Virtual printer management program

Abstract

To allow a user to perform unique print settings by a virtual printer corresponding to a desired printing device without performing processing according to the virtual printer.SOLUTION: A launcher 106 causes a processor 110 of a terminal device 100 to execute: a step S20 of outputting display data for causing a display unit 140 of the terminal device 100 to display a dialog box DB1 that allows selection of a plurality of printers 200 corresponding to a plurality of printer applications 170; a step S400 of accepting a selection operation for one printer 200 among the plurality of printers 200 in the displayed dialog box DB1; and a step S420 in which one printer application 170 among the plurality of printer applications 170 corresponding to the one printer 200 accepted in the step S400 performs processing for causing the display unit 140 of the terminal device 100 to display a print setting screen for the one printer 200 whose selection has been accepted.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 14

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a virtual printer management program executed by an information processing device capable of communicating with a printing device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known an application program that operates as if it were a single virtual printer based on the sum of the capability information of multiple printing devices, as described in Patent Document 1, for example. This conventional program accepts print settings specific to the printing device to be used for printing, and when a print instruction is received, it selects one of the multiple printing devices that is best suited to the accepted print settings, and sends the print data to that printing device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-160905 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-described conventional technology, a user can set print settings specific to a printing device for a virtual printer without being aware of which of multiple printing devices the user will use to print. However, the correspondence between the virtual printer and the printing device is not clear to the user, and printing may be performed on a printing device other than the one the user desired.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a management program that enables a user to execute unique print settings for a virtual printer corresponding to a desired printing device without having to perform processing according to the virtual printer. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the information processing program of the present invention is a virtual printer management program that can be executed by a calculation unit of an information processing device that can be connected to multiple printing devices, wherein the information processing device has OS-standard printing software that is installed as standard in an operating system and is capable of performing driverless printing without using a driver provided by a printer vendor, and multiple information processing programs that are registered in the OS-standard printing software as virtual printers corresponding to the multiple printing devices, and the virtual printer management program is configured to cause the calculation unit of the information processing device to execute: a selection screen display process that outputs selection screen display data that causes a selection screen on a display unit of the information processing device that allows the selection of the multiple printing devices corresponding to the multiple information processing programs to be displayed; a selection acceptance process that accepts a selection operation for one printing device among the multiple printing devices on the displayed selection screen; and a setting screen startup process that causes one information processing program among the multiple information processing programs that corresponds to the one printing device accepted in the selection acceptance process to display, on the display unit of the information processing device, a print setting screen for the one printing device accepted in the selection acceptance process.

[0007] When the virtual printer management program of the present invention is executed on a computing unit, a selection screen display process, a selection acceptance process, and a setting screen startup process are executed. In the selection screen display process, selection screen display data is output to display a selection screen on the display unit of the information processing device, from which multiple printing devices corresponding to multiple information processing programs can be selected. In the selection acceptance process, a selection operation for one of the multiple printing devices is accepted on the displayed selection screen. In the setting screen startup process, processing is executed to cause one of the multiple information processing programs, corresponding to the one printing device accepted in the selection acceptance process, to display a print setting screen for the one printing device accepted in the selection acceptance process on the display unit of the information processing device. According to the present invention, a user can select a desired printing device on a selection screen, causing the print setting screen of that printing device to be displayed on the display unit of an information processing device. This allows the user to configure print settings without having to access an information processing program corresponding to the desired printing device by entering a port number, URL, etc., in a browser, for example. Therefore, unique print settings can be executed by a virtual printer corresponding to the desired printing device without the user having to perform processing according to the virtual printer. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, a unique print setting can be made by a virtual printer corresponding to a desired printing device without the user having to perform processing according to the virtual printer. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration of a printing system and a functional configuration of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a specific example of a printing system in which a plurality of printer applications are installed in a terminal device. [Figure 3] 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a dialog box displayed by a launcher on a display unit of a terminal device when a first printer application is installed on the terminal device. FIG. [Figure 4] 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a dialog box displayed by a launcher on a display unit of a terminal device when a second printer application is installed in the terminal device. FIG. [Figure 5] 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a dialog box displayed by the launcher on the display unit of the terminal device when the first printer in the printer group 1 is registered in the first printer application. FIG. [Figure 6]10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a dialog box displayed by the launcher on the display unit of the terminal device when a second printer in printer group 2 is registered in the second printer application. FIG. [Figure 7] 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a dialog box displayed by the launcher on the display unit of the terminal device when a third printer in printer group 2 is registered in the second printer application. FIG. [Figure 8] 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a dialog box displayed on the display unit of the terminal device by the launcher when a user selects a desired printer and causes a print setting screen to be displayed. FIG. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a control procedure executed when a launcher is started. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a control procedure executed by the launcher when step S100, which is a click event of the install button, occurs. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a control procedure executed by the launcher when step S200, which is a button selection event of the printer application, occurs. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a control procedure executed by the launcher when step S300, which is a button selection event of the printer application, occurs. [Figure 13] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a control procedure executed by the launcher in processing for a printer application to be processed in step S310. [Figure 14] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a control procedure executed by the launcher when step S400, which is a click event of the printer button, occurs. [Figure 15] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a terminal device and a printer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] <Embodiment> An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] <Printing system overview> Fig. 1 shows an example of the system configuration of a printing system 1 according to this embodiment. In Fig. 1, the printing system 1 has a terminal device 100 and a printer 200. The terminal device 100 and the printer 200 are communicably connected via, for example, the Internet, a wired LAN, or a wireless LAN. The terminal device 100 is an example of an information processing device, and the printer 200 is an example of a printing device.

[0012] <Functional configuration of terminal device> The terminal device 100 transmits print data to the printer 200 to cause it to print. The terminal device 100 is, for example, a desktop PC, a notebook PC, a tablet computer, or the like, but it may also be a mobile terminal such as a smartphone. As will be described in detail later, the terminal device 100 has a processor 110 and a storage device 115 that stores various print processing programs (see FIG. 15 described later). The processor 110 executes the various print processing programs, causing the terminal device 100 to have the functional configuration shown in FIG. 1. Note that in the following description, it may be stated that a program performs ***, but this means that the process of *** is performed when the program is executed by the processor 110.

