Printing apparatus, client terminal, printing system, control method therefor, and program

Abstract

The present invention allows a user to appropriately set a supply direction and an image rotation angle at the time of IPP printing. A printing apparatus receives a print job in a format according to an IPP (Internet Print Protocol) from a client terminal and performs printing based on the received print job. The printing apparatus has: a communication unit configured to communicate with the client terminal; a control unit configured to cause the display unit to display a first guide screen presenting a possible combination of a feeding direction and a rotation angle of an image for printing, where the combination can be established in accordance with a sheet size of a sheet placed in the feeding mechanism; and a generation unit configured to generate first information indicating the determined combination presented in the first guide screen, in which the communication unit transmits the first information generated by the generation unit in response to a request from the client terminal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a printing system using IPP. Background Technology

[0002] In recent years, a printing system has been promoted in which a universal printing protocol included in the OS of the information processing device is used when a print job is input from an information processing device such as a PC or mobile terminal to the printing device, without relying on a manufacturer-provided dedicated printer driver. IPP (Internet Printing Protocol), as an example of a standard printing protocol (standard protocol) based on such a universal printing system, is known. When instructing the printer to print in a printing system using IPP, a PDL (Print Description Language) such as PWG-Raster (PWG raster) or PDF, conforming to IPP, is used. Then, for example, in the case of PWG-Raster, it is the responsibility of the terminal side to properly rotate the original image for printing according to the feed direction supported by the printer's feed tray, then convert the original image into a raster image for printing, and send the raster image for printing to the printer. Non-Patent Document 1 defines a method in which database information containing combinations of sheet size, sheet type, feed tray, feed direction, and image rotation angle is constructed as a printer capability response, and the database information is obtained from the terminal using IPP.

[0003] Citation List Non-patent literature Non-patent literature 1: “PWG 5100.7-2023 IPP Job Extensions v2.1”, The PrinterWorking Group, 2023, p. 39. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Technical issues For example, when printing envelopes, there are modes where the address is printed vertically and modes where it is printed horizontally. Furthermore, there are cases where the envelope is fed with the seal positioned at the leading edge / trailing edge, and cases where the envelope is fed from the long side depending on the printer's specifications. With multiple combinations of feed direction and image rotation angles available when printing in this manner, it is difficult for the user to set the appropriate feed direction and image rotation angle for the printer they wish to use.

[0005] Solution to the problem The printing apparatus according to this disclosure is a printing device that receives print jobs in a format according to IPP (Internet Printing Protocol) from a client terminal and prints based on the received print jobs. The printing apparatus includes: a communication unit configured to communicate with the client terminal; a control unit configured to cause a display unit to display a first guide screen, the first guide screen presenting possible combinations of a supply direction and a rotation angle of an image for printing, wherein the possible combinations can be established based on the sheet size of a sheet placed in a supply mechanism; and a generation unit configured to generate first information indicating the determined combination presented in the first guide screen, wherein the communication unit sends the first information generated by the generation unit in response to a request from the client terminal.

[0006] Advantages of the invention The technology disclosed herein enables users to properly set the feed direction and image rotation angle when using an IPP printing system.

[0007] Other features of this disclosure will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0008] [ Figure 1 ] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the construction of a printing system using IPP.

[0009] [ Figure 2 ] Figure 2 This is a block diagram illustrating the hardware structure of a client terminal.

[0010] [ Figure 3 ] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing the hardware structure of the printing device.

[0011] [ Figure 4 ] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing the hardware structure of the printing device.

[0012] [ Figure 5 ] Figure 5 (a) to (c) are diagrams illustrating the process of supplying Nagagata envelopes from the rear tray and printing them, and diagrams showing the orientation of the sheet when the Nagagata envelope is placed on the rear tray.

[0013] [ Figure 6 ] Figure 6 (a) through (d) are diagrams illustrating the process of supplying Kakugata envelopes from a manually supplied tray and printing them.

[0014] [ Figure 7 ] Figure 7It is a table used to illustrate the combination of the supply direction of a typical sheet and the rotation angle of the image.

[0015] [ Figure 8 ] Figure 8 It is a table used to illustrate the combination of various envelope delivery directions and image rotation angles.

[0016] [ Figure 9 ] Figure 9 This is an example of an IPP attribute response packet containing media database information.

[0017] [ Figure 10A ] Figure 10A This is an example of an IPP attribute response packet that provides completion information.

[0018] [ Figure 10B ] Figure 10B This is an example of an IPP attribute response packet that provides completion information.

[0019] [ Figure 11 ] Figure 11 This is a flowchart illustrating the process related to sheet placement in a printer used for the initial placement of the sheet.

[0020] [ Figure 12 ] Figure 12 This is an example of media database information.

[0021] [ Figure 13 ] Figure 13 (a) and (b) are examples of guide screens for correctly setting the supply direction.

[0022] [ Figure 14 ] Figure 14 This is a flowchart illustrating the processing flow when printing settings are configured using the client terminal's driver.

[0023] [ Figure 15 ] Figure 15 This is an example of the print settings screen.

[0024] [ Figure 16 ] Figure 16 This is an example of the print settings screen.

[0025] [ Figure 17 ] Figure 17 This is a flowchart illustrating the process related to the placement of sheet material in the printer to be used when receiving a print job.

[0026] [ Figure 18 ] Figure 18 (a) through (c) are examples of guide screens for properly placing the sheet in the printing apparatus.

[0027] [ Figure 19 ] Figure 19 This is an example of a response packet based on the media database information of Variation 1.

[0028] [ Figure 20 ] Figure 20 This is an example of a packet sent when transmitting PDL data, based on Variation 2. Detailed Implementation

[0029] In the following description, modes for performing this embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings and other materials. Note that the following embodiments are not intended to limit the technology of this disclosure, and all constructions described in the following embodiments are not necessarily necessary for the solution.

[0030] [Example 1] <System Structure> Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating an example construction of a printing system using IPP (Internet Printing Protocol) according to this embodiment. Figure 1 The printing system comprises a PC terminal 100 and a mobile terminal 200 as client terminals, printing devices 300 and 400 as printers, and a communication network 500 connecting these devices. The communication network 500 includes the Internet. The PC terminal 100 communicates with the printing devices 300 / 400 via a wired LAN and a router included in the communication network 500. The mobile terminal 200 communicates with the printing devices 300 / 400 via a wireless access point included in the communication network 500.

[0031] Printing device 300 includes a box 310 as a supply mechanism and a rear tray 312, allowing envelopes to be supplied from the rear tray 312. Here, printing device 300 is configured such that the direction of supplying envelopes from the rear tray 312 is limited to the short side. On the other hand, printing device 400 includes a box 410 as a supply mechanism and a manual supply tray 412, allowing envelopes to be supplied from the manual supply tray 412. Here, printing device 400 is configured such that the direction of supplying envelopes from the manual supply tray 412 can be both from the short side and from the long side.

[0032] When printing using IPP (hereinafter referred to as "IPP printing"), the user activates the OS standard print driver on the terminal and obtains information about the various printers on the communication network in order to determine the differences in supply capabilities between the printers as described above. The user then uses the OS standard print driver to set up the print settings based on the obtained information, and generates a raster image for printing while appropriately rotating the original image to be printed as needed, and sends the raster image for printing to the printer.

[0033] In this embodiment, the case of IPP printing on a sealed envelope in printing apparatus 300 or printing apparatus 400 will be described. This envelope is assumed to have multiple orientations for address printing (vertical printing and horizontal printing). Note that this embodiment will be described as an example using IPP as the communication protocol, but is not limited thereto. For example, this embodiment can also be applied to printing services using other common printing protocols, such as WSD (On-Demand Network Services).

[0034] <Hardware Construction> Figures 2 to 4 It is shown Figure 1 The diagram illustrates examples of the hardware configurations of the various devices included in the printing system. The hardware configurations of each device will be described below.

