 can handle.

The detailed settings screen 230 has a setting button 232, a back button 233, a follow main body button 234, and a register main body button 235. The setting button 232 is an operator for accepting an instruction to confirm the print settings. The back button 233 is an operator for accepting an instruction to return to the previous screen without confirming the print settings. The follow main body button 234 is an operator for accepting an instruction to follow the print settings of Printer 2, which is the printer main body. The follow main body button 234 is an example of an "option". The register main body button 235 is an operator for accepting a registration instruction to register the print settings set on the detailed settings screen 230 in Printer 2, which is the printer main body.

Returning to FIG. 2, the auxiliary program 42 that has displayed the detailed setting screen 230 performs a screen operation reception process (A12). In the screen operation reception process, operations on the detailed setting screen 230 are received via the user IF 13. The screen operation reception process will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 4. The image operation reception process is executed by the CPU 11 of the PC 1.

The CPU 11 determines whether the detailed settings screen 230 has been operated (S1). If the operator displayed on the detailed settings screen 230 has not been operated, the CPU 11 waits (S1: NO).

For example, when the CPU 11 receives an operation to change any of the items displayed on the detailed setting screen 230 shown in FIG. 3 (S3: YES), the CPU 11 changes the setting for that item in response to the input operation (S11) and returns to S1. For example, the CPU 11 changes the display of the print setting for paper size from "A4" to "A3" in response to the operation of the user IF 13.

When the Follow Main Body button 234 displayed on the detailed settings screen 230 in FIG. 3 is operated via the user IF 13, the CPU 11 determines that the print settings of the printer main body are to be followed (S1: YES, S3: NO, S5: YES). In this case, the CPU 11 outputs a notification instruction to execute a notification process (S13) and returns to the process of S1. The notification process is a process in which a notification screen that displays the registered print settings acquired from the printer 2 is displayed on the user IF 13 separately from the detailed settings screen 230, and an operation on the notification screen is accepted. The notification process will be described later.

When the main body registration button 235 displayed on the detailed setting screen 230 is operated via the user IF 13 (S1: YES, S3: NO, S5: NO, S6: YES), the CPU 11 accepts a registration instruction to register the setting contents displayed on the detailed setting screen 230 to the printer 2, which is the printer main body, and confirms with the user whether or not registration is required (S21). For example, the CPU 11 causes the user IF 13 to display a dialog box for confirming whether or not registration is required. The dialog box includes, for example, an OK button that allows registration and a Cancel button that does not allow registration.

For example, when the CPU 11 accepts operation of the OK button in the dialog via the user IF 13 (S23: YES), it sends a registration command to the printer 2 via the communication IF 14 (S25) and returns to the processing of S1. The registration command is a command that instructs the printer 2 to register the print settings configured in the detailed settings screen 230, and includes print setting information related to the print settings displayed on the detailed settings screen 230. Note that before sending the registration command to the printer 2, the CPU 11 may request entry of a password and authenticate whether or not the user has the authority to change the registered print settings, and send the registration command to the printer 2 if the authentication is successful.

When the printer 2 receives the registration command sent from the PC 1, it updates the registered print settings stored in the non-volatile memory in the printer 2 with the print setting information included in the registration command. This makes it possible to store the registered print settings from the PC 1 in the printer 2, eliminating the need for the user to go to the printer 2 and register or change the registered print settings via the operation panel.

For example, if the CPU 11 receives an operation of the cancel button via the user IF 13, it determines that the registration instruction has not been received (S23: NO). In this case, the CPU 11 returns to the process of S1 without sending a registration command to the printer 2 via the communication IF 14.

When the setting button 232 is operated via the user IF 13 (S1: YES, S3: NO, S5: NO, S6: NO, S7: YES), the CPU 11 confirms the print settings set on the detailed settings screen 230 (S15). That is, the CPU 11 updates the existing print settings stored in the non-volatile area of the memory 12 that can be used by the auxiliary program 42 with the print settings set on the detailed settings screen 230. After confirming the print settings, the CPU 11 ends the screen operation reception process.

In response to this, when the back button 233 is operated via the user IF 13 (S1: YES, S3: NO, S5: NO, S6: NO, S7: NO, S9: YES), the CPU 11 ends the screen operation reception process without changing the existing print settings stored in the non-volatile area of the memory 12 that can be used by the auxiliary program 42. Note that when an operation other than the operation to change the print settings and the operation of the buttons 232 to 235 is performed via the user IF 13 (S1: YES, S3: NO, S5: NO, S6: NO, S7: NO, S9: NO), the CPU 11 performs other processing (S17) and ends the screen operation reception process.