[0013] 1, the terminal device 100 has an OS (Operating System) 101, an application 102 that supports the printing function of the OS, a printer application 170, a browser 104, a launcher 106, and a database 107. The OS 101 has a so-called driverless printing function that prints according to a predetermined printing standard without using a printer driver provided by a printer vendor.

[0014] The OS 101 includes, for example, a Common Unix Printing System (CUPS) 160, which is a modularized printing system for the OS. The OS 101 is an example of an operating system, and the CUPS 160 is an example of OS standard printing software.

[0015] <cups> The CUPS 160 includes an HTTP server 161, a CUPSPnP manager 162, an IPP client 163, and a print data scheduler and spooler 164.

[0016] The HTTP server 161 is server software that runs on the CUPS 160. The HTTP server 161 obtains information and functions using the HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) via the browser 104, or provides information and functions to them. The CUPSPnP management unit 162 has a PnP (Plag and Play) function that registers a printer (including a virtual printing device) detected using a protocol such as mDNS / SD in the CUPS 160 and creates a print queue.

[0017] A script executed when the printer application 170 is installed modifies the settings of the CUPS PnP management unit 162 so that the search address for PnP is limited to the internal network of the terminal device 100 (usually IP address 127.0.0.1). As a result, the CUPS 160 cannot directly recognize the printer 200, but recognizes the printer application 170 as the printer. The printer application 170 is not an actual printer, but rather a so-called virtual printer that behaves as a printer to the CUPS 160. The printer application 170 mediates between the CUPS 160 and the printer 200, thereby enabling printing using the CUPS 160 and the printer 200. The printer application 170 is an example of a virtual printer.

[0018] The IPP client 163 transmits and receives print data or attributes to and from an IPP / mDNS server 173, which will be described later, using the IPP protocol. The print data scheduler and spooler 164 manages print jobs sent from the application 102 and the like, and also manages multiple print jobs that are generated simultaneously so that they are temporarily blocked and processed sequentially before being handed over to the IPP client 163.

[0019] <Printer application> The printer application 170 can be registered in the CUPS 160 as a virtual printer corresponding to the connected printer 200. The CUPS 160 treats the printer application 170 as a virtual printer and executes various processes related to printing. These processes include, for example, a capability information acquisition process and a print data transmission process. The printer application 170 includes a printer communication unit 171, an attribute / mDNS conversion unit 172, an IPP / mDNS server 173, a print data conversion unit 174, and a print setting storage unit 175. The printer application 170 is an example of an information processing program.

[0020] The printer communication unit 171 communicates with the printer 200. The printer communication unit 171 receives capability information from the printer 200 and transmits print data to the printer 200. Communication between this printer communication unit and the printer is performed via a network, USB, or the like. In the case of a network, protocols such as IPP and LPD are used. Furthermore, in the case of the IPP protocol, IPP attributes are used as capability information, and in the case of other interfaces or protocols such as USB, PJL information is used.

[0021] Attribute / mDNS conversion unit 172 acquires capability information indicating the capabilities of printer 200 via printer communication unit 171. Attribute / mDNS conversion unit 172 converts the capability information acquired from printer 200 into IPP attributes corresponding to print functions that can be handled by CUPS 160. IPP attribute / mDNS conversion unit 172 may convert the attributes based on print setting information read from print setting storage unit 175.

[0022] The attribute / mDNS conversion unit 172 has a function of mDNS (multicast Domain Name System). mDNS simultaneously distributes DNS queries within a local network using IP (Internet Protocol) multicast, and simultaneously queries all devices on the same network. Devices that receive a query respond by transmitting their own IP address.

[0023] The print setting storage unit 175 stores print setting information for the printer 200 corresponding to the printer application 170. The print setting information includes, for example, the size of the paper to be printed, the type of paper to be printed, and the storage location of the paper to be printed (see FIG. 8(b) described later). The print setting information is set in the terminal device 100. For example, the print setting information is set on a print setting screen displayed on the display unit 140 (see FIG. 15 described later) by the launcher 106 or via the browser 104. The HTTP server 176 of the printer application 170 acquires the print setting information set on the print setting screen and stores it in the print setting storage unit 175. The print setting storage unit 175 is, for example, a partial area of ​​the data storage area 132 of the non-volatile storage device 130 of the storage device 115 of the terminal device 100 (see FIG. 15 described later). Note that the print settings may be set not only in the terminal device 100 but also in an external terminal, or pre-set contents may be installed in the printer application 170.

[0024] In response to the capability information acquisition process of CUPS 160, IPP / mDNS server 173 outputs the attribute converted by attribute / mDNS conversion unit 172 to CUPS 160. CUPS 160 outputs print data corresponding to the attribute converted by IPP client 163. In response to the print data transmission process of CUPS 160, IPP / mDNS server 173 acquires print data corresponding to the converted attribute output from CUPS 160 and outputs it to print data conversion unit 174. Note that IPP / mDNS server 173 has the mDNS function just like attribute / mDNS conversion unit 172.

[0025] Print data conversion unit 174 acquires print data from CUPS 160 via IPP / mDNS server 173. Print data conversion unit 174 converts the print data acquired from CUPS 160 into print data according to the printing functions of printer 200. Print data conversion unit 174 may convert the print data based on print setting information read from print setting storage unit 175. Print data conversion unit 174 outputs the converted print data to printer communication unit 171. The printer communication unit 171 transmits the print data output from the print data conversion unit 174 to the printer 200 .

[0026] The launcher 106 is a program that manages the printer application 170 as a virtual printer. The launcher 106 accepts user operations and executes various processes. The various processes include, for example, installing the printer application 170 in the terminal device 100, registering the printer 200 in the printer application 170, displaying a print setting screen for the printer 200, and setting print settings on the print setting screen. The database 107 stores various information that is used when the launcher 106 executes the various processes. The various information includes, for example, the port number of the HTTP server 176 of each printer application 170, the URL of the print setting screen of the printer 200 registered in each printer application 170, and the like. The launcher 106 is an example of a virtual printer management program.

[0027] <Features of this embodiment> Not only one printer 200 but multiple printers 200 can be registered to a single printer application 170. For example, if a user uses multiple types of printers depending on the purpose, such as a color inkjet printer 200 and a monochrome laser printer 200, a single printer application 170 may not be able to cover the functions of those printers. In such a case, multiple printer applications 170 will be installed on one terminal device 100.

