Support program

Abstract

To provide a technology that can easily use a default print setting stored in a printer in an information processing device with a standard OS general-purpose print program incorporated therein.SOLUTION: An auxiliary program 42 corresponds to a printer 2 and supports a general-purpose print program 41 included in an OS 21 of a PC 1. The auxiliary program 42 causes, when an editing application 43 incorporated in the PC 1 issues a selection instruction to select the printer 2 to the general-purpose printing program 41, a CPU 11 of the PC 1 to acquire a default print setting stored in the printer 2 and store the acquired default print setting in a memory 12 as default information. Furthermore, the auxiliary program 42 causes, when the default print setting of the printer 2 is used, the CPU 11 to read out the default information stored in the memory 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The technical field disclosed in this specification relates to a support program for supporting the control of a printer.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, a technology for controlling a printer by using a general-purpose printing program standard to the operating system (OS) that constitutes a part of the OS without using a printer driver provided by a printer vendor has been put into practical use. In this technology, when the OS detects a printer, it associates with the general-purpose printing program standard to the OS. After that, when receiving a print instruction for the printer, without using the printer driver provided by the printer vendor, the general-purpose printing program standard to the OS generates print data, enabling printing by the general-purpose printing program standard to the OS.

[0003] As a document disclosing a technology related to the general-purpose printing program standard to the OS, for example, there is Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 discloses a support program for supporting a general-purpose printing program, which acquires the default print settings stored in the printer at the timing of displaying a detailed print setting screen or at the timing when a reset button on the detailed print setting screen is operated, and reflects the acquired default print settings on the detailed print setting screen.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Communication with the printer may take time. As disclosed in Patent Document 1, when obtaining the default print settings from the printer at the timing of displaying the detailed print settings screen or at the timing when the reset button on the detailed print settings screen is operated, it may take time until it is reflected on the detailed print settings screen. Therefore, there is room for improvement in the technology of using the default print settings stored in the printer.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0006] A support program made for the purpose of solving the above-described problems is executable by a computer of an information processing apparatus, corresponds to a printer connected to the information processing apparatus, and is a support program that supports a general-purpose print program included in the operating system of the information processing apparatus. The computer is configured to execute, when there is a selection instruction to select the printer from an editing application program incorporated in the information processing apparatus for the general-purpose print program, an acquisition process of acquiring the default print settings stored in the printer, and a cache process of storing the default print settings acquired in the acquisition process in the memory of the information processing apparatus. The computer is further configured to execute a read process of reading out the default print settings stored in the memory when using the default print settings stored in the printer.

[0007] The support program disclosed in this specification causes a computer of an information processing apparatus to acquire and store in the memory the default print settings of the printer stored in the printer when the corresponding printer is selected in the editing application. Further, when using the default print settings of the printer, the support program causes the computer to read out the default print settings stored in the memory. As a result, it is highly likely that the default print settings of the printer can be used immediately.

[0008] An information processing apparatus incorporating the above support program, a computer-readable storage medium storing the support program, a control method for realizing the functions of the support program, and a printing system including the support program and a printer are also novel and useful.

Advantages of the Invention

[0009] According to the technology disclosed in this specification, in an information processing apparatus incorporating a general-purpose printing program compliant with the OS standard, a technology that facilitates the use of default printing settings stored in a printer is realized.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as "PC") that uses the support program of this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. This specification discloses a support program executed on a PC.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1, the PC1 of this embodiment includes a controller 10 including a CPU 11 and a memory 12. The PC1 is an example of an information processing device. The CPU 11 is an example of a computer. Further, the PC1 includes a user interface (hereinafter referred to as "user IF") 13 and a communication interface (hereinafter referred to as "communication IF") 14, and these 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 for the control of the PC1, and does not necessarily represent a single piece of hardware actually existing in the PC1.

[0013] The CPU 11 of the PC1 executes various processes according to the program read from the memory 12 and based on the user's operations. The memory 12 includes a non-volatile memory 121 and a volatile memory 122. The volatile memory 122 is also used, for example, as a work area when executing various programs. The buffer included in the CPU 11 is also an example of the memory 12. Note that an example of the memory 12 is not limited to a ROM, RAM, HDD, etc. built in the PC1, but may be a storage medium readable and writable by the CPU 11, for example, a recording medium such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, etc.

[0014] The user IF 13 includes a display 13a which is hardware for displaying a screen for notifying the user of information, and hardware for receiving operations by the user. Note that the user IF 13 may be a combination of a display 13a capable of displaying information and a mouse, keyboard, etc. having an input reception function, or may be a touch panel having the functions of the display 13a and the input reception function.

[0015] The communication IF 14 includes hardware for communicating with an external device such as a printer 2. The communication standard of the communication IF 14 is Ethernet (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), USB, etc. The PC1 may be connectable to the Internet via the communication IF 14. The PC1 may include a plurality of communication IFs 14 corresponding to a plurality of communication standards.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1, the non-volatile memory 121 of the memory 12 stores various programs and various data, including an operating system (hereinafter referred to as "OS") 21 that includes a general-purpose printing program 41, an auxiliary program 42, and an editing app 43. The auxiliary program 42 is an example of a support program. The editing app 43 is an example of an editing application program.