Returning to FIG. 2, when the auxiliary program 42 ends the screen operation reception process, it closes the detailed settings screen and passes a termination notification to the general-purpose printing program 41. At this time, the auxiliary program 42 passes the print settings received via the detailed settings screen 230 to the general-purpose printing program 41. The general-purpose printing program 41 passes the termination notification and the print settings received from the auxiliary program 42 to the editing application 43.

The above-mentioned notification process will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 5. The notification process is a process performed by the auxiliary program 42, and is executed by the CPU 11 of the PC 1 when a notification instruction is output in S13 in FIG. 4.

The CPU 11 uses the communication IF 14 to request the printer 2 to send the registered print settings (S31). In response to the request from the PC 1, the printer 2 acquires the registered print settings stored in the non-volatile memory of the printer 2. The printer 2 then responds to the PC 1 that sent the request with the acquired registered print settings. The CPU 11 waits until it receives the registered print settings sent from the printer 2 via the communication IF 14 (S33: NO).

The communication between the PC 1 (auxiliary program 42) and the printer 2 may be performed by the auxiliary program 42 directly communicating with the printer 2 using, for example, an MIB (short for Management Information Base), or may be performed via the OS 21. When performing communication via the OS 21, the auxiliary program 42 and the printer 2 communicate according to the communication protocol of the OS 21, such as IPP (short for internet printing protocol).

When the CPU 11 receives the registered print settings sent from the printer 2 via the communication IF 14 (S33: YES), it causes the user IF 13 to display the notification screen 300 based on all items (S35). That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the CPU 11 causes the user IF 13 to display the notification screen 300 that displays all of the registered print settings received from the printer 2 in S33 on the user IF 13. Thereafter, the CPU 11 proceeds to the processing of S37 shown in FIG. 5. The registered print settings may be displayed on the same screen as the detailed settings screen 230. The notification screen 300 may also be displayed as a pop-up as a separate process from the detailed settings screen 230.

In this way, when the Follow Main Unit button 234 on the detailed settings screen 230 is operated, that is, when the option to follow the main unit is selected, the PC 1 acquires and notifies the registered print settings from the printer 2 while the detailed settings screen 230 is displayed. Therefore, when the user wants to know the contents of the registered print settings, the PC 1 allows the user to grasp the contents of the registered print settings, thereby reducing the possibility of printing being performed in an unintended manner by the user.

As shown in FIG. 6, the notification screen 300 further includes an end button 321 and an apply button 323. The end button 321 is an operator for accepting an instruction to end the notification of the registered print settings. The apply button 323 is an operator for accepting an instruction to apply the print settings accepted via the notification screen 300 to the print settings displayed on the detailed settings screen 230.

As shown in FIG. 5, the CPU 11 waits with the notification screen 300 displayed until an operation is received via the user IF 13 (S37: NO). When the CPU 11 receives an operation of the Apply button 323 of the notification screen 300 via the user IF 13 (S37: YES, S41: YES), the CPU 11 applies the registered print settings displayed on the notification screen 300 to the print settings of the detailed setting screen 230 (S47) and returns to the process of S37. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, before the Apply button 323 is operated, the aggregate printing is set to "No" on the detailed setting screen 230, whereas as shown in FIG. 6, when the Apply button 323 is operated in a state where the aggregate printing is set to "2 in 1" on the notification screen 300, the CPU 11 changes the aggregate printing setting on the detailed setting screen 230 from "No" to "2 in 1". As a result, the registered print settings are reflected in the print settings on the detailed setting screen 230 all at once. Therefore, when a user wants to use the registered print settings of Printer 2, they do not need to set each item individually to match the registered print settings, reducing the effort required for the user to set print settings.

In addition, if the CPU 11 receives an operation of the end button 321 on the notification screen 300 via the user IF 13 (S37: YES, S41: NO, S43: YES), it closes the notification screen 300 (S45) and ends the notification process.

As shown in FIG. 2, when the editing application 43 receives a print instruction from the user on the print screen (A61), it passes the print instruction to the general-purpose print program 41 (A62). The general-purpose print program 41 obtains, from the print instruction, information indicating the image data to be printed and information indicating the print settings. The print settings include the print settings received via the detailed settings screen 230.