[0028] Here, the user interface of the printer application 170 is provided by the HTTP protocol via the HTTP server 176, and the user uses the browser 104 to access the print setting screen of the corresponding printer 200. Normally, access is made using a URI (URL) such as http: / / localhost:8000, but if multiple printer applications 170 are installed as described above, it is possible to access them individually by changing the port number, for example, http: / / localhost:8001. In this case, the user needs to manage multiple port numbers.

[0029] Furthermore, when multiple printer applications 170 are installed as described above, the print setting screen for each printer 200 is accessed via the corresponding printer application 170. In this case, the user must manage which printer 200 is registered with which printer application 170. In addition, the user must check which port each printer application is assigned to before accessing the printer. This can result in the user having to perform cumbersome management tasks.

[0030] In this embodiment, by implementing the launcher 106, the user can access the print setting screen of the desired printer 200 without having to manage port numbers or be aware of which printer application 170 each printer 200 is registered to. This will be explained in detail below. In the following explanation, it is assumed that two printer application installation packages (printer_group1.deb, printer_group2.deb) are stored in advance in a directory ( / home / XXXX).

[0031] <Screen display using the launcher> FIG. 2 shows a specific example of the printing system 1 when multiple printer applications 170 are installed in the terminal device 100. In FIG. 2, the same components as in FIG. 1 are assigned the same reference numerals, and their descriptions are omitted. In the example shown in FIG. 2, a first printer application 170A and a second printer application 170B are installed in the terminal device 100. The first printer application 170A manages one printer, the first printer 200A. The first printer 200A constitutes printer group 1. The second printer application 170B manages two printers, the second printer 200B and the third printer 200C. The second printer 200B and the third printer 200C constitute printer group 2.

[0032] 3(a) to 3(c) show examples of dialog boxes displayed by the launcher 106 on the display unit 140 of the terminal device 100 when installing the first printer application 170A in the terminal device 100. FIG. 3(a) shows a state in which no printer application 170 has yet been installed, and only the install button B1 is displayed in the dialog box DB1. When the install button B1 is operated in FIG. 3(a), the screen transitions to FIG. 3(b).

[0033] In FIG. 3(b), a package dialog box DB2 is displayed on the dialog box DB1, displaying a selectable package for the printer application 170. The package dialog box DB2 displays a directory specification section (shown as / home / XXXX in FIG. 3(b)) in which the directory in which the package is located can be specified, and displays the installable packages in that directory, along with a selection button B2 for selecting a package. In the example shown in FIG. 3(b), "printer_group1.deb" corresponding to printer group 1 is displayed as the package. When a package is selected in FIG. 3(b) and the selection button B2 is operated, the first printer application 170A is installed on the terminal device 100 and launched and executed. This launches the HTTP server 176 of the printer application 170A, enabling communication via localhost:8000. The launcher 106 monitors the localhost address, and when the launcher recognizes that the HTTP server 176 has newly opened port localhost:8000 and is now capable of communication, the process proceeds to FIG. 3(c). At this time, the port number of the HTTP server 176 of the installed first printer application 170A is acquired and stored.

[0034] In Fig. 3(c), a PA object OB1 representing information about the installed first printer application 170A is displayed in the dialog box DB1. In the example shown in Fig. 3(c), a "printer group1 PA link" indicating that it is the first printer application 170A is displayed in the PA object OB1. The URL (http: / / localhost:8000) of the additional setting screen for the corresponding printer is linked to the PA object OB1 as the link destination, and when the PA object OB1 is operated, the additional setting screen for the corresponding printer is displayed (see Fig. 5 described below).

[0035] 4(a) to 4(c) show examples of dialog boxes displayed by the launcher 106 on the display unit 140 of the terminal device 100 when the second printer application 170B is installed in the terminal device 100. FIG. 4(a) shows a state in which the first printer application 170A has already been installed but the second printer application 170B has not yet been installed, with a PA object OB1 displayed in the dialog box DB1. When the install button B1 is operated in FIG. 4(a), the screen transitions to FIG. 4(b).

[0036] In Fig. 4(b), a package dialog box DB2 is displayed on the dialog box DB1, displaying a selectable package for the printer application 170. In the example shown in Fig. 4(b), "printer_group2.deb" corresponding to printer group 2 is displayed as the package. When a package is selected in Fig. 4(b) and the select button B2 is operated, the second printer application 170B is installed in the terminal device 100, and the same processing as for the first printer application 170A is performed, and the process proceeds to Fig. 4(c). At this time, the port number of the HTTP server 176 of the installed second printer application 170B is obtained and stored.

[0037] In Fig. 4(c), a PA object OB2 representing information about the installed second printer application 170B is displayed in addition to PA object OB1 in the dialog box DB1. In the example shown in Fig. 4(c), "printer group2 PA link" indicating that it is the second printer application 170B is displayed in PA object OB2. The URL (http: / / localhost:8001) of the additional setting screen for the corresponding printer is linked to the PA object OB2 as the link destination, and when PA object OB2 is operated, the additional setting screen for the corresponding printer is displayed (see Figs. 6 and 7 described below).

[0038] 5(a) to 5(d) show examples of dialog boxes displayed by the launcher 106 on the display unit 140 of the terminal device 100 when the first printer 200A of the printer group 1 is registered in the first printer application 170A. FIG. 5(a) is the same screen as FIG. 4(c), and PA objects OB1 and OB2 are displayed in the dialog box DB1. When the PA object OB1 is operated in FIG. 5(a), the browser 104 is launched, and the display screen of FIG. 5(b) is newly displayed based on the linked URL.

[0039] FIG. 5(b) shows a screen displayed via the browser 104. The data constituting the content displayed via the browser 104 is generated by the HTTP server 176 of the printer application 170A, and includes a UI for registering a printer. FIGS. 5(b) and 5(c) show screens displayed via the browser 104 by the HTTP server 176, and processing corresponding to screen operations is performed by the printer application 170A. FIG. 5(b) displays a dialog box DB3, which is a printer addition setting screen for the first printer application 170A. In the example shown in FIG. 5(b), the URL of the dialog box DB3 is, for example, http: / / localhost:8000. The "8000" in the URL represents the port number of the HTTP server 176 of the first printer application 170A. The dialog box DB3 displays a printer display PI1 for selecting an available first printer 200A and an add button B3 for registering the first printer 200A. The printer display PI1 displays printers searched for by the first printer application 170A using mDNS. When the first printer 200A is selected and the install button B3 is operated in FIG. 5(b), the screen shifts to FIG. 5(c).