[0017] The OS 21 is a multitasking OS that can manage and switch multiple tasks to process multiple tasks in parallel. The OS 21 is, for example, Windows (registered trademark), macOS (registered trademark), Linux (registered trademark), iOS (registered trademark), Android (registered trademark).

[0018] The OS 21 includes a general-purpose printing program 41. The general-purpose printing program 41 is an OS standard program prepared by the vendor of the OS 21 and provided as a part of the OS 21. That is, the PC 1 is equipped with the OS 21 having the general-purpose printing program 41. The general-purpose printing program 41 is not configured to use a printer driver specific to each printer.

[0019] The general-purpose printing program 41 is a program having a function for causing printers of a plurality of models provided by a plurality of vendors to execute printing based on a user's instruction. The general-purpose printing program 41 supports general functions that can execute printing on many printers. Unlike a printer driver specific to each printer, the general-purpose printing program 41 does not support functions specific to each printer or printer driver, particularly functions that require complex processing.

[0020] The general-purpose printing program 41 is a program that includes a function of receiving image data specified as a printing target in a printing instruction output from various applications based on a user's instruction and generating intermediate data based on the image data. The intermediate data is, for example, XPS data. The general-purpose printing program 41 further has a function of generating printing data in a format that can be used for printing by various printers based on the intermediate data. The printing data is, for example, PWGRaster data or PDF data. Also, the general-purpose printing program 41 has a function of transmitting the generated printing data to a printer designated as a device for executing printing via a communication function by the OS 21.

[0021] The auxiliary program 42 is a program or a group of programs that execute processing based on an instruction from the OS 21 accompanying the processing of the general-purpose printing program 41, and is a program that supports the control of the target hardware. The auxiliary program 42 of this embodiment corresponds to the model of the printer 2 connected to the PC 1 and is provided, for example, by the vendor of the printer 2. When the printer 2 is selected as a device for executing printing, when a detailed printing setting instruction is received in a state where the printer 2 is selected, when an instruction to execute printing on the printer 2 is received, etc., the general-purpose printing program 41 starts the auxiliary program 42 corresponding to the printer 2. The auxiliary program 42 is, for example, what is called a print support application (abbreviation, PSA) or a hardware support application (abbreviation, HSA).

[0022] Note that the auxiliary program 42 may be a combination of a plurality of programs each of which receives an execution instruction, or may be a single program that can execute different processes according to instructions. Also, the auxiliary program may be a program prepared for each type of printer by the printer vendor. For example, an auxiliary program for an inkjet printer and an auxiliary program for a laser printer may be prepared respectively. Not limited to each type of printer, there may be an auxiliary program prepared for each printer model or each series of printer models.

[0023] When a new printer is connected to the PC1, for example, the OS 21 of the PC1 can download an appropriate auxiliary program from the server of the printer vendor or the like according to the type and model of the connected printer and incorporate it into the PC1. The OS 21 associates the identification information of the incorporated auxiliary program with the printer information of the newly connected printer and stores it in the memory 12.

[0024] The editing application 43 is a program for creating and editing, for example, image data and document data. The editing application 43 may be, for example, Word (registered trademark) or PowerPoint (registered trademark) manufactured by Microsoft (registered trademark), or may be a program provided by the vendor of the printer 2. The editing application 43 can receive a print execution instruction to execute printing on the printer 2, for example, via the user IF 13. Note that the editing application 43 is not limited to a program for creating and editing data, and may be a program having a function of receiving display instructions and print instructions for various types of information such as map information and web pages according to user requests.

[0025] The PC1 of this embodiment is connected to the printer 2 as shown in FIG. 1 via the communication IF14. The printer 2 is a device having at least a printing function and a communication function. When the printer 2 receives print data from, for example, the PC1 or the like, it can execute printing based on the received print data. The printer 2 may be a device capable of color printing or a device capable of executing only monochrome printing.

[0026] The printer 2 of this embodiment stores, for example, the default print settings set at the time of factory shipment or delivery in the non-volatile memory of the printer 2. The items of the default print settings include, for example, duplex printing, paper feed tray, paper output tray, color printing, eco mode, accumulation printing, toner save, color tone, special red, Nin1, watermark. And the default print settings include default parameters for each item.

[0027] The default print settings may vary depending on the country of destination or the destination. For example, in other countries, single-sided printing is the default, but depending on the country of destination, environmentally friendly printing is required, and duplex printing may be the default. The same applies to the eco mode. Also, for example, in China and Arabia, there is a demand to customize the favorite color tone to red, and the setting using the customized red may be the default.

[0028] Each parameter of the default print settings is stored in the printer 2 in advance and is not changed by user operations such as an operation panel. When the printer 2 receives an instruction to execute printing, for example, it can receive an instruction to set the print settings applied to the printing via the operation panel or via a management device that manages the printer 2. On the other hand, even if the print settings are changed during printing execution, the default print settings are not changed. For example, when receiving an instruction to return to the default print settings via the operation panel or the management device, the printer 2 can read the default print settings stored in the non-volatile memory of the printer 2 and return to the read print settings.