[0035] Figure 2 This is a block diagram illustrating the hardware structure of a client terminal shared by PC terminal 100 and mobile terminal 200. CPU 101 reads programs from ROM 102, internal storage device 104, and external storage device 105, expands the programs on RAM 103, and controls the operation of the entire terminal via system bus 109. ROM 102 stores control programs for CPU 101, etc. RAM 103 provides a working area for temporarily storing programs and image data and for high-speed operation of terminal processing. Internal storage device 104 and external storage device 105 store the operating system (OS), various applications, image data, etc. The OS standard print driver (hereinafter referred to as "driver") is initially installed in both PC terminal 100 and mobile terminal 200. Operation unit 106 controls, for example, the keyboard and mouse in PC terminal 100, or the touch panel in mobile terminal 200, to receive instructions from the user. Display unit 107 is a liquid crystal display, etc., that presents various information to the user. Communication unit 108 is connected to communication network 500 and performs connections with an Internet provider, as well as data communication with printing device 300 or printing device 400. Note that it is assumed that known methods such as mDNS, HTTP, IPP, or TLS are used for connection to communication network 500 and for security.

[0036] Figure 3This is a block diagram illustrating the hardware structure of the printing device 300. The CPU 301 reads the program from the ROM 302 and internal storage device 313, expands the program on the RAM 303, and controls the operation of the entire printing device 300 via the system bus 315. The ROM 302 stores the control program to be executed by the CPU 301, as well as data such as data tables and embedded operating system (OS) programs. Under the management of the embedded OS stored in the ROM 302, the CPU 301 performs software execution control such as scheduling, task switching, and interrupt handling. The RAM 303 is constructed with SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) and other components, and data is stored in the RAM 303 using a primary battery (not shown) for data backup. The RAM 303 stores program control variables, etc., whose data should not be deleted. The image memory 304 is composed of DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) and other components, and accumulates image data. Furthermore, a portion of the image memory 304 is used as a working area for performing software processing. The data conversion unit 305 performs the necessary conversion processing on the input image data, such as analysis of the Page Description Language (PDL) and CG rasterization of the character data. Here, the PDL only needs to conform to IPP and includes formats such as PWG-Raster, PDF, JPEG, and PCL. Among these IPP-compliant PDLs, there are rotation-supported and non-rotation-supported types. The rotation-supported type, like PDF, can include specifications related to image rotation, while the non-rotation-supported type, like PWG-Raster, cannot. Therefore, if the printer to be used only supports the latter non-rotation-supported type of PDL, the original image needs to be converted into a raster image (where the original image is rotated to the appropriate orientation on the terminal side) and the raster image provided to the printer. The various processes disclosed in this embodiment are performed under the premise that the PDL format to be used in IPP printing includes both rotation-supported and non-rotation-supported types. The read control unit 306 performs various image processing, such as binarization and halftone processing, on the image signal obtained by the read unit 308 optically reading the original and converting it into electronic image data, via an image processing control unit (not shown), and outputs high-resolution image data. The display operation unit 308 includes a minimum key such as a numeric input key, a mode setting key, an OK key, and a Cancel key, an LED (light-emitting diode), and a 7-segment display, and is used to present information to the user and receive command input. The print control unit 309 performs various image processing operations, such as smoothing, density correction, and color correction, on the image data to be printed via an image processing control unit (not shown), to convert the image data into higher-resolution image data, and outputs the higher-resolution image data to the print unit 311.The cassette 310 is configured as a single cassette in which sheets of a predetermined size are stacked, and sheets are supplied from the cassette corresponding to the sheet size specified in the print job. The cassette includes a sheet presence / absence detection sensor that detects whether sheets are stacked and a sheet width sensor that detects the width of the stacked sheets. The rear tray 312 similarly includes a sheet presence / absence detection sensor and a sheet width sensor. For any sheet size, the supply direction of the cassette 310 and the rear tray 312 is limited to only the short side of the sheet, and supply from the long side of the sheet is not supported. Note that, depending on the specifications of the printer, there are cases where the rear tray 312 does not include a sheet width sensor. In such cases, a list of sheet sizes can be displayed on the display operation unit 307 at the timing when the sheet presence / absence detection sensor detects a sheet, allowing the user to specify the sheet size set by the user. The communication control unit 314 is connected to the communication network 500 and performs communication control such as connecting to an Internet provider. Note that, for connection to the communication network 500 and security, well-known methods such as mDNS, HTTP, IPP, or TLS are used. The internal storage device 313 is, for example, an HDD and is used to store size information of sheets placed in the cassette 310 and the rear tray 312, image data, and the like.

[0037] Figure 4 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the printing apparatus 400. Many hardware configurations are common to the printing apparatus 400 and the printing apparatus 300. Although the description of the common hardware configurations is omitted, the main differences lie in the cassette 410, the manual feed tray 412, and the finishing device 415, and an overview of these is as follows.

[0038] The cassette 410 included in the printing apparatus 400 is a multi-level type including a plurality of cassettes, and sheets of different sizes can also be stacked in each cassette. When viewed from the front surface of the printing apparatus 400, the manual feed tray 412 is located on the right side surface, and the manual feed tray 412 can support feeding from the long side of the sheet. Feeding from each cassette included in the cassette 410 can be performed only from the short side of the sheet, and the cassette does not support feeding from the long side. On the other hand, the manual feed tray 412 is configured to be able to support feeding from the long side of the sheet as well as from the short side of the sheet. The finishing device 415 is a mechanism for performing finishing processes such as a binding function, a folding function, and a punching function on the printed sheets.

[0039] <IPP Printing Process> Next, taking the case of printing an address on an envelope as an example, the process of performing IPP printing using the PWG-Raster format as the PDL will be described for each of the printing apparatus 300 and the printing apparatus 400.

[0040] <<Case of the Printing Apparatus 300>> Figure 5 Figures (a) to (c) are diagrams illustrating possible patterns when an envelope for Nagagata #4 is supplied from the rear tray 312 of the printing device 300 and the envelope is printed. As described above, in the case of using the rear tray 312 of the printing device 300, the supply direction is restricted to only from the short side. Then, in the case of printing the envelope, as... Figure 5 As shown in (a) to (c), the supply direction is also restricted by the capping portion. That is, the rear tray 312 does not support supplying the envelope with the capping portion positioned at the front end of the sheet, and the user needs to position the envelope so that the capping portion of the envelope is positioned at the rear end relative to the rear tray 312.

[0041] Figure 5 (a) is a diagram illustrating the printing process when an address is printed vertically on the surface of an envelope. The original image, which is the string of the address, is vertically oriented. The terminal driver then needs to rotate the original image to the appropriate orientation (i.e., the orientation in which the characters are correctly oriented with the envelope cap on top), convert the original image into a raster image, and send the raster image to the printing device 300. Now, since it is necessary to supply the envelope so that the envelope cap is always at the rear end relative to the rear tray 312, the driver sends the PDL data of the vertically oriented raster image obtained by rotating the vertically oriented original image 180 degrees to perform a vertical flip to the printing device 300. The user then places the envelope so that the cap is at the rear end relative to the rear tray 312 of the printing device 300. As a result, the orientation of the envelope supplied from the rear tray 312 is correctly related to the orientation of the raster image, resulting in the desired printing result.

[0042] Figure 5(b) is a diagram illustrating the printing process when the address is printed horizontally on the surface of an envelope, and when the envelope's cap is desired to be oriented to the left if the address is correctly observed after printing. The original image of the address string is horizontal (landscape). The terminal driver then needs to rotate the original image to the appropriate orientation (i.e., the characters tilted 90 degrees clockwise with the envelope cap on top), convert the original image into a raster image, and send the raster image to the printing device 300. Now, since the envelope needs to be supplied so that the envelope cap is always at the rear end relative to the rear tray 312, the driver sends PDL data of a vertical raster image obtained by rotating the horizontal original image 90 degrees to the left to the printing device 300. The user then places the envelope so that the cap is at the rear end relative to the rear tray 312 of the printing device 300. As a result, the orientation of the envelope supplied from the rear tray 312 is correctly related to the orientation of the raster image, resulting in the desired printing result.

[0043] Figure 5 (c) is a diagram illustrating the printing process when the address is printed horizontally on the surface of an envelope, and when the envelope's cap is desired to be oriented to the right if the address is correctly observed after printing. The original image of the address string is horizontal. The terminal driver then needs to rotate the original image to the appropriate orientation (i.e., with the characters tilted 90 degrees counterclockwise with the envelope cap on top), convert the original image into a raster image, and send the raster image to the printing device 300. Now, since the envelope needs to be supplied so that the envelope cap is always at the rear end relative to the rear tray 312, the driver sends PDL data of a vertically elongated raster image obtained by rotating the horizontal original image 90 degrees to the right to the printing device 300. The user then places the envelope so that the cap is at the rear end relative to the rear tray 312 of the printing device 300. As a result, the orientation of the envelope supplied from the rear tray 312 is correctly related to the orientation of the raster image, resulting in the desired printing result.