The general-purpose printing program 41 generates intermediate image data by converting the format of the image data included in the received print instruction into the format of intermediate image data (A63), and generates a print job including the intermediate image data. The image data included in the editing application 43 is of various types, and the general-purpose printing program 41 converts the received image data into intermediate image data suitable for generating print data. Note that if the image data included in the print instruction is suitable for generating print data, the generation of the intermediate image data may be omitted and the image data may be used as is as intermediate image data. The intermediate image data is, for example, XPS data.

The general-purpose printing program 41 further outputs an execution instruction to the auxiliary program 42 (A64), causing the auxiliary program 42 to operate. In the execution instruction, the generated intermediate image data and information on print settings are passed to the auxiliary program 42. The print settings include the print settings received via the detailed settings screen 230.

The auxiliary program 42 generates print data based on the execution instruction received from the general-purpose print program 41 (A71). The print data is generated by performing rasterization based on the intermediate image data. The print data is data in a format that can be used for printing by the printer 2, for example, PDL data dedicated to the model of the printer 2. The print data is an example of a "raster image." When generating print data from the intermediate image data, the auxiliary program 42 processes the print image in accordance with the settings of the items for which image processing is applied. The processing of A71 is an example of an "image processing process."

For example, if combined printing is set to "2 in 1," the auxiliary program 42 processes the intermediate image data so as to combine two images onto one. For another example, if double-sided printing is set to "Yes," the auxiliary program 42 processes the intermediate image data so as to invert one image relative to the other. For another example, if composite printing is set to "Yes" and an image of "Confidential" is selected as the composite image, the auxiliary program 42 processes the intermediate image data to combine the image of "Confidential" with the intermediate image data. The auxiliary program 42 then rasterizes the processed intermediate image data to generate print data.

For example, the auxiliary program 42 has a conversion table for converting RGB values to CMYK values. Furthermore, the auxiliary program 42 accepts settings of preferred shades (brightness, RGB values, etc.) for specific colors. The auxiliary program 42 can accept color correction settings via the detailed settings screen 230. Color correction is a setting for correcting the conversion table for a specific color (e.g., red) based on the preferred shade. The specific color is not limited to red, but may be blue or green. If color correction is set to "Yes," the auxiliary program 42 corrects the conversion table according to the setting. Then, when the auxiliary program 42 rasterizes the intermediate image data to generate print data, it converts the RGB values of the specific color specified in the print image into CMYK values based on the corrected conversion table.

For example, when color correction is set to "Yes" and auxiliary program 42 receives settings for color tone, such as brightness and RGB values, it corrects the RGB values of the color specified in the print image according to the set color tone when rasterizing the intermediate image data to generate print data.For example, when toner save is set to "On," auxiliary program 42 reduces the density of the print image when rasterizing the intermediate image data to generate print data.

Furthermore, for example, if the print settings include settings for non-image processing items such as paper feed tray, paper output tray, double-sided printing, color printing, eco mode, and accumulated printing, the auxiliary program 42 generates print data to which a command is added to cause the printer 2 to perform a print operation based on those settings. Eco mode is a mode that slows down the transport speed at which paper is transported during printing, thereby reducing noise generated during printing. Accumulated printing is a printing method in which the printer 2 does not immediately print print data received from an external device such as the PC 1, but accumulates it in its own memory, and prints the accumulated print data when a print execution instruction is received via the operation panel. Accumulated printing may also be secure printing, in which user information such as a user ID and password is entered, and if user authentication is successful, a print execution instruction is accepted and printing is performed.

In this way, rasterization using the auxiliary program 42 corresponding to the printer 2 allows greater freedom compared to rasterization using the general-purpose print program 41, and there is a high possibility that print data suitable for printing on the printer 2 will be generated. Note that the print data generated by the auxiliary program 42 may be in a format that can also be used for printing on printers other than the model of the printer 2.

Instead of the auxiliary program 42 generating the print data, the general-purpose printing program 41 may generate the print data. In other words, when the auxiliary program 42 determines that printing is to be performed, it may pass information on the execution of printing to the general-purpose printing program 41. In this case, the general-purpose printing program 41 rasterizes the intermediate image data generated by A63 to generate print data. Then, the general-purpose printing program 41 passes the generated print data to the auxiliary program 42.