[0040] FIG. 5(c) is also a screen displayed via the browser 104. In FIG. 5(c), a dialog box DB4, which is an installation screen for the first printer 200A, is displayed. In the example shown in FIG. 5(c), the URL of the dialog box DB4 is, for example, http: / / localhost:8000 / addprinter. The dialog box DB4 displays a message to execute processing to add the first printer 200A to the first printer application 170A, and an OK button B4. When the printer application 170A executes processing to add the first printer 200A, the HTTP server 176 makes localhost:8000 / printer1 accessible. When the OK button B4 in FIG. 5(c) is operated, the browser 104 closes. The launcher 106 monitors localhost:8000 / , and when it recognizes that localhost:8000 / printer1 is available, the display screen displayed by the launcher 106 changes to the display screen shown in FIG. 5(d).

[0041] In Fig. 5(d), PA objects OB1 and OB2 are displayed in dialog box DB1, and a printer object PB1 for selecting the first printer 200A is displayed in association with PA object OB1. In the example shown in Fig. 5(d), printer object PB1 is displayed hierarchically, positioned below PA object OB1, thereby expressing that first printer 200A is managed by first printer application 170A, which manages printer group 1. A URL (localhost:8000 / printer1) of a corresponding print setting screen is linked to printer object PB1 as a link destination, and when printer object PB1 is operated, browser 104 is launched and the print setting screen for first printer 200A generated by HTTP server 176 is displayed. Note that printer object PB1 is an example of a selection object, and the URL of the print setting screen is an example of a setting screen address.

[0042] 6(a) to 6(d) show examples of dialog boxes displayed by the launcher 106 on the display unit 140 of the terminal device 100 when the second printer 200B of printer group 2 is registered in the second printer application 170B. FIG. 6(a) is the same screen as FIG. 5(d), and PA objects OB1 and OB2 and printer object PB1 are displayed in the dialog box DB1. When PA object OB2 is operated in FIG. 6(a), the browser 104 is launched, and the display screen of FIG. 6(b) is newly displayed based on the linked URL.

[0043] FIG. 6(b) shows a screen displayed via the browser 104. In FIG. 6(b), a dialog box DB3, which is a printer addition setting screen for the second printer application 170B, is displayed on the browser 104. In the example shown in FIG. 6(b), the URL of the dialog box DB3 is, for example, http: / / localhost:8001. The "8001" in the URL represents the port number of the HTTP server 176 of the second printer application 170B. The dialog box DB3 is displayed by the HTTP server 176 via the browser 104, and displays a printer display PI2 for selecting the second printer 200B that can be added, a printer display PI3 for selecting the third printer 200C that can be added, and an Add button B3. The printer displays PI2 and PI3 display printers searched for by the second printer application 170B using mDNS. When the second printer 200B is selected and the Install button B3 is operated in FIG. 6(b), the screen transitions to FIG. 6(c).

[0044] FIG. 6(c) is also a screen displayed by the HTTP server 176 via the browser 104. In FIG. 6(c), a dialog box DB4, which is an installation screen for the second printer 200B, is displayed. In the example shown in FIG. 6(c), the URL of the dialog box DB4 is, for example, http: / / localhost:8001 / addprinter. The dialog box DB4 displays a message to execute processing to add the second printer 200B to the second printer application 170B, and an OK button B4. When the OK button B4 is operated in FIG. 6(c), the browser 104 is closed, and the launcher 106 newly displays the display screen of FIG. 6(d).

[0045] In Fig. 6(d), PA objects OB1 and OB2 are displayed in dialog box DB1, and a printer object PB2 for selecting the second printer 200B is displayed in association with the PB object OB2. In the example shown in Fig. 6(d), the printer object PB2 is displayed hierarchically, positioned below the PA object OB2, thereby expressing that the second printer 200B is managed by the second printer application 170B that manages printer group 2. The printer object PB2 is linked to the URL of the corresponding print setting screen as a link destination, so that when the printer object PB2 is operated, the print setting screen of the second printer 200B is displayed (see Fig. 8, described below). Note that the printer object PB2 is an example of a selection object, and the URL of the print setting screen is an example of a setting screen address.

[0046] 7(a) to 7(d) show examples of dialog boxes displayed on the display unit 140 of the terminal device 100 when the third printer 200C of the printer group 2 is registered in the second printer application 170B. FIG. 7(a) is the same screen as FIG. 6(d), and the PA objects OB1 and OB2 and the printer objects PB1 and PB2 are displayed in the dialog box DB1 by the launcher 106. When the PA object OB2 is operated in FIG. 7(a), the browser 104 is launched, and the display screen of FIG. 7(b) is displayed by the HTTP server 176 via the browser 104 based on the linked URL.

[0047] In FIG. 7(b), a dialog box DB3 is displayed, which is a printer addition setting screen for the second printer application 170B. The dialog box DB3 displays a printer display PI2 representing the added second printer 200B, a printer display PI3 for selecting an addable third printer 200C, and an Add button B3. The printer display PI3 displays printers searched for by the second printer application 170B via mDNS. The printer displays PI2 and PI3 are displayed in different modes so that it is possible to distinguish whether installation is complete or incomplete. When the third printer 200C is selected and the Install button B3 is operated in FIG. 7(b), the screen transitions to FIG. 7(c).

[0048] Figure 7(c) is also a screen displayed by the HTTP server 176 via the browser 104. In Figure 7(c), a dialog box DB4 is displayed, which is an installation screen for the third printer 200C. The dialog box DB4 displays a message to execute additional processing for the third printer 200C to the second printer application 170B, and an OK button B4. When the OK button B4 is operated in Figure 7(c), the browser 104 is closed, and the display screen of Figure 7(d) is displayed by the launcher 106.