[0044] As mentioned above, in Figure 5 In all patterns (a) to (c), the orientation of the raster image in the PDL data received by the printing device 300 becomes longitudinal. The IPP layer does not include information on how the driver rotates the original image. Therefore, the terminal driver writes information about the feed direction and image rotation angle into the header information of the PDL data and sends the PDL data. To print with the correct orientation, the printing device 300 determines the correct orientation based on the header information of the received PDL data. Figure 5Which of the following options (a) to (c) is correct, and then print it?

[0045] <<The Situation of Printing Device 400>> Figure 6 Figures (a) to (d) illustrate possible patterns when an envelope for Kakugata #2 is supplied from the manual supply tray 312 of the printing device 400 and printed. As described above, when using the manual supply tray 412 of the printing device 400, the supply direction can be either from the short side or from the long side. Furthermore, it is possible to supply the envelope with the cap portion positioned at the front end relative to the manual supply tray 412 and to discharge the envelope with the cap portion positioned at the rear end. Here, only the case where the original image of the address string is vertical (portrait) is described; however, the same idea applies when the original image is also horizontal (horizontal).

[0046] Figure 6 (a) describes the printing process where the envelope is supplied from its short side while the cap portion is on top, with the address correctly observed after printing, and the envelope cap portion is positioned at the rear end relative to the manual supply tray 412. The original image, which is the string representing the address, is now vertical (vertical). The terminal driver then rotates the original image to the appropriate orientation (i.e., the orientation in which the characters are correctly oriented with the envelope cap portion on top), converts the original image into a raster image, and sends the raster image to the printing device 300. Since the envelope is supplied with the cap portion positioned at the rear end relative to the manual supply tray 412, the driver sends PDL data of the vertical raster image obtained by rotating the vertical original image 180 degrees for a vertical flip to the printing device 400. The user then positions the envelope such that the cap portion is positioned at the rear end relative to the manual supply tray 412 of the printing device 400. As a result, the orientation of the envelope supplied from the manual supply tray 412 is correctly correlated with the orientation of the raster image, thus obtaining the desired printing result.

[0047] Figure 6(b) describes the printing process where the envelope is supplied from its short side while the cap portion is positioned at the front relative to the manual supply tray 412, provided the address after printing is correctly observed. Since the envelope is supplied to the manual supply tray 412 with the cap portion at the front, the driver converts the longitudinal original image as is into a raster image (image rotation angle: 0 degrees) and sends PDL data to the printing unit 400. The user then positions the envelope such that the cap portion is at the front relative to the manual supply tray 412 of the printing unit 400. As a result, the orientation of the envelope supplied from the manual supply tray 412 is correctly related to the orientation of the raster image, thus obtaining the desired printing result. Note that... Figure 6 Unlike case (a), the starting position for printing the original image is offset from the width of the cap portion. Therefore, it is possible to print with the cap portion folded inwards.

[0048] Figure 6 (c) describes the printing process where the envelope is supplied from its long side while the cap portion is on top, and the envelope cap portion is positioned to the right of the manual supply tray 412 in the supply direction, provided the address after printing is correctly observed. In this case, since the envelope is supplied with the cap portion on top in the supply direction towards the left side in the figure, the driver sends PDL data of a transverse raster image obtained by rotating the longitudinal original image 90 degrees to the right to the printing device 400. The user then positions the envelope so that the cap portion is on the right of the manual supply tray 412 of the printing device 400 in the supply direction. As a result, the orientation of the envelope supplied from the manual supply tray 412 is correctly related to the orientation of the raster image, thus obtaining the desired printing result.

[0049] Figure 6 (d) describes the printing process where the envelope is supplied from its long side while the cap portion is on top, and the cap portion is positioned to the left of the manual supply tray 412 in the supply direction, provided the address after printing is correctly observed. In this case, since the envelope is supplied with the cap portion positioned to the left of the cap portion in the supply direction, the driver sends PDL data of a transverse raster image obtained by rotating the longitudinal original image 90 degrees to the left to the printing device 400. The user then positions the envelope such that the cap portion is to the left of the manual supply tray 412 of the printing device 400 in the supply direction. As a result, the orientation of the envelope supplied from the manual supply tray 412 is correctly aligned with the orientation of the raster image, thus obtaining the desired printing result.

[0050] <Operating conditions during printing> Figure 7 and Figure 8 This is a table summarizing the operating conditions during printing in printing devices 300 / 400. Figure 7 It refers to A4 paper and letters as representative examples of general forms, while... Figure 8 This is a table of representative examples of envelopes: Nagagata #4, Kakugata #2, and DL. Figure 7 and Figure 8 In the tables, a "○" indicates support, while a "×" indicates no support. Based on the combinations of the supported operating conditions shown in these tables, media database information, which will be described later, is generated.

[0051] First, the description Figure 7 and Figure 8 The table contains four items: “Supply mechanism”, “Orientation of original image”, “Supply direction”, and “Image rotation angle”.

[0052] The term "feed mechanism" indicates the contents of the feed units included in each printer, and indicates that printing device 300 includes a cartridge 310 and a rear tray 312, and printing device 400 includes a cartridge 410 and a manual feed tray 412. Note that in the case of printing envelopes, a feed tray (rear tray 312 or manual feed tray 412) is typically used; therefore, in Figure 8 The box designated as the "supply agency" is omitted from the table.

[0053] "Original Image Orientation" indicates the orientation of the original image, referred to as the document to be printed, in the print settings screen displayed when the driver is activated, and can take the values ​​"Vertical" or "Horizontal". If the document to be printed is, for example, a photograph, and the user selects "Horizontal" on the print settings screen, the original image of the photograph is displayed in horizontal orientation as a preview. In this case, the original image orientation is initially stored as "Vertical", and if "Horizontal" is selected on the print settings screen, the original image is rotated 90 degrees to the left in the preview display.

[0054] The “supply direction” indicator is based on the orientation of the sheet or envelope to be supplied by the supply mechanism included in the printer, and can take the value of “short-edge-first” or “long-edge-first”.

[0055] "Image rotation angle" indicates the image rotation angle when sending PDL data from the terminal in a format of a non-rotating supported type PDL (e.g., PWG-Raster). The attribute values that "image rotation angle" can take are 0 degrees (vertical), 180 degrees (reverse portrait), 90 degrees to the left (landscape), or 90 degrees to the right (reverse landscape).

[0056] <<In the case of A4 or Letter>> In the case of printing a sheet of "A4" or "Letter", if the "orientation of the original image" is determined in any one of the cassette 310 and the rear tray 312 of the printing apparatus 300, the combination of the "feeding direction" and the "image rotation angle" is determined as one. For example, in the case where the sheet to be used is "A4" and the "orientation of the original image" is "landscape long", the rear tray 312 only supports feeding from the short side (see Figure 7 ). Therefore, in this case, the "image rotation angle" is determined as one, that is, "90 degrees to the left" (see Figure 7 ).

[0057] This also applies to the printing apparatus 400, and in the case where the sheet size is "A4" or "Letter" in any one of the cassette 410 and the manual feed tray 412, if the "orientation of the original image" is determined, the combination of the "feeding direction" and the "image rotation angle" is determined as one. For example, in the case where the sheet to be used is "A4" and the "orientation of the original image" is "landscape long", the manual feed tray 412 only supports feeding from the long side (see Figure 7 ). Therefore, the "image rotation angle" in this case is determined as one, that is, "0 degrees".

[0058] <<In the case of envelopes>> In the case of printing "NAGAGATA #4", "KAKUGATA #2", or "DL envelope" in any one of the printing apparatus 300 and the printing apparatus 400, even if the "orientation of the original image" is determined, the combination of the "feeding direction" and the "image rotation angle" is not necessarily determined as one. In the example of this embodiment, in the case of the printing apparatus 300, there are the following three combinations.

[0059] 1) Orientation of the original image: portrait long, feeding from the short side, rotation angle: 180 degrees 2) Orientation of the original image: landscape long, feeding from the short side, rotation angle: 90 degrees to the left 3) Orientation of the original image: landscape long, feeding from the short side, rotation angle: 90 degrees to the right Then, in the case of the printing apparatus 400, there are the following eight combinations.