[0029] Subsequently, in the PC1 of this embodiment, the procedures of various processes related to printing by the printer 2 will be described. Note that each process other than the user operation in this embodiment basically indicates the process of the CPU 11 according to the instructions described in programs such as the auxiliary program 42. In this specification, the various processes performed by the controller 10 or the CPU 11 according to programs such as the auxiliary program 42, the general-purpose printing program 41, and the OS 21 may be described for convenience as if each program mainly performs the various processes. The process by the CPU 11 also includes the control of hardware using the API of the OS 21. In this specification, the detailed description of the OS 21 is omitted and the operations of the respective programs are described. Also, "acquisition" is used as a concept that does not require a request.

[0030] First, the printer selection procedure for receiving the selection of the printer to be used for printing will be described with reference to the sequence diagram of FIG. 2. The editing application 43 can execute the creation and editing of text and images based on the user's instructions. When the user wants to print the displayed text or image, the user selects printing in the editing application 43 (A01). The user can select printing, for example, from the menu of operation items provided in the editing application 43.

[0031] When the editing application 43 receives the selection of printing, it requests the general-purpose printing program 41 of the OS 21 to display a screen for receiving instructions related to printing (A02). The general-purpose printing program 41, in response to the request, causes the user IF 13 to display a printing setting screen (A03). The printing setting screen is a screen for receiving the user's instructions regarding various printing settings that can be received by the general-purpose printing program 41. Note that the display of the printing setting screen may be performed by the editing application 43.

[0032] An example of a print settings screen is shown in FIG. 3. The print settings screen D2 in the example of FIG. 3 includes a printer selection column 51, an information display column 52, a selection column 53 for basic print settings, a detailed settings button 54, and a print button 55. The printer selection column 51 is a column for accepting the selection of a device to execute printing. The information display column 52 is a column for displaying information specified by an auxiliary program corresponding to the device selected in the printer selection column 51. For example, when the selection of Printer 2 is accepted in the printer selection column 51, or when a print instruction is received with Printer 2 set as the printer normally used in the OS 21, the general-purpose print program 41 can start the auxiliary program 42 and display an image prepared by the auxiliary program 42 in the information display column 52.

[0033] The selection column 53 for basic print settings is a column for accepting basic settings such as the number of copies and the orientation of the original. The detailed settings button 54 is a button for accepting an instruction to perform detailed settings not included in the selection column 53 for basic print settings. The print button 55 is a button for accepting an instruction to execute printing with the currently selected print settings.

[0034] For example, when a selection instruction to select Printer 2 as the device to execute printing is accepted in the printer selection column 51 (A11), or when the selection of printing A01 is accepted with Printer 2 selected as the device to execute printing, the editing application 43 passes information indicating that Printer 2 has been selected to the general-purpose print program 41 (A12). The general-purpose print program 41 starts the auxiliary program 42 corresponding to Printer 2 and passes information indicating that Printer 2 has been selected (A13).

[0035] When the auxiliary program 42 is activated in response to the instruction of A13, it acquires the capability information of the printer 2. Specifically, the auxiliary program 42 requests the general-purpose printing program 41 to acquire the capability information (A21). The general-purpose printing program 41 sends a command for requesting the capability information to the printer 2 and acquires the capability information from the printer 2 (A22). The general-purpose printing program 41 passes the acquired capability information to the auxiliary program 42 (A23). Thereby, the auxiliary program 42 can acquire the capability information of the printer 2. The capability information of the printer 2 includes information indicating the default printing settings stored in the printer 2. A23 is an example of the acquisition process.

[0036] Note that in A22, the general-purpose printing program 41 communicates with the printer 2 through the OS21 by communication according to, for example, IPP (abbreviation of Internet Printing Protocol). Note that instead of requesting the general-purpose printing program 41, the auxiliary program 42 may directly acquire the capability information from the printer 2 using, for example, MIB (abbreviation of Management Information Base).

[0037] The capability information acquired from the printer 2 includes, in addition to the information on the default printing settings, information on parameters that can be set as printing settings, information on items related to the paper feed trays available in the printer 2, information on items related to the paper output trays available in the printer 2, information on whether each function such as the duplex printing function and the sorted function for printed paper is supported, information on the printable resolution that can be supported, and various other information. Examples of the information on items related to the paper feed trays include information on selectable paper feed trays and paper information such as the paper size and paper type of the paper that can be loaded in each paper feed tray. The capability information may include information indicating the status of the printer 2, such as information on the presence or absence of paper loaded in each paper feed tray, paper information such as the paper size and paper type of the paper set or detected in each paper feed tray, and remaining amount information of consumables.

[0038] The auxiliary program 42 generates default information indicating default print settings based on the acquired ability information (A31). The default information includes information indicating parameters of items related to the paper feed tray, information on the paper discharge tray specified in the default print settings, information indicating whether double-sided printing is specified by default, information on the resolution specified by default, and the like. The parameters of the items related to the paper feed tray include, for example, the paper feed tray specified in the default print settings, information on the paper size and paper type of the paper feed tray specified in the default print settings.

[0039] Then, the auxiliary program 42 stores the generated default information in the memory 12 (A32). In A32, the auxiliary program 42 stores the default information in both the volatile memory 122 and the non-volatile memory 121. Specifically, the auxiliary program 42 stores the default information in the volatile memory 122 and generates a default information file, which is a file including the default information, and stores the generated default information file in the non-volatile memory 121. A32 is an example of cache processing. Note that the ability information may include information other than the default information, and the auxiliary program 42 may store the ability information including information other than the default information in A32.