[0049] In Fig. 7(d), PA objects OB1 and OB2 are displayed in dialog box DB1, and printer object PB3 for selecting third printer 200C is displayed alongside PB object OB2. In the example shown in Fig. 7(d), printer object PB3 is displayed hierarchically below PA object OB2, thereby expressing that third printer 200C is managed by second printer application 170B, which manages printer group 2. A URL of a corresponding print setting screen is linked to printer object PB3 as a link destination, and when printer object PB3 is operated, the print setting screen for third printer 200C by printer application 170B is displayed via browser 104. Note that printer object PB3 is an example of a selection object, and the URL of the print setting screen is an example of a setting screen address.

[0050] 8(a) and 8(b) show examples of dialog boxes displayed on the display unit 140 of the terminal device 100 when a user selects a desired printer 200 and displays a print setting screen. FIG. 8(a) is the same screen as FIG. 7(d), and in dialog box DB1, PA objects OB1 and OB2 and printer objects PB1, PB2, and PB3 are displayed by the launcher 106. In the dialog box DB1, the user can select one of the printers 200 by operating one of the printer objects PB1, PB2, or PB3. The dialog box DB1 is an example of a selection screen. When the printer object PB2 in FIG. 8(a) is operated, the browser 104 is launched, and the display screen of FIG. 8(b) is displayed by the HTTP server 176 based on the linked URL.

[0051] FIG. 8(b) shows a screen displayed via the browser 104. In FIG. 8(b), a dialog box DB5 is displayed, which is a print setting screen for the second printer 200B generated by the printer application 170B. In the example shown in FIG. 8(b), the URL of the dialog box DB5 is, for example, http: / / localhost:8001 / Printer2. The "8001" in the URL represents the port number of the HTTP server 176 of the second printer application 170B. The dialog box DB5 displays, as print settings for the second printer 200B, a list box LB1 in which the size of the print paper can be selected, a list box LB2 in which the type of the print paper can be selected, and a list box LB3 in which the storage location of the print paper can be selected. In the example shown in FIG. 8(b), the size of the print paper is set to A4, the type of the print paper is set to recycled paper, and the storage location of the print paper is set to tray 1. It should be noted that items other than those listed above may also be set on the print setting screen.

[0052] Once the installation of the printer applications 170 and the registration of the printers 200 in each printer application 170 are complete, the dialog box DB1 shown in FIG. 8A is displayed when the launcher 106 is started. The user can open the print setting screen of the desired printer 200 simply by operating the printer objects PB1, PB2, and PB3 corresponding to the corresponding printer 200 in the dialog box DB1. This eliminates the need for the user to manage port numbers, and allows the user to access the print setting screen of the desired printer 200 without being aware of which printer application 170 manages each printer 200.

[0053] <Control procedure> The control procedures executed by the launcher 106 to realize the above-described screen displays will be described with reference to the flowcharts of Figures 9 to 14. Figure 9 shows an example of the control procedures executed when the launcher 106 is started up.

[0054] 9, in step S10, the launcher 106 checks the target port (8000 or later) of the address (usually localhost) of the target terminal device 100 to read information related to the printer application 170 already installed in the terminal device 100. The information to be read includes, for example, the identification information of the installed printer application 170, the port number of the HTTP server 176 of each printer application 170, the URL of the print setting screen of the printer 200 registered in each printer application 170, etc.

[0055] In step S20, the launcher 106 displays a dialog box DB1 on the display unit 140 of the terminal device 100, displaying link buttons for the installed printer applications 170 and the printer 200, based on the information read in step S10. When no printer applications have been installed, the dialog box DB1 is displayed as shown in FIG. 3(a). When the launcher 106 is launched again after the above series of processes have been completed, the dialog box DB1 is displayed as shown in FIG. 6(d). The same display is also possible when the printer application 170 is installed independently without using the launcher 106. The link buttons are, for example, the PA objects OB1 and OB2 and the printer objects PB1, PB2, and PB3 described above. In other words, in step S20, selection screen display data is output from the launcher 106 to the display unit 140 of the terminal device 100, causing the dialog box DB1 to be displayed on the display unit 140 of the terminal device 100, allowing the user to select multiple printers 200 corresponding to multiple printer applications 170. Step S20 is an example of selection screen display processing.

[0056] In step S30, the launcher 106 acquires the event that has occurred. The event corresponds to each of steps S100, S200, S300, and S400, which will be described later.

[0057] In step S40, the launcher 106 executes processing corresponding to the event acquired in step S30. Then, the process returns to step S10. In this manner, steps S10 to S40 are repeated.

[0058] FIG. 10 shows an example of a control procedure executed by the launcher 106 when step S100, which is a click event on the install button B1, occurs as the above event.

[0059] 10, in step S110, the launcher 106 displays a package dialog box DB2 for package installation on the display unit 140 of the terminal device 100. The package dialog box DB2 displays a package for each of the multiple printer applications 170 in a selectable manner based on the operation of the install button B1 in the dialog box DB1 described above. Note that the operation of the install button B1 is an example of a predetermined operation on the display unit 140, and step S110 is an example of package display processing.

[0060] In step S120, the launcher 106 accepts the package selection in the package dialog box DB2 displayed in step S110, and executes installation of the selected package of the printer application 170. In steps S110 and S120, installation is accepted for each of the multiple printer applications 170. Steps S110 and S120 are an example of an installation acceptance process.

[0061] In step S130, the launcher 106 updates the information related to the installed printer application 170 stored in the database 107.

[0062] In step S140, launcher 106 acquires the port number of HTTP server 176, which is the web server of added printer application 170, and stores the port number in database 107. The port number is an example of port information, and step S140 is an example of port information storage processing. If the package specified in step S120 is not that of the printer application 170, the package is uninstalled as an error exception process, and the event handling process is terminated (not shown).

[0063] In step S150, the launcher 106 updates the dialog box DB1 displaying the link button for the installed printer application 170. That is, the dialog box DB1 is updated so that the link button for the printer application 170 installed in step S120 above is added. This completes the process of this flowchart.

[0064] 11 shows an example of a control procedure executed by the launcher 106 when step S200 occurs, which is a button selection event of the printer application 170. The button of the printer application 170 in step S200 is, for example, the PA objects OB1 and OB2 described above.