[0060] 1) Original image orientation: vertical, supplied from the short side, rotation angle: 180 degrees 2) Original image orientation: vertical, supplied from the short side, rotation angle: 0 degrees 3) Original image orientation: vertical, supplied from the long side; rotation angle: 90 degrees to the right. 4) Original image orientation: vertical, supplied from the long side, rotation angle: 90 degrees to the left 5) Original image orientation: horizontal, supplied from the short side, rotation angle: 90 degrees to the left. 6) Original image orientation: horizontal, fed from the short side; rotation angle: 90 degrees to the right. 7) Original image orientation: horizontal, fed from the long side, rotation angle: 0 degrees 8) Original image orientation: horizontal, fed from the long side, rotation angle: 180 degrees For example, consider the case of printing an envelope for Nagagata #4 using the rear tray 312 of the printing unit 300. Even if the "original image orientation" is determined to be "horizontal" and the "feed direction" to be "feed from the short side" in this case, the "image rotation angle" still has two possibilities: "90 degrees to the left" and "90 degrees to the right". This means that when the driver generates a print job conforming to the IPP format, even if all the "sheet size", "feed mechanism", "original image orientation", and "feed direction" are determined, the "image rotation angle" cannot be reduced to one.

[0061] <Printer Capability Response> Next, the package will be described when the printing unit 300 / 400 performs a capability response. Figure 9 This is an example of an IPP attribute response packet of the media database information of the printing device 300, wherein a portion of the IPP attribute response packet is extracted. Figure 10A and Figure 10BThis is an example of an IPP attribute response packet for the feed completion information of the printing device 300. The IPP defines two attributes: media-col-database and media-col-ready. Within each attribute, media-source-properties are defined. Furthermore, the media-source-feed-direction attribute includes a feed direction attribute and an image rotation attribute. In this case, the feed direction attribute can take the values ​​"long side (long side first)" or "short side (short side first)". Additionally, the image rotation attribute can take the values ​​"0 degrees (vertical)," "180 degrees (reverse vertical)," "90 degrees to the left (horizontal)," or "90 degrees to the right (reverse horizontal)."

[0062] Use Figure 9 The capability response shown is a response to the media database information, regardless of whether the sheet is actually placed in the supply mechanism. For this reason, the capability response can be considered a response to static database information. Instead, it is used by extracting the type and size of the sheet actually placed in the supply mechanism, as well as the supply direction and image rotation angle corresponding to the placed sheet. Figure 10A and Figure 10B The response packet shown is a capability response to the supply completion information. For this reason, the capability response can be considered a response to dynamic database information. The descriptive content in the supply completion information is typically a narrowed-down version of the descriptive content of the media database information.

[0063] <<Response packet for media database information>> Figure 9 The example response packet for media database information only shows a description of the envelope and A4 information from Nagagata #4 in rear tray 312, and omits other descriptions. Referring to the description related to Nagagata #4, the media-source-feed-direction attribute value in media-source-properties is simply "short side first". This is consistent with the above... Figure 7 The content described in the table is consistent. On the other hand, the attribute value for image rotation (media-source-feed-orientation) in media-source-properties describes three attribute values: "reverse vertical (6)", "horizontal (4)" and "reverse horizontal (5)". This is also consistent with the above. Figure 7 The information described in the table is consistent. Note that the values ​​in parentheses are values ​​that are individually correlated with the content specified in the PWG's standard IPP specification.

[0064] <<Response Package for Supply Completion Information>> Figure 10A The response packet shown Figure 10B The difference between the response packets shown lies in whether the envelope for Nagagata #4 is placed in the rear tray 312 at the point in time when the capability response for supply completion information is given. Figure 10A In the example response packet shown, the media-source-feed-direction attribute value is only "short side first," and the media-source-feed-orientation attribute value is also only "reverse vertical." That is, the combination of feed direction and image rotation angle is reduced to one. On the other hand, in Figure 10B In the example response packet shown, the combinations are not narrowed down to one. First, the media-source-feed-direction attribute value is simply "short side first" in the same way. However, the media-source-feed-orientation attribute value describes three attribute values: "reverse vertical," "horizontal," and "reverse horizontal." That is, as a capability response at a point in time when a print job has been sent but the envelope for Nagagata #4 has not yet been placed on the rear tray 312, there are multiple possible combinations of feed direction and image rotation angle.

[0065] <IPP Printing Process> In actual IPP printing, there are two scenarios: one where the driver instructs printing after the sheet is placed in the printer to be used, and another where the driver instructs printing first, and then the sheet is placed in the printer to be used. The processing flow for each scenario will be described below.

[0066] <<First, place the sheet, then execute the print command>> Figure 11This is a flowchart illustrating the process related to the placement of the sheet material in the printer before sending a print job. The process is implemented by the CPU 301 / 401 of the printing unit 300 / 400 reading a predetermined program from ROM 302 / 402, expanding the predetermined program on RAM 303 / 403, and executing the predetermined program. Note that in the following description, the symbol "S" indicates a step. Furthermore, in the following description, the rear tray 312 of the printing unit 300 and the manual supply tray 412 of the printing unit 400 are collectively referred to as the "supply tray".

[0067] In S1101, the presence / absence of the sheet is detected by a sheet presence / absence detection sensor, which detects that the sheet is placed in a box or supply tray that serves as a supply mechanism.

[0068] In S1102, the width of the placed sheet is detected by a sheet width sensor in the supply mechanism, which has already detected that the sheet has been placed.

[0069] In S1103, based on the detected sheet width, it is determined whether there are multiple sheet size candidates that the device can support. For example, since the short side of A4 and the long side of A5 are both 210 mm, when the detected sheet width is 210 mm, there is a possibility that the A5 sheet has been placed from the long side and the A4 sheet has been placed from the short side. Therefore, there are multiple sheet size candidates. If it is possible to infer in this way that the sheet is placed such that the long side reaches the sheet width sensor and the sheet is placed such that the short side reaches the sheet width sensor, and it is not possible to determine which case the printing belongs to based solely on the detected sheet width, the process proceeds to S1104. On the other hand, if there is only one sheet size that can be inferred from the detected sheet width (for example, if the sheet width is 216 mm, then there are no candidates other than the letter size), the process proceeds to S1105. Note that in cases where the supply direction is limited to the short side, as in the printing apparatus 300 of this embodiment, for example, the supply tray itself can be configured to supply only from the short side, so that the sheet width is determined while eliminating the case of supplying sheet from the long side in this step.

[0070] In S1104, a selection screen is displayed that allows the user to select the actual sheet size (i.e., sheet orientation) from a list of sheet size candidates inferred from the detected sheet width. Here, the printing apparatus 300 of this embodiment does not support feeding from the long side. In this case, a configuration may be adopted in which a warning label “!” is displayed along with the sheet size corresponding to feeding from the long side, etc. Then, if the user selects an unsupported sheet size regardless of the warning, for example, a message such as “This sheet size is not supported. Please place the sheet in the correct orientation” may be displayed. Upon receiving a selection of a supported sheet size from the sheet size candidates, the process proceeds to S1105.

[0071] In S1105, media information matching the size of the placed sheet is obtained by referring to the media database information. Here, it is assumed, for example, that the media database information is generated and initialized when the printer is powered on, and that the media database information is pre-stored in the internal storage device 313. Figure 12 This is an example of media database information for the printing device 300. For each sheet size supported by the printing device 300, information regarding sheet width, sheet length, feeding mechanism, feeding direction, image rotation angle, and sheet type is specified. Here, "plain paper" is registered as the sheet type for Nagagata #4 in addition to "envelope" for the convenience of users printing envelopes. Furthermore, there are cases where some operating systems do not support "envelope" as a sheet type. In such cases, "plain paper" may also be registered as the sheet type for envelopes. Now, if a Nagagata #4 envelope has been placed on the rear tray 312 of the printing device 300, then... Figure 12 Search the media database for "sheet size = Nagagata #4" and extract records numbered 1 through 6.

[0072] In S1106, the content of the next boot screen to be displayed is switched based on the record extracted from the media database information in S1105. Specifically, if there are multiple "combinations of supply direction and image rotation angle" that can be specified and established according to the extracted record, the process proceeds to S1107, and if there is only one combination, the process proceeds to S1108. In the case that the envelope of Nagagata #4 mentioned above has been placed on the rear tray 312 of the printing device 300, there are three combinations as described below, and the process therefore proceeds to S1107.