[0040] If the default information is stored in the volatile memory 122, the auxiliary program 42 can read the default information from the volatile memory 122 in a shorter time compared with the case of reading the default information file from the non-volatile memory 121. Therefore, the auxiliary program 42 can quickly use the default information.

[0041] However, the auxiliary program 42 stores the default information in an area available in the current process of the volatile memory 122. The area available in the current process is released when the process ends. Therefore, the default information stored in the volatile memory 122 may be erased when the process ends, and it may become impossible to read it. For example, in the procedure shown in FIG. 2, the auxiliary program 42 can read the default information stored in the volatile memory 122 while the editing application 43 is running, but when the editing application 43 is terminated by the user, it becomes impossible to read it.

[0042] On the other hand, the default information file stored in the non-volatile memory 121 is not erased even when the process ends unless an erasure procedure is performed. Since the auxiliary program 42 also stores the default information as a default information file in the non-volatile memory 121, the default information can be read even when the process is terminated and then executed again.

[0043] Furthermore, the auxiliary program 42 passes the default information to the general-purpose printing program 41 (A33). The general-purpose printing program 41 reflects and displays the default information passed from the auxiliary program 42 on the print setting screen D2 (see FIG. 3) displayed at A03 (A35). The general-purpose printing program 41 may also pass the default information to the editing application 43.

[0044] Note that the print setting screen D2 includes an information display column 52 capable of displaying an image prepared by the auxiliary program 42. The auxiliary program 42 may display information on print settings including default information in the information display column 52. Also, when the general-purpose print program 41 receives an operation on the print setting screen D2, it can pass the information on that operation to the auxiliary program 42. Therefore, the auxiliary program 42 may, for example, display an information screen including a button for receiving an instruction to return the print settings to the default of the printer 2 in the information display column 52, and be able to receive a user operation on that button. Further, when receiving an operation on that button, the auxiliary program 42 may read out the default information stored in A32 and pass the read default information to the general-purpose print program 41 to reflect the default information on the currently displayed print setting screen D2.

[0045] Next, a print setting procedure for receiving a user operation on the currently displayed print setting screen D2 will be described with reference to the sequence diagram of FIG. 4. At the start of the procedure in FIG. 4, with the printer 2 selected as the device for executing printing, a print setting screen D2 as shown in FIG. 3 is displayed on the user IF13.

[0046] The user can give an instruction for detailed print settings regarding printing by the printer 2 (B01) by operating the detailed setting button 54 on the currently displayed print setting screen D2. When receiving an operation on the detailed setting button 54, the editing application 43 outputs an instruction for detailed settings, that is, an instruction to display a setting screen for receiving detailed print settings, to the general-purpose print program 41 (B02). The general-purpose print program 41 activates the auxiliary program 42 corresponding to the printer 2 and passes an instruction to start receiving detailed print settings (B03). Note that in B03, the general-purpose print program 41 passes the information on the currently set print settings in the editing application 43 to the auxiliary program 42 together with the instruction to start reception.

[0047] Based on the printing setting information received at B03, the auxiliary program 42 causes the detailed setting screen to be displayed on the user IF13 (B05), enabling it to accept the user's operations. B05 is an example of display processing. The auxiliary program 42 includes, for example, a reset button 61, an OK button 62, and a cancel button 63 as shown in FIG. 5, and displays a detailed setting screen 60 capable of accepting various printing settings. The detailed setting screen 60 is an example of a setting screen and an example of a detailed printing setting screen. The reset button 61 is a button that accepts an instruction to reset the printing settings to the default printing settings of the printer 2, and is an example of a predetermined operator. In B05, the auxiliary program 42 displays the detailed setting screen 60 in a state where the printing settings passed from the editing application 43 are selected.

[0048] On the detailed setting screen 60 displayed by the auxiliary program 42, for each item of the printing settings, parameters within the range executable by the printer 2 are included as options. Since there are many items of printing settings that can be accepted on the detailed setting screen 60, the auxiliary program 42 may be able to accept an instruction to switch the item to be selected, for example, by a plurality of tabs.

[0049] When the auxiliary program 42 is started according to the instruction of B03, it further determines whether default information is cached (B11). First, the auxiliary program 42 determines whether default information is stored in the volatile memory 122. If it is determined that the default information is not stored in the volatile memory 122, the auxiliary program 42 determines whether the default information is stored in the non-volatile memory 121, that is, whether there is a default information file.

[0050] If it is determined that the default information is stored in the volatile memory 122 or the non-volatile memory 121 (alt: [Cache exists]), the auxiliary program 42 reads out the stored default information from the volatile memory 122 or the non-volatile memory 121 (B21). B21 is an example of readout processing.

[0051] In addition, in B21, the auxiliary program 42 may read only the information among the default information that is supported by the auxiliary program 42 and is displayed on the detailed setting screen 60. For example, in the printer 2 having only one paper output tray, since the selection of the paper output tray is not accepted, the auxiliary program 42 displays the detailed setting screen 60 that does not include the item for accepting the selection of the paper output tray. In this case, the default information also includes the information indicating the setting of the paper output tray, but the auxiliary program 42 does not need to acquire the information indicating the setting of the paper output tray in B21.