The print data generated by the general-purpose print program 41 is print data in a format that can be used for printing on various printers, such as PWGRaster data or PDF data. If the data is rasterized by the general-purpose print program 41, the processing of the auxiliary program 42 is reduced, which is expected to prevent an increase in processing time and reduce the program size of the auxiliary program 42.

The auxiliary program 42 sends the print data generated in A71 to the printer 2 together with a print command that instructs the printer to print (A72). Furthermore, when the auxiliary program 42 receives print data from the general-purpose print program 41, it sends the print data received from the general-purpose print program 41 to the printer 2 together with the print command that instructs the printer to print. The printer 2, which has received the print data and print command, prints the image of the print data based on the received print command (A73). This results in the production of a printed copy. The auxiliary program 42 also notifies the general-purpose print program 41 that it has finished sending the print data.

The general-purpose printing program 41 may transmit the print data, etc. to the printer 2. In other words, the auxiliary program 42 may pass the generated print data to the general-purpose printing program 41 so that the data is transmitted from the PC 1 to the printer 2 as the transmission destination. The general-purpose printing program 41 transmits the print data received from the auxiliary program 42 to the printer 2.

As described above in detail, the auxiliary program 42 of this embodiment obtains the registered print settings registered in the printer 2 from the printer 2, and notifies the user of the registered print settings obtained from the printer 2 while the detailed settings screen 230 is displayed. This allows the user to understand the contents of the registered print settings on the PC 1 when selecting a setting on the detailed settings screen 230 that indicates that the registered print settings will be followed. This reduces the possibility of printing unintended by the user when printing according to the print settings registered in the printer 2.

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment will be described. The printing system of this embodiment differs from the printing system of the first embodiment in the display of the detailed setting screen and the method of notifying the registered print settings. Here, the differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the configurations and processes common to the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals as the first embodiment in the drawings, and the description will be omitted as appropriate.

For example, as shown in FIG. 7, each item on the detailed settings screen 1230 includes options for settings that the printer 2 can support, as well as an option for selecting settings that follow the registered print settings of the printer itself. For example, the print setting for paper size includes radio buttons for selecting "A4" or "A3," and further includes a "Follow printer" radio button that instructs the printer to follow the registered print settings for paper size. Thus, it is possible to set for each item whether or not to follow the print settings registered in the printer 2.

In addition, the detailed settings screen 1230 has a Confirm Main Unit button 1234 instead of the Follow Main Unit button 234 shown in FIG. 3. The Confirm Main Unit button 1234 is an operator for receiving an instruction to display the registered print settings of the printer 2 on the user IF 13. The Confirm Main Unit button 1234 is an example of a "predetermined operator."

In this embodiment, the process of S5 in the screen operation reception process (see FIG. 4) in the first embodiment is a process for determining whether the main unit check button 1234 has been operated, and if the main unit check button 1234 has been operated, a notification instruction is output in S13. In this embodiment, the notification process executed when a notification instruction is received differs from the first embodiment. The notification process in this embodiment will be described based on the flowchart in FIG. 8.

As shown in FIG. 8, after the CPU 11 acquires the registered print settings from the printer 2 (S31, S33), it accepts the selection of a notification method (S111). For example, the CPU 11 allows the user to select between a first notification method in which all registered print settings acquired from the printer 2 are displayed on the user IF 13, and a second notification method in which only print settings for which "follow main unit" is set among the print settings displayed on the detailed settings screen are displayed on the user IF 13.

When the first notification method is selected via the user IF 13, the CPU 11 determines that all should be displayed (S113: YES). In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, for example, the CPU 11 causes the user IF 13 to display the notification screen 300 based on all items (S35), and proceeds to the processing of S41.

In this way, by notifying all the setting items of the registered print settings, the user can grasp all the setting items of the registered print settings, including the items that are set to follow the registered print settings. In other words, the user can grasp the print settings registered in the printer 2, not only for the items (output tray, double-sided printing, eco mode) that are set to "follow main unit" on the detailed settings screen 1230 shown in FIG. 7, but also for the items that are not set to "follow main unit" (paper size, number of copies, paper feed tray, aggregate printing, toner mode, accumulated printing, etc.) and items that are not displayed on the detailed settings screen 230 (for example, paper type, print quality, color correction, etc.).