[0073] • Combination 1: Supply direction = shorter side first Rotation angle = reverse vertical direction • Combination 2: Supply direction = shorter side first Rotation angle = horizontal • Combination 3: Supply direction = shorter side first Rotation angle = reverse lateral In S1107, the operation display unit of the printer to be used displays a guide screen for correctly setting the feed direction and image rotation angle, in which multiple "combinations of feed direction and image rotation angle" that can be established are set as options. Figure 13 (a) is a graphical guide screen showing an example of a guide screen correctly setting the combination of the orientation of the envelope's cap portion, the supply direction, and the image rotation angle from the three combinations described above. Figure 13 In the guide screen (a), the thick arrow 1300 indicates the direction in which the sheet is placed (supply direction). The user can manipulate the left and right arrow buttons 1301 in the guide screen to move the dashed box 1302 to select the desired combination of "supply direction and image rotation angle" from the options. Figure 13 In the guide screen (a), the letters "P" and "L" in the images representing envelopes are uppercase letters for "vertical" and "horizontal" orientations, respectively. The orientation of these letters on the screen indicates the image rotation angle for the corresponding option. Note that the image rotation angle only needs to be clear to the user, and each image rotation angle can be represented by illustrations of text, scenery, etc., instead of the uppercase letters. If the user, having completed their selection, presses the OK button 1303 on the guide screen, the process proceeds to S1109.

[0074] In S1108, the operation display unit of the printer to be used displays a guide screen for correctly setting the supply direction and image rotation angle according to a "combination of supply direction and image rotation angle" that can be established. Figure 13 (b) is an example of a guide screen for correctly setting the supply direction, which includes the orientation of the envelope's cap portion. In the case where only one combination of supply direction and image rotation angle exists, a guide screen showing the appropriate supply direction is displayed. If the user, having confirmed that the sheet is correctly placed, presses the OK button 1304, the process proceeds to S1109. On the other hand, if the user presses the Cancel button 1305, the process is aborted.

[0075] In S1109, supply completion information is generated based on the user operation (selection operation or confirmation operation) received via the operation display unit. When a guide screen with options is displayed, the selection value based on the user's selection operation is obtained, and supply completion information with descriptive content that is a reduced version of the media database information is generated. In the above... Figure 13In the example of the guide screen shown in (a), the dashed box 1302 is positioned around the envelope image in the center. When the OK button 1303 is pressed in this state, a supply completion message is generated, narrowing down the combinations from "Combination 1 to Combination 3" to "Combination 2".

[0076] The above describes the processing steps to be taken in the printer when the sheet is first placed.

[0077] Next, we will describe the printing settings when you give printing instructions to the printer to be used from the terminal. Figure 14 This is a flowchart illustrating the processing flow when printing settings are performed using the driver of PC terminal 100 or mobile terminal 200. Before starting this process, the driver detects nearby printers via mDNS through the communication network 500 and performs the initial settings required to use the detected printers. Specifically, this involves: obtaining a response packet containing the aforementioned media database information, an instance of the print icon, registering print characteristic information, and IPP port information for OS standard printing, etc. Note that the obtained media database information is stored and held in the internal storage device 104. The CPU 101 of the PC terminal 100 / mobile terminal 200 reads a predetermined program from ROM 102, expands the predetermined program on RAM 103, and executes the predetermined program to implement this process. Note that in the following description, the symbol "S" indicates a step.

[0078] In S1401, the driver is activated, and a print settings screen is displayed on the display unit 107 for the user to execute print commands on document files created by document creation / image editing applications, etc.

[0079] In S1402, the latest information about the printer to be used is obtained via IPP communication through the communication network 500. Specifically, in order to obtain a capability response related to the presence or absence of sheet material already placed in the detected printer, a response packet containing the aforementioned supply completion information is obtained.

[0080] In S1403, it is determined whether obtaining supply completion information from the printer to be used has been successful. For example, if a response packet requesting supply completion information fails but IPP communication fails, or if no sheet is placed and the content of the supply completion information is empty, it is determined that obtaining supply completion information has failed. If the sheet has been placed in the printer to be used and obtaining supply completion information has been successful, the process proceeds to S1404. If obtaining supply completion information has failed, the process proceeds to S1405.

[0081] In S1404, the obtained supply completion information is referenced. Additionally, in S1405, the pre-stored and maintained media database information is referenced.

[0082] Here, if the PDL type usable in the printer to be used is a non-rotation-supported type represented by PWG-Raster, the terminal needs to rotate the original image to the appropriate orientation, then convert the original image into a raster image, and send the PDL data as described above. Therefore, in S1406, the next process to be performed is switched depending on whether the PDL type usable in the printer to be used is a rotation-supported type or a non-rotation-supported type. If the PDL type usable in the printer to be used is a non-rotation-supported type, the process proceeds to S1407. On the other hand, if the PDL type usable in the printer to be used is a rotation-supported type, the process proceeds to S1409.

[0083] In S1407, based on the supply completion information referenced in S1404 or the media database information referenced in S1405, it is determined whether there are multiple "combinations of supply direction and image rotation angle" that can be established. If the determination is based on the supply completion information, the number of "combinations of supply direction and image rotation angle" that can be established based on the sheet size detected in the printer to be used is counted. As a result of the determination, if the number of "combinations of supply direction and image rotation angle" is two or more, the process proceeds to S1408. If the number is one, the process proceeds to S1409.

[0084] In S1408, options for predetermined items are displayed on the displayed print settings screen based on two or more combinations that can be established. Specifically, options for items such as "print orientation" and "image rotation angle" are displayed according to the setting values ​​selected / entered by the user, and supply completion information or media database information obtained from the printer to be used is displayed.

[0085] In S1409, the setting values ​​for each item are obtained, and a preview image generated based on the setting values ​​is displayed. The user can visually check whether the feed direction and image rotation angle are correct through the displayed preview image. If the result of checking the preview image is correct, the user ends the print setup by pressing the OK button (not shown) and then presses the print execute button (not shown). This sends the print job from the terminal to the printer to be used. Note that the following configuration is possible: the timing before S1401 only detects printers that support non-rotational support type PDLs and the processing in S1406 is omitted.

[0086] The above describes the print setup process when the printer, on which the sheet has already been placed, is instructed to print. Here, we will describe the process in further detail using specific examples.

[0087] Figure 15 This is an example of the print setup screen assuming that the envelope containing Nagagata #4 has been placed on the rear tray 312 of the printing unit 300 before the print command, with the PDL type being PWG-Raster. Note that in this case, it is assumed that no sheet is placed in the cartridge 310. The state is as follows: the user has set "Nagagata #4" as the setting value for the item "Sheet Size" and has set "Horizontal Length (Landscape)" as the setting value for the item "Original Image Orientation". Note that "Original Image Orientation" can be automatically set based on the results of image analysis in the driver or upper-level application. Then, a preview image based on the "Horizontal Length (Landscape)" setting value for the item "Original Image Orientation" is displayed in the preview area 1501. In this example, using the supply completion information obtained from the printing unit 300, the "combination of supply direction and image rotation angle" is reduced to the aforementioned "Combination 2" based on "Nagagata #4". Therefore, "From the short side (rotated 90° to the left)" is automatically determined as the setting value for the item "Print Orientation". Additionally, the "rear tray," which is the setting value for the "supply mechanism" item, is automatically determined based on the supply completion information. Furthermore, a preview image visually instructing how to place the sheet onto the "rear tray" is generated based on the aforementioned reduction result, and this preview image is displayed in preview area 1501. In this example, the rotation angle of the reduced image (90 degrees to the left) is represented by the orientation of the letter "L," which indicates "horizontal length (horizontal)," but it could also be represented by the orientation of an illustration representing text or a landscape. Even if the user cannot understand the meaning of the various items in the print settings, this auxiliary information displayed in the preview area allows the user to visually grasp the positional relationship of the original image relative to the supply tray and easily check whether the sheet is being supplied correctly. Note that the preview image does not necessarily have to be displayed on the print settings screen and can be displayed in different windows, for example. Figure 15 In a specific example, the setting value of the "Print Orientation" item is automatically determined simply by the user selecting the setting values ​​of the "Sheet Size" and "Original Image Orientation" items on the print settings screen. In other words, since the user cannot mistakenly select a feed direction and image rotation angle that the rear tray 312 of the printing device 300 does not support on the system, printing errors related to the feed direction or image rotation angle can be prevented.