[0052] On the other hand, when it is determined that the default information is not stored in either the volatile memory 122 or the non-volatile memory 121 (alt: [no cache]), the auxiliary program 42 acquires the capability information of the printer 2. Specifically, the auxiliary program 42 requests the general-purpose printing program 41 to acquire the capability information (B31), and receives (B33) the capability information acquired by the general-purpose printing program 41 from the general-purpose printing program 41 (B32). B31 to B33 are the same procedures as A21 to A23 in FIG. 2. B31 to B33 are an example of the retry process at the time of setting.

[0053] Based on the capability information acquired in B33, the auxiliary program 42 acquires the information to be displayed on the detailed setting screen 60 among the default information (B35). When the default information is not cached, the auxiliary program 42 displays the detailed setting screen 60 and acquires the default information related to the display at the timing when it accepts the user's operation. Note that the auxiliary program 42 may store the default information in the memory 12 in the same manner as A32 in FIG. 2 based on the capability information acquired in B33.

[0054] In addition, in B31, the auxiliary program 42 may specify a part of the capability information of the printer 2 and request the general-purpose printing program 41 to acquire it. Specifically, the auxiliary program 42 may request the capability information including only the information to be displayed on the detailed setting screen 60.

[0055] Then, the auxiliary program 42 receives the user's operations on the detailed setting screen 60 displayed at B05. When the auxiliary program 42 receives an operation on each item being displayed on the detailed setting screen 60, it changes and displays the currently displayed parameters based on the user's operation. Note that the auxiliary program 42 copies the printing setting information received at B03 and changes the copied information based on the user's operation.

[0056] When the auxiliary program 42 receives the user's operation on the "Restore to Default" button 61 (opt: [Default], B41), it changes each parameter being displayed on the detailed setting screen 60 to the default setting based on the default information obtained at B21 or B35, and displays the detailed setting screen 60 with the changed printing settings reflected (B42). B42 is an example of the reflection process. For example, if the default information of the printer 2 includes information indicating that the paper type is plain paper, the print quality is standard (standard resolution), the original size is A4, the color setting is color, the printing orientation is vertical, the layout is 2in1, the "Double-sided / Brochure" item is double-sided printing, and the paper feeding method is Tray 1, the auxiliary program 42 reflects each default parameter in each setting item of the detailed setting screen 60 and displays it.

[0057] If the default information is stored in the memory 12, the auxiliary program 42 can display the detailed setting screen 60 with the default printing settings of the printer 2 reflected as soon as the operation on the "Restore to Default" button 61 is performed. That is, a user who wants to use the default printing settings stored in the printer 2 only needs to perform an operation on the "Restore to Default" button 61. Therefore, the user's effort when instructing printing with the default printing settings is reduced.

[0058] Note that the auxiliary program 42 may also be configured to perform the determination of B11 after receiving an operation on the reset button 61 and, if there is no cache, perform B31 to B33 and B35. However, if the default information is read out at the time of starting the detailed settings screen 60, the auxiliary program 42 can immediately use the default information at the timing when an operation on the reset button 61 is received. Then, when the default information is requested by an operation on the reset button 61, the auxiliary program 42 can easily display the detailed settings screen 60 to which the default information is applied in a short time.

[0059] When the user finishes operating the detailed settings screen 60, the user operates the OK button 62 or the cancel button 63. The OK button 62 is a button that receives an instruction to confirm the currently displayed print settings. When an operation on the OK button 62 is received (alt:[OK], B45), the auxiliary program 42 passes the information of the currently displayed print settings to the general-purpose print program 41 (B46). As a result, the print settings information received in the editing application 43 is updated to the information received in the detailed settings screen 60.

[0060] The cancel button 63 is a button that receives an instruction to cancel all operations received in the detailed settings screen 60 and keep the print settings before the detailed settings screen 60 is displayed. When an operation on the cancel button 63 is received (alt:[Cancel], B48), the auxiliary program 42 discards the copy of the print settings information and does not pass the print settings information received in the detailed settings screen 60 to the general-purpose print program 41.

[0061] Then, the auxiliary program 42 notifies the general-purpose print program 41 of the end of the detailed settings (B51). The general-purpose print program 41 notifies the editing application 43 of the end of the detailed settings (B52). As a result, the editing application 43 displays the print settings screen D2 (see FIG. 3) reflecting the information based on the user's operation.

[0062] Next, the printing execution procedure will be described with reference to the sequence diagram of FIG. 6. After the user determines the image to be printed and the printing settings on the printer 2, the user inputs an instruction to execute printing in the editing application 43 (C01). For example, when the editing application 43 receives an operation on the print button 55 on the print settings screen D2 shown in FIG. 3, since the general-purpose printing program 41 is incorporated in the OS 21 of the PC 1, the editing application 43 determines that it has received an execution instruction to cause the general-purpose printing program 41 to print the selected image on the printer 2.

[0063] The editing application 43 outputs the information of the received print instruction to the general-purpose printing program 41 (C02). The general-purpose printing program 41 acquires, from the editing application 43, as the information of the print instruction, image data indicating the image to be printed and information indicating the print settings.

[0064] Based on the information acquired from the editing application 43, the general-purpose printing program 41 generates intermediate data by converting the format of the image data of the image to be printed into the format of intermediate data (C03). The image data included in the editing application 43 is of various types, and the general-purpose printing program 41 converts the image data to be printed into intermediate data suitable for generating print data. If the image data to be printed is data suitable for generating print data, the generation of intermediate data may be omitted and it may be used as intermediate data as it is.