The CPU 11 also determines that when the second notification method is selected via the user IF 13, only items that follow the main unit are to be displayed (S113: NO, S115: YES). In this case, the CPU 11 extracts items that are displayed on the detailed setting screen 230 and have their setting value set to "follow the main unit" (S121). The CPU 11 then causes the user IF 13 to display a notification screen based on the items extracted in S121 (S123), and proceeds to the processing of S41.

For example, as shown in FIG. 7, assume that before the main unit confirmation button 324 is operated, "Output tray", "Double-sided printing", and "Eco mode" are set to "Follow main unit" on the detailed settings screen 230. In this case, as shown in FIG. 9, the CPU 11 causes the user IF 13 to display a notification screen 600 that displays the settings of "Output tray", "Double-sided printing", and "Eco mode" from the registered print settings received in S33.

In this way, notification screen 600, which displays only the items set to follow main body, has fewer display items than notification screen 300 (see FIG. 6), which notifies all registered print settings. Also, it is possible to display only the items that the user wants to print according to the print settings registered in printer 2. This makes it easier for the user to understand the items that are the subject of notification, and reduces the possibility of printing that is not intended by the user when printing according to the print settings registered in printer 2.

In addition, the user can select whether to display everything or only the items that correspond to the main body, so the notification screen that suits the user's intention can be displayed on the user IF 13.

Third Embodiment
Next, a third embodiment will be described. The printing system of this embodiment differs from the printing system of the first embodiment in the timing of obtaining the registered print settings and displaying the notification screen. Therefore, in this embodiment, the differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the configurations and processes common to the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals as the first embodiment in the drawings, and the description will be omitted as appropriate.

As shown in the sequence diagram of FIG. 10, when the auxiliary program 42 receives an execution instruction output by the general-purpose printing program 41 after receiving a start reception instruction from the editing application 43 (A05), it requests the printer 2 to send the registered print settings via the communication IF 14 (A201). In response to the request, the printer 2 reads and acquires the registered print settings from the non-volatile memory (A202) and responds to the PC 1. After receiving the registered print settings sent from the printer 2 via the communication IF 14 (A203), the auxiliary program 42 displays the detailed settings screen 230 and the notification screen 300 (S204). The auxiliary program 42 then receives the detailed settings via the detailed settings screen 230 (S211).

In this manner, in this embodiment, the registered print settings are obtained from the printer 2 before displaying the detailed settings screen 230, and when the detailed settings screen 230 is displayed, the registered print settings are notified from the beginning via the notification screen 300. As a result, as in the first and second embodiments, when setting up print settings on the PC 1, the user can understand the contents of the registered print settings and then select whether or not to set the settings to follow the registered print settings, thereby reducing the possibility of printing unintended by the user when printing according to the print settings registered on the printer 2.

The embodiments disclosed in this specification are merely examples and do not limit the present invention in any way. Naturally, the technology disclosed in this specification can be improved or modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the technology. For example, the device connected to PC1 is not limited to a printer, but may be any device with a printing function, such as a multifunction device, copier, or fax machine. Furthermore, the number of printers connected to PC1 is not limited to the example shown in the figure, and may be two or more.

For example, in the above embodiment, the auxiliary program 42 acquires all registered print settings registered in the printer 2. In contrast, when the auxiliary program 42 performs settings that follow the settings of the main body for each item as shown in FIG. 7, the auxiliary program 42 may acquire registered print settings from the printer 2 only for items that follow the settings of the main body, and display the acquired registered print settings on the notification screen. Also, the auxiliary program 42 may acquire the corresponding registered print settings individually from the printer 2, for example, each time the radio button that follows the main body is selected. However, by acquiring the registered print settings all at once in response to the operation of the main body confirmation button 1234 as in the above embodiment, the communication time with the printer 2 can be shortened.

For example, in the second embodiment, the notification method can be selected by the user, but the notification method may always be the same.

For example, the print settings configured on the detailed settings screen 230 may be made unable to be registered on the printer 2 from the PC 1. In other words, the registered print settings of the printer 2 may be made unable to be changed from the PC 1. However, by being able to update the registered print settings of the printer 2 from the PC 1, it is possible to eliminate the need to operate the printer 2 to register the print settings.

The image processing that processes the image according to the print settings may be performed by the general-purpose print program 41 or the printer 2, rather than by the auxiliary program 42. However, by making at least the setting items of the print settings for which the auxiliary program 42 processes the image the target of the registered print settings, the possibility of printing unintended by the user can be reduced.