[0088] <<First execute the print command, then place the sheet>> The process for setting up print and executing print commands on the printer using the terminal driver is as described above. Figure 14 As described in the flowchart. Therefore, the following will primarily describe the differences when printing settings are performed using the terminal's driver before placing the sheet in the printer to be used. Here, we will describe an example of a case where printing settings are performed using the driver and PDL data for the PWG-Raster is sent, and then an envelope for Kakugata #2 is printed using the manual feed tray 412 of the printing unit 400. Since the manual feed tray typically does not have a feed configuration capable of stacking large quantities of sheet, a user wishing to perform IPP printing from a remote terminal first completes the necessary printing settings and sends the print command, and then places the sheet on the manual feed tray.

[0089] Figure 16 This diagram illustrates an example of the display state of the print setup screen in the current situation. In the initial print setup screen displayed at the moment the terminal driver is activated, the user selects "Kakugata #2" as the setting value for the item "Sheet Size". Then, no sheet is placed in the cartridge 410 and manual feed tray 412 of the printing device 400. Therefore, obtaining feed completion information fails ("No" in S1403), and the option for the predetermined item is displayed based on the media database information ("Yes" in S1405 and S1406, and "Yes" in S1407 and S1408). That is, a dropdown menu displays "Length" and "Width" as options for the item "Image Orientation," and "Cartridge" and "Manual Feed Tray" as options for the item "Feed Mechanism". Furthermore, when the feed direction is from the long side, the image rotation angle is either 90 degrees to the left or 90 degrees to the right, while when the feed direction is from the short side, the image rotation angle is either 180 degrees or 0 degrees. Therefore, these four options are displayed as the "Print Orientation" option for the item. Then, by highlighting the fact that the user has selected "Manual Feeding Tray," "Vertical (Heading)," and "From Long Side (Rotated 90° to the Right)," a preview image reflecting these user selections is displayed in the preview area 1601. The user can refer to the displayed preview image to properly place the Kakugata #2 envelope in the manual feeding tray 412.

[0090] <Printer receiving print jobs operation> Next, we will refer to Figure 17The flowchart describes the processing flow related to the placement of sheet material in the printer when receiving a print job from the terminal. The CPU 301 / 401 of the printing unit 300 / 400 reads the predetermined program from ROM 302 / 402, expands the predetermined program on RAM 303 / 403, and executes the predetermined program to achieve... Figure 17 The process. Note that in the following description, the symbol "S" indicates a step.

[0091] In S1701, the communication control unit 314 / 414 receives the print job (Create-job command) sent by the terminal. This causes the job ID to be issued and returned to the terminal that sent the print job.

[0092] In S1702, the IPP attributes of the received print job are obtained. The IPP attributes contain information such as sheet size, sheet type, PDL type, feed mechanism, and whether it's duplex / single-sided printing. Note that whether the IPP attributes include information about the image rotation angle depends on the driver; there are cases where this information is included and cases where it is not.

[0093] In S1703, the communication control unit 314 / 414 receives PDL data associated with the aforementioned job ID and sent by the terminal.

[0094] In S1704, the header information of the received PDL data is obtained. The header information describes a Leading Edge attribute indicating the page's feed direction and an Orientation attribute indicating the image rotation angle. These two attributes correspond to the aforementioned Media Source Feed Direction and Media Source Feed Orientation attributes in the IPP attributes, respectively. That is, the attribute values ​​of the Leading Edge and Orientation attributes described in the header information have the same values ​​that can be used in the two attributes described in the IPP attributes. Based on the Orientation attribute value described in the header information, image rotation angle information with higher reliability can be obtained.

[0095] In S1705, information indicating the placement status of the sheet in the supply mechanism is obtained. For example, supply completion information stored in RAM 303 / 403 is searched based on the sheet size indicated by the IPP attribute of the print job and the attribute values ​​of the two attributes mentioned above in the header information of the PDL data. Alternatively, the output values ​​(detection results) of the sheet presence / absence detection sensors and sheet width sensors installed in each supply mechanism are obtained.

[0096] In S1706, based on the information regarding the placement status of the sheet obtained in S1705, it is determined whether a sheet with the same size as the sheet size specified in the print job (the sheet size indicated in the IPP attribute) has been placed in the predetermined supply mechanism. Here, "predetermined supply mechanism" refers to a specific box or supply tray specified in the print job, or a box or supply tray that matches the conditions for "automatically" specifying the supply destination in the print job. If a sheet with the specified sheet size has been placed in the predetermined supply mechanism, the process proceeds to S1707; otherwise, the process proceeds to S1709.

[0097] In S1707, media database information is used to search for the existence of multiple "combinations of supply direction and image rotation angle" that can be established based on the sheet size specified in the print job.

[0098] In S1708, based on the search results in S1707, it is determined whether to display a guide screen. If there are two or more "combinations of supply direction and image rotation angle", the process proceeds to S1709 to display the guide screen. On the other hand, if there is only one "combination of supply direction and image rotation angle", it can be inferred that the sheet has been properly placed, so it is determined that there is no need to display the guide screen, and the current process ends without proceeding to S1709. Specific examples of not displaying the guide screen include the following situation: First, the envelope for Nagagata #4 is placed in the rear tray 312 of the printing device 300 for supply from the short side, and then a printing instruction specifying an image rotation angle of "180°" is issued from the terminal. This is because if the envelope has already been placed on the rear tray 312 from the short side (as determined in S1706), the effective image rotation angle is only one, namely "180°" (see above). Figure 8 (The table).

[0099] In S1709, a guide screen is displayed that visually shows the appropriate feeding method according to the current sheet placement state. Here, a specific example of the guide screen to be displayed is shown.

[0100] <<Example of a guide screen display when no sheet size is specified in the print job (after the sheet is placed) (1)>> For example, suppose that although a print command is executed on the printing device 400 specifying "Kakugata #2" as the sheet size, "manual feed tray" as the feed mechanism, "feed from long side" as the feed direction, and "90° to the right" as the image rotation angle, an envelope has not yet been placed on the manual feed tray 412. In this case, an envelope is generated and displayed based on information obtained from the IPP attributes of the print job and the header information of the PDL data. Figure 18 The guide screen shown in (a) is "No" in S1706 and S1709. Now, in the IPP attributes, "Kakugata #2" is specified as the sheet size, and "manual supply tray" is specified as the supply mechanism. Then, "long side first" as the value of the front end attribute and "vertical" as the value of the orientation attribute are written in the header information. Based on this information, the printing device 400 generates and displays as shown in (a). Figure 18 The guide screen shown in (a) instructs the user to place the Kakugata #2 envelope onto the manual feed tray from the long side. In this case, in the image representing the Kakugata #2 envelope depicted in the guide screen, the orientation of the letter "P" indicates that the raster image (vertical) to be printed has been rotated 90 degrees to the right. Once the sensor detects that the sheet has been placed according to the guide screen, printing begins based on the print job and PDL data. In this way, by presenting the user with the relative position of the feed tray and the orientation and rotation angle of the sheet icon as auxiliary information, printing in the correct orientation is possible. Note that in Figure 18 In the guide screen of (a), information that can be further added to indicate the capping position that can be inferred from the sheet size, supply direction and image rotation angle can be added.

[0101] <<Example of a guide screen display when the sheet size is not specified in the job (sheet is placed later) (2)>> The orientation attribute in the header information is not always written as described above. Therefore, if the value of the front-end attribute has been obtained from the header information but the value of the orientation attribute has not yet been obtained, a guided screen like the one shown below can be displayed: Figure 18 As shown in (b), characters are not displayed in an overlay manner on the image representing the envelope.

[0102] <<Example of a guide screen display when the sheet size specified in the job has already been set (sheet placed first)>> For example, suppose a printing instruction is executed on printing device 300 specifying "Nagagata #4" as the sheet size, "supply from short side" as the supply direction, and "90° to the left" as the image rotation angle, and the envelope for Nagagata #4 has already been placed on rear tray 312 for supply from the short side. In this case, it can be understood in S1706 that the envelope for Nagagata #4 has been placed on rear tray 312 from the short side. In this case, there are three possibilities for the rotation angle of the raster image: 180° if the original image is vertical; 90° to the left or 90° to the right if the original image is horizontal (see above). Figure 8 (The table). In view of this, a prompt screen is generated and displayed prompting the user to check whether a print job and PDL data for specifying the image rotation angle matching the orientation of the placed sheet have been generated and sent ("Yes" in S1706, "Yes" in S1708 and S1709). Figure 18 (c) is an example of a guide screen that provides a message prompting the user to check. If the appropriate print job and PDL data have been generated and sent, the user presses the OK button 1801, which initiates printing based on the print job and PDL data. Alternatively, if the Cancel button 1802 is pressed, printing is aborted.