[0065] Note that before generating the intermediate data, the general-purpose printing program 41 may start the auxiliary program 42 corresponding to the printer 2 which is the specified device and notify that the processing of the print job has started. When the auxiliary program 42 is started from the general-purpose printing program 41, the auxiliary program 42 can pass, as necessary, information indicating various instructions used when generating the intermediate data to the general-purpose printing program 41.

[0066] After generating intermediate data, the general-purpose printing program 41 starts the auxiliary program 42 by outputting an execution instruction to the auxiliary program 42 (C05). The auxiliary program 42 can obtain, for example, the intermediate data and printing settings generated by the general-purpose printing program 41 by requesting the general-purpose printing program 41. Then, the auxiliary program 42 can edit the information on the intermediate data and printing settings received from the general-purpose printing program 41 as necessary.

[0067] The auxiliary program 42 determines whether an exclusive setting is included based on the obtained printing setting information (C11). The exclusive setting is a setting that includes parameters that cannot be set or combinations of parameters that cannot be set simultaneously. If the printer 2 receives a print job with a printing setting that includes an exclusive setting, there is a possibility that an error will occur and printing will not be possible.

[0068] Note that the printer 2 stores information on some exclusive settings and information indicating a solution method for resolving the exclusive settings, and can include the information on the exclusive settings in the capability information and output it. Also, the auxiliary program 42 may have in advance the information on the exclusive settings in the printer 2, or may obtain it from the capability information of the printer 2.

[0069] When it is determined that there is an exclusive setting (opt: [with exclusive]), the auxiliary program 42 determines whether default information is stored (C12). C12 is the same process as B11 in FIG. 4. Then, the auxiliary program 42 executes a procedure for exclusive resolution based on the determinations of C11 and C12 (C21).

[0070] The exclusive resolution procedure executed in C21 will be described with reference to the sequence diagram of FIG. 7. In C11 of FIG. 6, when it is determined that no exclusive setting is included (alt: [no exclusivity]), the auxiliary program 42 requests the general-purpose printing program 41 to acquire the capability information (D01), and acquires the capability information of the printer 2 via the general-purpose printing program 41 (D02) (D03). Note that in D01, unlike A21 to A23 in FIG. 2, the auxiliary program 42 requests the general-purpose printing program 41 to acquire only the information essential for printing execution. That is, the acquisition request amount in D01 is less than that in A21, and the time required for D01 to D03 is shorter than the time required for A21 to A23.

[0071] Also, in C11 of FIG. 6, when it is determined that an exclusive setting is included and in C12 of FIG. 6, it is determined that default information is stored (alt: [exclusive and cache exists]), the auxiliary program 42 requests the general-purpose printing program 41 to acquire the capability information (D11), and acquires the capability information of the printer 2 via the general-purpose printing program 41 (D12) (D13). In D11 to D13, the auxiliary program 42 does not need to newly acquire the default information and acquires only the information essential for printing execution.

[0072] Furthermore, the auxiliary program 42 reads out the default information stored in the memory 12 (D15). Then, the auxiliary program 42 changes the print settings (D16) so as to resolve the exclusive setting determined to be included in the print settings in C11 of FIG. 6. D16 is an example of the change process.

[0073] Among various exclusive settings, some include information on the solution method in the capability information of the printer 2, while others do not. When the exclusive setting determined to be included in the print settings at C11 in FIG. 6 can be resolved based on the solution method information stored in the memory 12, the auxiliary program 42 performs a resolution based on the solution method information. When the exclusive setting determined to be included in the print settings at C11 in FIG. 6 cannot be resolved based on the solution method information, the auxiliary program 42 changes each print setting determined to be exclusive to the default print setting based on the default information stored in the memory 12.

[0074] When there is a print instruction using a print setting that includes an exclusive setting, which is a non-configurable print setting, the auxiliary program 42 reads out the solution method information and default information stored in the memory 12 at the time of printer selection, and uses the read solution method information and default information to change to a print setting that can resolve the exclusivity. This avoids a print job including an exclusive setting being sent to the printer 2. Note that the auxiliary program 42 may resolve the exclusive setting using only the default information without using the solution method information.

[0075] Also, when it is determined that an exclusive setting is included at C11 in FIG. 6 and it is determined that no default information is stored at C12 in FIG. 6 (alt: [exclusive and no cache]), the auxiliary program 42 requests the general-purpose print program 41 to acquire the capability information (D21), and acquires the capability information of the printer 2 via the general-purpose print program 41 (D22) (D23). In D21 to D23, unlike D01 and D11, the auxiliary program 42 requests capability information including a lot of information in the same way as B31 to B33 in FIG. 4. In D21 to D23, the auxiliary program 42 may request capability information including all information in the same way as A21 to A23 in FIG. 2. D21 to D23 is an example of a retry process at the time of printing.

[0076] Furthermore, based on the acquired ability information, the auxiliary program 42 acquires information on the solution method and default information (D25). Then, the auxiliary program 42 changes the print settings (D26) using the acquired solution method information and default information so as to resolve the exclusive setting determined to be included in the print settings at C11 in FIG. 6. D26 is an example of the change process. Note that the auxiliary program 42 may resolve the exclusive setting using only the default information without using the solution method information.