The detailed setting screens 230, 1230 shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 7 and the notification screens 300, 600 shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 9 are only examples and are not limited to these. For example, the items displayed on the detailed setting screens 230, 1230 and the notification screens 300, 600 are not limited to those shown in the figures.

In the above embodiment, only the printing operation is described in detail as the operation of the auxiliary program 42, but the auxiliary program 42 may have other roles as well. In addition, the program that executes the processing of this embodiment is not limited to the auxiliary program 42, but may be any program that receives instructions from the OS 21 or the general-purpose printing program 41 when printing using the general-purpose printing program 41. For example, it may be a print workflow application (Print workflow) whose specifications have been published by Microsoft.

The execution timing of the auxiliary program 42 is not limited to that of the embodiment. For example, the auxiliary program 42 may be executed in response to a direct execution instruction from the OS 21, or the auxiliary program 42 may be resident. If the auxiliary program 42 is resident, it may receive an execution command and perform the above-mentioned operation.

In addition, in any of the flowcharts disclosed in the embodiments, the execution order of multiple processes in any of the steps can be arbitrarily changed or the processes can be executed in parallel, as long as no inconsistencies occur in the process content.

The processes disclosed in the embodiments may be executed by a single CPU, multiple CPUs, hardware such as an ASIC, or a combination of these. The processes disclosed in the embodiments may be realized in various ways, such as a recording medium on which a program for executing the processes is recorded, or a method.

1 PC
2 Printer 11 CPU
13 User IF
100 Printing system

Claims (10)