[0065] In step S210, launcher 106 reads and acquires the port number of HTTP server 176 of printer application 170 corresponding to the selected button from database 107. The port number of printer application 170 was stored in database 107 in step S140 described above when the printer application was installed. Step S210 is an example of port information acquisition processing.

[0066] In step S220, the launcher 106 launches the browser 104 and displays an additional setting screen for adding the specified printer 200 to the printer application 170 on the display unit 140 of the terminal device 100 based on the URL including the port number acquired in step S210. In step S220, display data for displaying the additional setting screen is output from the launcher 106 to the browser 104. The URL is, for example, http: / / localhost:****. The "****" part is the port number acquired in step S210. That is, in step S220, a transition is made to the additional setting screen for the printer 200 to be associated with the printer application 170, which corresponds to the port number acquired in step S210. Step S220 is an example of a printer addition screen transition process. This concludes this flowchart.

[0067] FIG. 12 shows a timer event process that is executed by a timer at regular intervals (for example, every second).

[0068] In step S310, the launcher 106 executes the process corresponding to the selected button for the target printer application 170. The process in step S310 will be described in detail later.

[0069] In step S320, the launcher 106 determines whether or not the execution of step S310 has been completed for all printer applications 170 installed in the terminal device 100. If the execution of step S310 has not been completed for all printer applications 170 (step S320: No), the launcher 106 returns to step S310. On the other hand, if the execution of step S310 has been completed for all printer applications 170 (step S320: Yes), the launcher 106 ends this flowchart.

[0070] FIG. 13 shows an example of a control procedure executed by the launcher 106 in the process for the printer application 170 to be processed in step S310.

[0071] In step S311, the launcher 106 reads and acquires the port number of the HTTP server 176 of the printer application 170 to be processed from the database 107. Next, the launcher 106 accesses the printer application 170 to be processed via the HTTP protocol based on a URL including the acquired port number. Step S311 is an example of information processing program access processing.

[0072] In step S312, the launcher 106 acquires information about the managed printer and the URL of the print setting screen of the managed printer from the printer application 170 accessed in step S311. The information about the managed printer and the URL of the print setting screen of the managed printer are an example of printing device information about the printing device, and the URL is an example of a setting screen address for the print setting screen, and step S312 is an example of printing device information acquisition processing.

[0073] In step S313, the launcher 106 updates (adds or deletes) the printer button corresponding to the information related to the managed printer acquired in step S312 in the dialog box DB1 displaying the link buttons of the installed printer applications 170. The printer button is linked to the URL acquired in step S312 as a link destination. The printer button in step S313 is, for example, the printer objects PB1, PB2, and PB3 described above. This completes the process of this flowchart.

[0074] In other words, when the user clicks a button on the printer application 170, the operation screen of the printer application 170 is displayed via the browser 104, and if the user adds or deletes the printer 200 on that screen, the screen displayed by the launcher 106 will be updated in step S313 of the timer event that occurs thereafter.

[0075] FIG. 14 shows an example of a control procedure executed by the launcher 106 when step S400, which is a click event of a printer button, occurs as the above-mentioned event. The printer button in step S400 is, for example, the printer objects PB1, PB2, and PB3 described above. Note that the click event of the printer button accepts a selection operation of one of the multiple printers 200 in the displayed dialog box DB1. Specifically, the dialog box DB1 displayed in step S20 described above includes multiple printer objects PB1, PB2, and PB3 for selecting each of the multiple printers 200. The multiple printer objects PB1, PB2, and PB3 are linked to URLs (localhost:8000 / printer1, localhost:8000 / printer2, and localhost:8000 / printer3) to the corresponding print setting screens, respectively. In step S400, the selection operation of one of the multiple printer objects PB1, PB2, and PB3 is accepted by operating one of the multiple printer objects PB1, PB2, and PB3. Step S400 is an example of a selection receiving process.

[0076] In step S410, the launcher 106 reads out from the database 107 and acquires the URL of the print setting screen of the printer 200 that corresponds to the clicked button.

[0077] In step S420, the launcher 106 launches the browser 104 and displays a print setting screen for the printer 200 corresponding to the clicked printer button on the display unit 140 of the terminal device 100 based on the URL acquired in step S410. In step S420, display data for displaying the print setting screen is output from the printer application 170 to the browser 104. In step S420, processing is performed for one printer application 170 corresponding to the clicked printer 200 to display the print setting screen for the clicked printer 200 on the display unit 140 of the terminal device 100. Specifically, the print setting screen is displayed on the browser 104 of the terminal device 100 using the URL of one printer application 170 corresponding to the one printer 200 that accepted the click. The URL is, for example, http: / / localhost:8001 and the directory printer2 indicating the printer 200. Therefore, step S420 can also be said to be processing based on the port number corresponding to one printer application 170 corresponding to one printer 200 that accepted the click. On this screen, the user can instruct the printer application 170 to individually configure the target printer 200. Step S420 is an example of a settings screen startup process. This concludes this flowchart.

[0078] As described above, the second printer application 170B corresponds to the second printer 200B and the third printer 200C among the multiple printers 200. Therefore, when the button corresponding to the second printer 200B is clicked, in step S420, the launcher 106 performs processing to cause the second printer application 170B to display a print setting screen for the second printer 200B on the display unit 140. Also, when the button corresponding to the third printer 200C is clicked, in step S420, the launcher 106 performs processing to cause the second printer application 170B to display a print setting screen for the third printer 200C on the display unit 140. The second printer 200B is an example of a first printing device, and the third printer 200C is an example of a second printing device.

[0079] <Effects of the embodiment> In the printing system 1 of this embodiment, when the launcher 106 is launched in the terminal device 100, steps S20, S400, and S420 are executed. In step S20, a dialog box DB1 from which a plurality of printers 200 corresponding to a plurality of printer applications 170 can be selected is displayed on the display unit 140 of the terminal device 100. In step S400, a selection operation of one printer 200 from among the plurality of printers 200 is accepted in the displayed dialog box DB1. In step S420, a process is executed to cause one printer application 170 corresponding to the one printer 200 accepted in step S400, among the plurality of printer applications 170, to display a print setting screen of the one printer 200 for which the selection operation was accepted, on the display unit 140 of the terminal device 100.