[0077] If the default information is not stored, the auxiliary program 42 acquires the ability information from the printer 2 at that timing to acquire the solution method information and default information, so there is a high possibility of resolving the exclusive setting using the acquired information. For example, if the auxiliary program 42 cannot be resolved based on the solution method information, it is highly likely that it can be resolved by using the default print settings of the printer 2. Note that the auxiliary program 42 may store the default information acquired at D25 in the memory 12.

[0078] Returning to the description of the print execution procedure in FIG. 6. When the exclusive setting is resolved, the auxiliary program 42 passes the changed print settings and intermediate data to the general-purpose print program 41 and requests the general-purpose print program 41 to generate print data (C31). The general-purpose print program 41 rasterizes the intermediate data and generates print data including raster data that is bitmap data (C32). Then, the general-purpose print program 41 passes the generated print data to the auxiliary program 42 (C33).

[0079] The auxiliary program 42 instructs the general-purpose print program 41 to send a print instruction to the printer 2 by passing the print data to the general-purpose print program 41 (C35). The general-purpose print program 41 sends a print job including the print data to the printer 2 (C36). C35 is a process for causing the printer 2 to perform printing and is an example of the printing process. The printer 2 executes printing based on the received print data (C38). Thereby, a printed matter based on the print instruction output from the editing application 43 is generated.

[0080] Note that instead of the general-purpose printing program 41, the auxiliary program 42 may perform rasterization. In that case, the auxiliary program 42 executes rasterization based on the intermediate data received at the execution instruction and generates raster data. If rasterization is performed by the auxiliary program 42, the degree of freedom is greater compared to the case of performing rasterization by the general-purpose printing program 41, and there is a high possibility that raster data suitable for printing by the printer 2 will be generated. On the other hand, if rasterization is performed by the general-purpose printing program 41, the processing of the auxiliary program 42 is less, and the program size of the auxiliary program 42 can be reduced.

[0081] Furthermore, the auxiliary program 42 may acquire the raster data generated by the general-purpose printing program 41 or the auxiliary program 42 and process it as necessary. For example, the auxiliary program 42 may encode the raster data into PDL data suitable for the printer 2 to generate print data. Note that the PDL data generated by the auxiliary program 42 may be data in a format that can also be used for printing by printers other than the model of the printer 2.

[0082] Also, although it was assumed that the general-purpose printing program 41 sends a print job to the printer 2, the auxiliary program 42 may send a print command for instructing the execution of printing and print data to the printer 2. For example, when settings related to image processing that can be executed by the printer 2 are included as print settings, the auxiliary program 42 may generate a print command that also includes information on the processing. In this case, after the transmission of the print data is completed, the auxiliary program 42 may notify the general-purpose printing program 41 of the end information.

[0083] As described in detail above, when the printer 2 is selected in the editing app 43, the auxiliary program 42 of this embodiment causes the CPU 11 of the PC 1 to acquire the default print settings stored in the printer 2 and store the default information in the memory 12. Further, when using the default print settings of the printer 2, the auxiliary program 42 causes the default information stored in the memory 12 to be read out. As a result, it is highly likely that the default print settings stored in the printer 2 can be used immediately. Also, by storing the default information when the printer 2 is selected, the auxiliary program 42 can handle the case where the default information of the printer 2 changes after the first startup.

[0084] Note that the embodiments disclosed in this specification are merely examples and do not limit the present invention in any way. Therefore, the technology disclosed in this specification can naturally be variously improved and modified without departing from the gist thereof. For example, the device connected to the PC 1 may be not limited to a printer, but any device having a printing function such as a multifunction printer, a copier, a fax machine, etc. Also, the number of printers connected to the PC 1 is not limited to the illustrated example, and two or more may be used.

[0085] Also, for example, the examples of the screens displayed on the user IF 13 are all examples and are not limited to the illustrated examples. Also, the words, object shapes, backgrounds, etc. displayed in each of the illustrated screens can be anything. Also, for example, FIG. 3 shows a print settings screen D2 including one information display column 52, but the arrangement, shape, size, number, etc. of the information display column 52 are not limited to the example of this figure. Also, the information display column 52 may not be provided.

[0086] Also, in the printing setting procedure shown in FIG. 4, after the detailed setting screen 60 is displayed at B05, the presence or absence of cache is determined. If there is no cache, the procedure for acquiring the capability information of the printer 2 is shown. However, the timing for determining the presence or absence of cache and the timing for acquiring the capability information are not limited to this. For example, the auxiliary program 42 may only determine the presence or absence of cache after B05 and acquire the capability information if there is no cache when an operation on the restore-to-default button 61 is received. Also, the auxiliary program 42 may determine the presence or absence of cache after receiving an operation on the restore-to-default button 61.

[0087] Also, in this specification, although it is assumed that the auxiliary program 42 resolves exclusions based on default information when the printing settings of a print instruction include an exclusive setting (D16, D26), it may notify the exclusion and prompt the user to change the printing settings. Alternatively, when an exclusive setting is included, the auxiliary program 42 may change all parameters of the printing settings to the default printing settings.

[0088] Also, in this specification, although it is assumed that the auxiliary program 42 stores default information in both the volatile memory 122 and the non-volatile memory 121, it may store it in only one of them.