[0103] The above is the process related to the placement of sheets in the printer used when receiving print jobs.

[0104] <Variation Example 1> The following printer models exist: When printing envelopes, it is necessary to supply envelopes such that, for printing purposes, the seal portion of the envelope is positioned at the rear end (e.g., refer to the previously mentioned...). Figure 5 (a)). In the print settings screen when using this printer for IPP printing, it is desirable to set the raster image rotation by 180 degrees as the default setting; however, there is no explicit rule in IPP. In view of this, a default feed angle attribute ("media-source-feed-orientation-default") is provided as one of the attributes of the media feed properties (media-source-properties) used in response to the media database information. Figure 19 An example of a response packet containing media database information according to this variation is shown. Figure 19In the response packet shown, "media-source-feed-orientation-default" is added directly below "media-source-feed-orientation" in "media-source-properties," and its value is described as "6." The terminal driver can, in the case of printing an envelope, display "From the short side (rotate 180 degrees)" as the default value for the "Print Orientation" item in the print settings screen by referring to the value of the default property for the feed angle in the received response packet. Alternatively, if the option for the "Print Orientation" item is displayed in the print settings screen... Figure 14 In process S1409), "From the short side (rotate 180°)" can be displayed at the top, so that "From the short side (rotate 180°)" is selected as the default setting as long as there are no changes.

[0105] <Variation Example 2> In the above embodiment, the printer that has received the print job obtains the values ​​of the front end attribute and orientation attribute from the header information of the PDL data, and generates and displays a guide screen based on the state at the time of receipt (see...). Figure 17 In this case, the aforementioned guide screen can be displayed only if the values ​​of the front-end attribute and orientation attribute included in the header information of the PDL data are confirmed to be reliable. Specifically, for example, a flag indicating the reliability of these two attribute values ​​can be added separately when sending the PDL data. Then, the printer will only control the display of the guide screen if the reliability of these two attribute values ​​is confirmed to be high based on the flag information. Figure 20 This is an example of a packet sent when PDL data is transmitted according to this variation. Figure 20 In the code, the `pwg-raster-document-leading-edge-reflected` property indicates the reliability of the leading edge attribute value, and a "true" value is entered as a flag indicating high reliability. Similarly, the `pwg-raster-document-orientation-reflected` property indicates the reliability of the orientation attribute value, and a "true" value is entered as a flag indicating high reliability. If the reliability is low, a "false" value is entered. Based on these reliability flags, it is determined whether the driver version supports writing header information for feed direction and image rotation angle. Then, control can be exercised to prevent the guide screen from being displayed if the flag value is false (or if no flag information is included).

[0106] As described above, according to this embodiment, a user can perform IPP printing by properly positioning the sheet in the printer to be used. In particular, even when printing envelopes, the user can avoid confusion regarding whether the sheet is supplied by placing the cap at the front or the cap at the rear. Note that this embodiment has been described using an envelope as an example; this embodiment can also be similarly applied to sheet sizes with multiple combinations of supply direction and image rotation angle, such as folded postcards and greeting cards.

[0107] (Other embodiments) The present invention can also be implemented in a manner in which a program for implementing one or more functions of the above embodiments is provided to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program. Alternatively, the present invention can also be implemented by a circuit (e.g., an ASIC) that implements one or more functions.

[0108] In addition, this disclosure includes the following constructions and methods.

[0109] [Construction 1] A printing apparatus that receives a print job in a format according to IPP (Internet Printing Protocol) from a client terminal and performs printing based on the received print job, the printing apparatus comprising: A communication unit configured to communicate with the client terminal; A control unit configured to cause a display unit to display a first guide screen, the first guide screen presenting possible combinations of a supply direction and a rotation angle of an image for printing, wherein said possible combinations can be established based on the sheet size of a sheet placed in the supply mechanism; and A generation unit is configured to generate first information indicating a determined combination presented in the first guide screen, wherein... In response to a request from the client terminal, the communication unit sends the first information generated by the generation unit.

[0110] [Construction 2] According to the printing apparatus described in configuration 1, wherein... In the presence of multiple possible combinations of supply direction and rotation angle of the image for printing, the control unit causes a first guide screen to be displayed as options for each of these multiple possible combinations, wherein the multiple possible combinations can be established based on the sheet size of the sheet placed in the supply mechanism. The generation unit generates the first information indicating a combination of supply direction and rotation angle, wherein the combination is determined based on the user's selection of the plurality of possible combinations presented in the first guide screen.

[0111] [Construction 3] According to the printing apparatus described in configuration 1, wherein... Given a possible combination of supply direction and rotation angle of the image for printing, the control unit causes the display to present the first guide screen of said possible combination, wherein said possible combination can be established based on the sheet size of the sheet placed in the supply mechanism. The generation unit generates the first information indicating a combination of supply direction and rotation angle, wherein the combination is determined based on a user's confirmation operation of one of the possible combinations presented in the first guide screen.

[0112] [Construction 4] According to configuration 2 or 3, the printing apparatus includes: A storage unit is configured to store second information defining possible combinations of the supply direction and the rotation angle of the image for printing, wherein said possible combinations can be established based on the various sheet sizes. By referring to the second information, the possible combination of supply direction and rotation angle of the image for printing can be established and presented in the first guide screen based on the sheet size of the sheet placed in the supply mechanism.

[0113] [Construction 5] According to the printing apparatus described in any one of constructions 1 to 4, wherein... The control unit causes the display unit to display a second guide screen at the time the print job is received, the second guide screen indicating a supply method based on the sheet placement state relative to the supply mechanism.

[0114] [Construction 6] According to the printing apparatus described in configuration 5, wherein... The control unit obtains the attribute values ​​of the supply direction and the rotation angle of the image to be printed from the header information of the PDL data according to the received print job, and causes the display unit to display the second guide screen.

[0115] [Construction 7] According to the printing apparatus described in configuration 6, wherein... The control unit determines whether to display the second guide screen based on the reliability of the attribute values ​​included in the header information of the PDL data, which indicate the supply direction and the rotation angle of the image to be printed.

[0116] [Construction 8] According to any one of constructions 5 to 7, the printing apparatus wherein... If, at the time the print job is received, no sheet with the sheet size specified in the print job is placed in the supply mechanism, the control unit causes the display unit to display the second guide screen, which prompts the supply direction specified in the print job to supply a sheet with the sheet size specified in the print job.

[0117] [Construction 9] According to the printing apparatus described in configuration 6, wherein... When the print job is received, if a sheet with the specified sheet size is placed in the supply mechanism and there are multiple possible combinations of supply direction and rotation angle of the image to be printed, the control unit causes the display unit to display the second guide screen, which prompts confirmation as to whether a rotation angle matching the direction of the placed sheet is specified in the print job.

[0118] [Construction 10] According to the printing apparatus described in configuration 6, wherein... When the print job is received, if a sheet with the sheet size specified in the print job is placed in the supply mechanism and there is a possible combination of supply direction and rotation angle of the image for printing, the control unit prevents the second guide screen from being displayed.

[0119] [Construction 11] A client terminal for providing a printing device with a print job in a format according to IPP (Internet Printing Protocol), the client terminal comprising: A communication unit configured to communicate with the printing device; and The control unit is configured to cause the display unit to display a print settings screen for generating the print job, wherein... In the presence of multiple possible combinations of supply direction and rotation angle of the image for printing, the control unit enables the selection of items corresponding to the supply direction and rotation angle to be displayed on the print settings screen, wherein the multiple possible combinations are specified by the capability response of the printing device obtained by the communication unit and can be established in the printing device.

[0120] [Construction 12] According to the client terminal described in configuration 11, wherein... If the format of the PDL that can be used in the printing device cannot include a specified format related to image rotation, the control unit causes the option to be displayed.

[0121] [Construction 13] According to the client terminal described in configuration 12, wherein, The specified format, which is related to image rotation, cannot be included.

[0122] [Construction 14] According to any one of constructions 11 to 13, the client terminal is wherein, The control unit causes the display unit to further display the preview image based on the setting value selected from the displayed options.