[0080] According to this embodiment, the user can select a desired printer 200 in the dialog box DB1, thereby displaying the print setting screen for that printer 200 on the display unit 140 of the terminal device 100. This allows the user to make print settings without having to access the printer application 170 corresponding to the desired printer 200 by entering a port number, URL, etc. in the browser 104, for example. Therefore, the unique print settings by the printer application 170 corresponding to the desired printer 200 can be made without the user having to perform processing according to the printer application 170.

[0081] Furthermore, particularly in this embodiment, in step S420, the print setting screen is displayed via browser 104 using the URL of one printer application 170 corresponding to one printer 200 accepted in step S400. This saves the user the trouble of having to input a URL into browser 104 to access the print setting screen, thereby improving user convenience.

[0082] Furthermore, particularly in this embodiment, the user can easily select one printer object from the multiple printer objects PB1, PB2, and PB3 displayed in the dialog box DB1, and then have the print setting screen of the printer 200 corresponding to the selected printer object displayed on the display unit 140 of the terminal device 100. This improves user operability.

[0083] In particular, in this embodiment, the launcher 106 executes steps S110, S120, and S140. In steps S110 and S120, installation of each of the multiple printer applications 170 is accepted. In step S140, when the multiple printer applications 170 accepted in steps S110 and S120 are installed, multiple port numbers corresponding to the multiple printer applications 170 are stored. As a result, in step S420, by reading out the port number corresponding to one printer application 170 corresponding to one printer 200 for which a selection operation has been accepted, it is possible to display the print setting screen of the desired printer 200 based on a URL including the port number. Furthermore, because the corresponding port number is automatically stored when the printer application 170 is installed, the user does not need to manage port numbers, thereby improving convenience.

[0084] Furthermore, particularly in this embodiment, step S110 is executed in response to a predetermined operation by the user on display unit 140 of terminal device 100, and a package is displayed selectably for each of the multiple printer applications 170 on display unit 140. This allows the user to appropriately select from the displayed packages, thereby selecting and installing printer application 170 corresponding to printer 200 with which the user wishes to print.

[0085] Furthermore, particularly in this embodiment, as described above, the port number stored in the database 107 is read in step S210, and then step S220 is executed using the read port number, thereby smoothly transitioning to the additional setting screen for the corresponding printer 200.

[0086] In this embodiment in particular, the target printer application 170 is accessed in step S311 using the port number acquired as described above. Then, in step S312, information and a URL related to the managed printer associated with the printer 200 associated with the accessed printer application 170 are acquired. The acquired information includes a URL to a print setting screen. As a result, in step S313, printer objects PB1, PB2, and PB3 for selecting the printer 200 can be smoothly generated and displayed so as to correspond to the acquired URL.

[0087] Furthermore, particularly in this embodiment, one printer application 170 can support multiple printers 200. When any of the multiple printers 200 is selected, the corresponding printer application 170 executes processing to display the print setting screen of the selected printer 200. This allows the user to select the desired printer 200 without being aware of which printer 200 is compatible with which printer application 170.

[0088] <Modification> The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the spirit and technical concept of the present invention.

[0089] For example, in the above embodiment, the printer objects are displayed hierarchically in the dialog box DB1, positioned below the PA objects, but this is not limited to this. Since the user does not need to care which printer application 170 corresponds to which printer 200, it is not necessary to display the corresponding printer 200 for each printer application 170. For example, only the printer objects may be displayed side by side without displaying the PA objects. However, regardless of the display, the launcher 106 manages the correspondence between the printer applications 170 and the printers 200.

[0090] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the launcher 106 directly displays the dialog boxes DB1 and DB2 on the display unit 140, and the printer application 170 displays the dialog boxes DB3, DB4, and DB5 on the display unit 140 via the browser 104, but this is not limiting. For example, the printer application 170 may directly display the dialog boxes DB3, DB4, and DB5 on the display unit 140 without the browser 104. Furthermore, the launcher 106 may display the dialog boxes DB1 and DB2 on the display unit 140 via the browser 104. Furthermore, the distinction between those displayed directly on the display unit 140 and those displayed via the browser 104 may be made in a manner other than that described above.

[0091] In the above embodiment, the reading of the installed printer application 170 in step S10 is limited to the terminal device 100 itself, but the printer application 170 installed in other terminal devices may also be read. Information about the printer application 170 installed in other terminal devices can be obtained using a function such as mDNS / SD.

[0092] It should be noted that the flowcharts shown in Figures 9 to 14 do not limit the present invention to the procedures shown in the above flows, and steps may be added or deleted or the order may be changed within the scope that does not deviate from the spirit and technical concept of the invention.

[0093] In addition to the above, the methods according to the above embodiments and modifications may be used in appropriate combination.

[0094] Although not specifically illustrated, the present invention can be implemented with various modifications within the scope of the invention.

[0095] <Hardware configuration of terminal device and printer> An example of the hardware configuration of the terminal device 100 and the printer 200 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0096] <Terminal Device> 15, the terminal device 100 has a processor 110, a storage device 115, a display unit 140, an operation unit 150, and a communication interface 190. The processor 110, the storage device 115, the display unit 140, the operation unit 150, and the communication interface 190 are connected via a bus 105 so as to be able to transmit and receive data to and from each other.

[0097] The storage device 115 includes a volatile storage device 120 and a nonvolatile storage device 130. The volatile storage device 120 is, for example, a DRAM, and stores various programs and data to be processed. The nonvolatile storage device 130 is, for example, a hard disk drive or a solid state drive, and includes a program storage area 131 and a data storage area 132.

[0098] Various programs are stored in the program storage area 131. The various programs include the printer application 170 and print processing program based on the flowcharts in Figures 9 to 14. The data storage area 132 stores data necessary for executing the various programs.

[0099] The processor 110 is a device that performs data processing, such as a CPU, and executes various programs stored in a program storage area 131. The processor 110 performs various processes including data communication with the printer 200 connected to the network NT. The processor 110 and the programs stored in the program storage area 131 are examples of a calculation unit and a control unit.

[0100] The display unit 140 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, and is capable of displaying various types of information. The operation unit 150 is, for example, a mouse, a keyboard, and the like, and accepts operations by a user. The user can input various instructions to the terminal device 100 by operating the operation unit 150.