[0089] Also, after the printing setting screen D2 is displayed by the general-purpose printing program 41, when the printer normally used is changed from another printer to the printer 2 via the OS21 by a user operation, the general-purpose printing program 41 may also start the auxiliary program 42. Also, the auxiliary program 42 may be started not only when printing is selected but also, for example, when the printer 2 is selected as a device setting. Even in these cases, the auxiliary program 42 may display a setting screen including an operator for receiving an instruction to apply the default printing settings.

[0090] In addition, in the 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. Further, the program for executing the processing of this embodiment is not limited to the auxiliary program 42, and any program that can receive instructions from the OS 21 or the general-purpose printing program 41 when performing printing using the general-purpose printing program 41 may be used. For example, a Print workflow app whose specifications are disclosed by Microsoft may be used.

[0091] Also, the execution timing of the auxiliary program 42 is not limited to the example of the embodiment. For example, it may be directly executed under an execution instruction from the OS 21, or it may be an auxiliary program 42 that is resident. When it is resident, the auxiliary program 42 may perform the above-described operations upon receiving an execution instruction.

[0092] Also, in any flowchart disclosed in the embodiment, the plurality of processes in any plurality of steps can be arbitrarily changed in the execution order or executed in parallel within a range where there is no contradiction in the processing content.

[0093] Also, the processing disclosed in the embodiment may be executed by a single CPU, a plurality of CPUs, hardware such as an ASIC, or a combination thereof. Further, the processing disclosed in the embodiment can be realized in various forms such as a recording medium recording a program for executing the processing, or a method.

Explanation of Signs

[0094] 1 PC 2 Printer 11 CPU 13 User IF

Claims

1. A support program that is executable by a computer of an information processing apparatus, corresponds to a printer connected to the information processing apparatus, and supports a general-purpose printing program included in the operating system of the information processing apparatus, the support program causing the computer to when a selection instruction for selecting the printer is given to the general-purpose printing program from an editing application program incorporated in the information processing apparatus, perform an acquisition process of acquiring default print settings stored in the printer, perform a cache process of storing the default print settings acquired in the acquisition process in a memory of the information processing apparatus, and further cause the computer to perform a read process of reading the default print settings stored in the memory when using the default print settings stored in the printer, and is configured as such.

2. In the support program according to claim 1, the computer is caused to perform a display process of displaying, using a user interface of the information processing apparatus, a setting screen for receiving print settings used for printing by the printer, the setting screen including a predetermined operator, and further cause the computer to perform a reflection process of reflecting the default print settings read in the read process on the setting screen when an operation is performed on the predetermined operator, and is configured as such.

3. In the support program according to claim 2, the computer is caused to perform the display process when there is a display instruction output from the editing application program and for displaying the setting screen for the general-purpose printing program, wherein the support program displays, in the display process, a detailed print setting screen included in the support program as the setting screen, and reflects, in the reflection process, the default print settings read in the read process on the detailed print setting screen, and is configured as such.

4. In the support program according to claim 3, the computer is caused to perform the read process in response to the detailed print setting screen being activated by the display process, and is configured as such.

5. In the support program according to claim 4, when the computer when the detailed print setting screen is activated by the display process, if the default print setting is stored in the memory, the reading process is executed, if the default print setting is not stored in the memory, the reading process is not executed, and a setting retry process for obtaining the default print setting from the selected printer is executed, A support program configured as described above.

6. In the support program according to claim 1, when the computer when there is a print instruction output from the editing application program and the print instruction causes the general-purpose print program to perform printing on the printer, a printing process for causing the printer to perform printing based on the print data indicating the image to be printed by the print instruction and the print setting by the print instruction is executed, A support program configured as described above.

7. In the support program according to claim 6, when the computer when there is a parameter that cannot be set in the print setting by the print instruction, the reading process is executed, a change process for changing the print setting by the print instruction to a print setting that cannot be made unconfigurable based on the default print setting read in the reading process is executed, a printing process for causing the printer to perform printing with the changed print setting is executed, A support program configured as described above.

8. In the support program according to claim 7, when the computer when there is a parameter that cannot be set in the print setting by the print instruction, if the default print setting is stored in the memory, the reading process is executed, if the default print setting is not stored in the memory, the reading process is not executed, and a print retry process for obtaining the default print setting from the printer specified by the print instruction is executed. In the change process, the print setting by the print instruction is changed to a print setting that cannot be made unconfigurable based on the default print setting obtained in the print retry process, A support program configured as described above.

9. In the support program according to claim 1, The default print settings obtained from the printer in the acquisition process include items related to trays. A support program configured as follows. **Claim 10** In the support program according to claim 1, The memory of the information processing apparatus includes a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory. The support program In the cache process, the default print settings obtained in the acquisition process are stored in the volatile memory, and a file in which the default print settings are written is created. The created file is stored in the non-volatile memory. The default print settings stored in the volatile memory are stored while the process that executed the cache process is running, and are erased when the process ends. The file stored in the non-volatile memory remains stored even after the process ends. The support program further In the reading process, if the default print settings are stored in the volatile memory, they are read from the volatile memory. If they are not stored in the volatile memory but are stored in the non-volatile memory, the file is read from the non-volatile memory. A support program configured as follows.

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