A support program executable by a computer of an information processing device, corresponding to a printer connected to the information processing device, and supporting a general-purpose printing program pre-installed in an operating system of the information processing device,
The computer includes:
Executing an acquisition process for acquiring registered print settings from the printer, the printer being capable of accepting registration of a predetermined print setting and storing the registered print setting, which is the registered predetermined print setting;
The computer further comprises:
a display process is executed to display the setting screen using a user interface of the information processing device when a display instruction is output from an editing application program incorporated in the information processing device, the display instruction instructing the general-purpose printing program to display the setting screen for accepting print settings to be used for printing on the printer, and options that can be accepted on the setting screen include a setting indicating that the registered print settings should be followed;
The computer further comprises:
executing a notification process for notifying the user of the registered print settings acquired in the acquisition process using a user interface of the information processing apparatus while the setting screen is being displayed;
The computer includes:
a print instruction output from the editing application program incorporated in the information processing device, when the print instruction is given to the general-purpose print program to cause the printer to print an image, the information processing device receives image data to be printed in the print instruction from the general-purpose print program, and executes an image processing process for processing the image according to the registered print settings set as print settings on the setting screen for the received image data, the registered print settings including items to be processed on the image in the image processing process;
A support program characterized by: A support program executable by a computer of an information processing device, corresponding to a printer connected to the information processing device, and supporting a general-purpose printing program pre-installed in an operating system of the information processing device ,
The computer includes:
Executing an acquisition process for acquiring registered print settings from the printer, the printer being capable of accepting registration of a predetermined print setting and storing the registered print setting, which is the registered predetermined print setting;
The computer further comprises:
a display process is executed to display the setting screen using a user interface of the information processing device when a display instruction is output from an editing application program incorporated in the information processing device, the display instruction instructing the general-purpose printing program to display the setting screen for accepting print settings to be used for printing on the printer, and options that can be accepted on the setting screen include a setting indicating that the registered print settings should be followed;
The computer further comprises:
executing a notification process for notifying the user of the registered print settings acquired in the acquisition process using a user interface of the information processing apparatus while the setting screen is being displayed;
The computer includes:
When the display instruction is received, the acquisition process and the notification process are also executed.
A support program characterized by: A support program executable by a computer of an information processing device, corresponding to a printer connected to the information processing device, and supporting a general-purpose printing program pre-installed in an operating system of the information processing device,
The computer includes:
Executing an acquisition process for acquiring registered print settings from the printer, the printer being capable of accepting registration of a predetermined print setting and storing the registered print setting, which is the registered predetermined print setting;
The computer further comprises:
a display process is executed to display the setting screen using a user interface of the information processing device when a display instruction is output from an editing application program incorporated in the information processing device, the display instruction instructing the general-purpose printing program to display the setting screen for accepting print settings to be used for printing on the printer, and options that can be accepted on the setting screen include a setting indicating that the registered print settings should be followed;
The computer further comprises:
executing a notification process for notifying the user of the registered print settings acquired in the acquisition process using a user interface of the information processing apparatus while the setting screen is being displayed;
On the setting screen, it is possible to set whether or not to follow the registered print setting for each print setting item,
In the notification process,
notifying an item for which a setting indicating that the registered print setting is to be followed is selected among the setting items of the registered print setting acquired in the acquisition process;
A support program characterized by: The support program according to claim 1 or 3 ,
The computer includes:
when an option indicating that the registered print settings should be followed is selected on the setting screen, executing the acquisition process and the notification process.
A support program characterized by: The support program according to claim 1 or 3 ,
The computer includes:
executing the acquisition process and the notification process when a predetermined operator displayed on the setting screen is operated;
A support program characterized by: The support program according to claim 1 or 2 ,
In the notification process,
notifying all of the setting items of the registered print setting acquired in the acquisition process;
A support program characterized by: A support program according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The computer includes:
while the setting screen is displayed, a registration instruction for the currently set print settings is accepted using the user interface, and when the registration instruction is accepted, a registration process is executed to output to the printer a registration command instructing the printer to register the print settings set on the setting screen, the registration command includes information indicating the print settings set on the setting screen, and when the printer receives the registration command, the printer updates the stored registered print settings with the print settings indicated by the information included in the registration command.
A support program characterized by: A printing system including an information processing device and a printer,
The printer includes:
Accepting registration of a predetermined print setting, and storing a registered print setting which is the registered predetermined print setting;
The information processing device includes:
Obtaining the registered print settings from the printer;
Furthermore, the information processing device
when a display instruction is output from an editing application program installed in the information processing device, the display instruction being to display a setting screen for accepting print settings to be used for printing on the printer for a general-purpose print program installed in advance in an operating system of the information processing device, the setting screen is displayed using a user interface of the information processing device, and options that can be accepted on the setting screen include a setting indicating that the registered print settings should be followed;
Furthermore, the information processing device
notifying the user of the registered print settings acquired from the printer using a user interface of the information processing device while the setting screen is being displayed ;
Furthermore, the information processing device
a print instruction output from the editing application program incorporated in the information processing device, and when the print instruction is given to the general-purpose print program to cause the printer to print an image, image data to be printed in the print instruction is received from the general-purpose print program, and the image is processed according to the registered print settings set as print settings on the setting screen for the received image data, and the registered print settings include items for processing the image.
A printing system comprising: A printing system including an information processing device and a printer,
The printer includes:
Accepting registration of a predetermined print setting, and storing a registered print setting which is the registered predetermined print setting;
The information processing device includes:
acquiring the registered print settings from the printer when a display instruction is output from an editing application program installed in the information processing device, the display instruction being for displaying a setting screen for receiving print settings to be used for printing on the printer for a general-purpose print program installed in advance in an operating system of the information processing device;
Furthermore, the information processing device
When the display instruction is received, the setting screen is displayed using a user interface of the information processing device, and options that can be accepted on the setting screen include a setting indicating that the registered print settings are to be followed;
Furthermore, the information processing device
When the display instruction is received, the registered print settings acquired from the printer are notified using a user interface of the information processing device while the setting screen is being displayed.
A printing system comprising: A printing system including an information processing device and a printer,
The printer includes:
Accepting registration of a predetermined print setting, and storing a registered print setting which is the registered predetermined print setting;
The information processing device includes:
Obtaining the registered print settings from the printer;
Furthermore, the information processing device
when a display instruction is output from an editing application program incorporated in the information processing device, the display instruction being to display a setting screen for accepting print settings to be used for printing on the printer for a general-purpose print program pre-installed in an operating system of the information processing device, the setting screen is displayed using a user interface of the information processing device, options that can be accepted on the setting screen include a setting indicating that the registered print settings should be followed, and on the setting screen, it is possible to set whether or not to follow the registered print settings for each print setting item;
Furthermore, the information processing device
notifying, using a user interface of the information processing device, of the registered print settings acquired, for an item for which a setting indicating that the registered print setting is followed is selected, while the setting screen is being displayed, of the registered print settings acquired from the printer;
A printing system comprising:

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