[0101] The communication interface 190 is an interface for communicating with other devices, and is connected to the network NT. The communication interface 190 is an example of a communication I / F.

[0102] The storage device 115 is not limited to being configured with the above-mentioned device elements, but may be configured with, for example, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, HDD, a portable recording medium such as a USB memory that can be attached to or detached from the terminal device 100, a buffer provided in the processor 110, or a combination thereof. The storage device 115 may be a computer-readable storage medium. A computer-readable storage medium is a non-transitory medium. In addition to the above examples, non-transitory media also include recording media such as CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs. Non-transitory media are also tangible media. The same applies to the storage device 215 of the printer 200, which will be described later.

[0103] <Printer> 15, the printer 200 has a processor 210, a storage device 215, a display unit 240, an operation unit 250, a communication interface 270, and a printing unit 290. The processor 210, the storage device 215, the display unit 240, the operation unit 250, the communication interface 270, and the printing unit 290 are connected via a bus 205 so as to be able to send and receive data to and from each other.

[0104] The storage device 215 includes a volatile storage device 220 and a nonvolatile storage device 230. The volatile storage device 220 is, for example, a DRAM, and includes an image data storage area 222 that stores image data to be printed. The nonvolatile storage device 230 is, for example, an NVRAM, a flash memory, or the like, and includes a program storage area 231 and a data storage area 232. Various programs are stored in the program storage area 231. The various programs include firmware such as a print processing program. The data storage area 232 stores various data and the like for executing the various programs.

[0105] The processor 210 is a device that performs data processing, such as a CPU, and executes various programs stored in the program storage area 231.

[0106] The display unit 240 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, and is capable of displaying various types of information. The operation unit 250 is a device that accepts operations by the user. The user can input various instructions to the printer 200 by operating the operation unit 250. The communication interface 270 is a wired or wireless network interface for communicating with other devices, and is connected to the network NT.

[0107] The printing unit 290 prints an image on the label tape 201 conveyed by the conveying device 265. The printing unit 290 prints an image on the label tape 201 based on print data transmitted from the terminal device 100 or print data generated by the printing unit 290 itself based on an operation on the operation unit 250. [Explanation of symbols]

[0108] 1 Printing System 100 Terminal device (an example of an information processing device) 101 OS (an example of an operating system) 106 Launcher (an example of a virtual printer management program) 107 Database 110 processors 160 CUPS (an example of OS standard printing software) 170 Printer application (an example of an information processing program) 200 Printer (an example of a printing device)< / cups>

Claims

1. A virtual printer management program executable by a computing unit of an information processing device connectable to a plurality of printing devices, the information processing device having OS standard printing software that is installed as standard in an operating system and is capable of performing driverless printing without using a driver provided by a printer vendor, and a plurality of information processing programs registered in the OS standard printing software as virtual printers corresponding to the plurality of printing devices; The virtual printer management program is configured to: a selection screen display process that outputs selection screen display data for displaying a selection screen on a display unit of the information processing device, the selection screen allowing the user to select the plurality of printing devices corresponding to the plurality of information processing programs; a selection acceptance process for accepting a selection operation of one printing device from among the plurality of printing devices on the displayed selection screen; a setting screen startup process for causing one information processing program among the plurality of information processing programs, which corresponds to the one printing device accepted in the selection acceptance process, to display a print setting screen of the one printing device accepted in the selection acceptance process on a display unit of the information processing device; A virtual printer management program configured to run

2. The setting screen startup process includes: displaying the print setting screen on a browser of the information processing device using a setting screen address of the one information processing program corresponding to the one printing device accepted in the selection accepting process; 2. The virtual printer management program according to claim 1, wherein the virtual printer management program is configured to:

3. The selection screen displayed in the selection screen display process includes: a plurality of selection objects for selecting each of the plurality of printing devices, and a setting screen address for a corresponding print setting screen is linked to each of the plurality of selection objects as a link destination; the selection receiving process receives a selection operation for the one printing device when one selection object among the plurality of selection objects is operated; 3. The virtual printer management program according to claim 2, wherein the virtual printer management program is configured to:

4. The calculation unit further an installation reception process for receiving installation of each of the plurality of information processing programs; a port information storage process for storing a plurality of pieces of port information corresponding to the plurality of information processing programs when the plurality of information processing programs accepted by the installation acceptance process are installed; Execute the setting screen startup process is a process based on one of the plurality of port information corresponding to one information processing program corresponding to the one printing device for which a selection operation has been accepted in the selection acceptance process; 4. The virtual printer management program according to claim 2, wherein the virtual printer management program is configured to:

5. the plurality of pieces of port information corresponding to the plurality of information processing programs are information in a URI format; 5. The virtual printer management program according to claim 4, wherein the virtual printer management program is configured to:

6. The installation reception process includes: a package display process for displaying a package for each of the plurality of information processing programs in a selectable manner based on a predetermined operation on the display unit; Execute In the installation reception process, the selection of the package displayed in the package display process is received.

5. The virtual printer management program according to claim 4, wherein the virtual printer management program is configured to:

7. The calculation unit further a port information acquisition process for reading and acquiring the port information stored in the port information storage process; a printer addition screen transition process for transitioning to an additional setting screen of the printing device associated with the information processing program, which corresponds to the port information acquired in the port information acquisition process; 5. The virtual printer management program according to claim 4, configured to cause the execution of the following:

8. The calculation unit further an information processing program access process that accesses the information processing program to be processed based on the port information acquired in the port information acquisition process; a printing device information acquisition process for acquiring printing device information related to the printing device associated with the information processing program accessed in the information processing program access process; Execute the printing device information includes a setting screen address for the print setting screen; 8. The virtual printer management program according to claim 7, wherein the virtual printer management program is configured to:

9. one information processing program among the plurality of information processing programs is compatible with a first printing device and a second printing device among the plurality of printing devices; The setting screen startup process includes: When the one information processing program receives a selection operation of the first printing device corresponding to the one information processing program, the one information processing program performs processing for displaying a print setting screen of the first printing device on a display unit of the information processing device; when a selection operation of the second printing device corresponding to the one information processing program is received, the one information processing program performs processing for displaying a print setting screen of the second printing device on a display unit of the information processing device; 2. The virtual printer management program according to claim 1, wherein the virtual printer management program is configured to:

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