[0123] [Construction 15] According to the client terminal described in configuration 11, wherein... When the control unit includes default values ​​in its response to the ability to provide a specific sheet size, feed direction, and rotation angle of the image to be printed, the control unit causes the default values ​​to be displayed in the print settings screen when the specific sheet size is specified, in the items corresponding to the feed direction and rotation angle, respectively.

[0124] [Construction 16] A printing system in which a client terminal and a printing device are connected via a network, wherein, The printing device is a device that receives print jobs in a format according to IPP (Internet Printing Protocol) from the client terminal and performs printing based on the received print jobs, and the printing device includes: A control unit is configured to display a guide screen that presents a possible combination of a supply direction and a rotation angle of the image for printing, wherein the possible combination can be established based on the sheet size of the sheet placed in the supply mechanism. A generation unit, configured to generate, indicates first information representing a determined combination presented in the guide screen; and A communication unit, configured to send the first information generated by the generation unit in response to a request from the client terminal, and The client terminal includes: A communication unit configured to communicate with the printing device; and The control unit is configured to cause the display unit to display a print settings screen for generating the print job, wherein, in the presence of multiple possible combinations of feed direction and rotation angle of the image for printing, the control unit causes options for items corresponding to the feed direction and rotation angle respectively displayed in the print settings screen, wherein the multiple possible combinations are specified by the capability response of the printing device obtained by the communication unit and can be established in the printing device.

[0125] [Method 1] A method for controlling a printing device, the printing device receiving a print job in a format according to IPP (Internet Printing Protocol) from a client terminal, and performing printing based on the received print job, the control method comprising: The control step causes the display unit to display a first guide screen, which presents a possible combination of the supply direction and the rotation angle of the image for printing, wherein the possible combination can be established based on the sheet size of the sheet placed in the supply mechanism. The generation step generates first information indicating the determined combination presented in the first guide screen; and In the sending step, in response to a request from the client terminal, the first information generated by the generation unit is sent.

[0126] [Method 2] A control method for a client terminal, the client terminal being used to provide a printing device with a print job in a format according to IPP (Internet Printing Protocol), the control method comprising: The step of obtaining a capability response from the printing device; and The control unit causes the display unit to display a print settings screen for generating the print job, wherein... In the presence of multiple possible combinations of supply direction and rotation angle of the image for printing, the control step enables the selection of items corresponding to the supply direction and rotation angle to be displayed on the print settings screen, wherein the multiple possible combinations are specified by the capability response of the printing device obtained in the obtaining step and can be established in the printing device.

[0127] [Method 3] A method for controlling a printing system, wherein a client terminal and a printing device are connected via a network. The printing device is a device that receives print jobs in a format according to IPP (Internet Printing Protocol) from the client terminal and prints based on the received print jobs. The control method includes: To enable the printing device to perform: The control step causes the display unit to display a guide screen, which presents possible combinations of the supply direction and the rotation angle of the image for printing, wherein the possible combinations can be established based on the sheet size of the sheet placed in the supply mechanism. The generation step generates first information indicating the determined combination presented in the guide screen; and In the sending step, in response to a request from the client terminal, the first information generated in the generation step is sent; and Cause the client terminal to perform: The obtaining step is used to obtain a capability response from the printing device; and The control step causes the display unit to display a print settings screen for generating the print job, wherein, in the presence of multiple possible combinations of feed direction and rotation angle of the image for printing, the control step causes the options displayed on the print settings screen corresponding to the feed direction and rotation angle, respectively, wherein the multiple possible combinations are specified by the capability response of the printing device obtained in the obtaining step and can be established in the printing device.

[0128] [Construction 17] A program for enabling a computer to be used as a printing apparatus according to any one of constructions 1 to 10.

[0129] [Construction 18] A program for enabling a computer to be used as a client terminal according to any one of constructions 11 to 15.

[0130] [Construction 19] A program for enabling a computer to be used as a printing system according to configuration 16.

[0131] This invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the appended claims are attached to disclose the scope of the invention.

[0132] This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-151673, filed on September 19, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. A printing apparatus that receives a print job in a format according to IPP (Internet Printing Protocol) from a client terminal and performs printing based on the received print job, the printing apparatus comprising: A communication unit configured to communicate with the client terminal; A control unit is configured to display a first guide screen on a display unit, the first guide screen presenting a possible combination of a supply direction and a rotation angle of an image for printing, wherein the possible combination can be established based on the sheet size of a sheet placed in the supply mechanism. as well as A generation unit, configured to generate, indicates the first information of a determined combination presented in the first guide screen. In response to a request from the client terminal, the communication unit sends the first information generated by the generation unit.

2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, In the presence of multiple possible combinations of supply direction and rotation angle of the image for printing, the control unit causes the display of a first guide screen presenting the multiple possible combinations as options, wherein the multiple possible combinations can be established based on the sheet size of the sheet placed in the supply mechanism, and The generation unit generates the first information indicating a combination of supply direction and rotation angle, wherein the combination is determined based on the user's selection of the plurality of possible combinations presented in the first guide screen.

3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, Given a possible combination of supply direction and rotation angle of the image for printing, the control unit causes the display to present the first guide screen of said possible combination, wherein said possible combination can be established based on the sheet size of the sheet placed in the supply mechanism, and The generation unit generates the first information indicating a combination of supply direction and rotation angle, wherein the combination is determined based on a user's confirmation operation of one of the possible combinations presented in the first guide screen.

4. The printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the printing apparatus comprises: A storage unit is configured to store second information defining possible combinations of the supply direction and the rotation angle of the image for printing, wherein said possible combinations can be established based on the various sheet sizes. By referring to the second information, it can be specified that the possible combination of supply direction and rotation angle of the image for printing can be established and presented in the first guide screen based on the sheet size of the sheet placed in the supply mechanism.

5. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The control unit causes the display unit to display a second guide screen at the time the print job is received, the second guide screen indicating a supply method based on the sheet placement state relative to the supply mechanism.

6. The printing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, The control unit obtains the attribute values ​​of the supply direction and the rotation angle of the image to be printed from the header information of the PDL data according to the received print job, and causes the display unit to display the second guide screen.

7. The printing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein, The control unit determines whether to display the second guide screen based on the reliability of the attribute values ​​included in the header information of the PDL data, which indicate the supply direction and the rotation angle of the image to be printed.

8. The printing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, If, at the time the print job is received, no sheet with the sheet size specified in the print job is placed in the supply mechanism, the control unit causes the display unit to display the second guide screen, which prompts the supply direction specified in the print job to supply a sheet with the sheet size specified in the print job.

9. The printing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein, When the print job is received, if a sheet with the specified sheet size is placed in the supply mechanism and there are multiple possible combinations of supply direction and rotation angle of the image to be printed, the control unit causes the display unit to display the second guide screen, which prompts confirmation as to whether a rotation angle matching the direction of the placed sheet is specified in the print job.

10. The printing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein, When the print job is received, if a sheet with the sheet size specified in the print job is placed in the supply mechanism and there is a possible combination of supply direction and rotation angle of the image for printing, the control unit prevents the second guide screen from being displayed.

11. A client terminal for providing a printing device with a print job in a format according to IPP (Internet Printing Protocol), the client terminal comprising: A communication unit configured to communicate with the printing device; as well as The control unit is configured to cause the display unit to display a print settings screen for generating the print job, wherein... In the presence of multiple possible combinations of supply direction and rotation angle of the image for printing, the control unit enables the display of options for items corresponding to the supply direction and rotation angle on the print settings screen, wherein the multiple possible combinations are specified by the capability response of the printing device obtained by the communication unit and can be established in the printing device.

12. The client terminal according to claim 11, wherein, If the format of the PDL that can be used in the printing device cannot include a specified format related to image rotation, the control unit causes the option to be displayed.

13. The client terminal according to claim 12, wherein, The specified format, which is related to image rotation, cannot be included.

14. The client terminal according to claim 11, wherein, The control unit causes the display unit to further display the preview image based on the setting value selected from the displayed options.

15. The client terminal according to claim 11, wherein, When the control unit includes default values ​​in its response to the ability to respond to a specific sheet size, feed direction, and rotation angle of the image to be printed, the default values ​​are displayed in the print settings screen when the specific sheet size is specified, in the items corresponding to the feed direction and rotation angle, respectively.

16. A printing system wherein a client terminal and a printing device are connected via a network, wherein, The printing device is a device that receives print jobs in a format according to IPP (Internet Printing Protocol) from the client terminal and performs printing based on the received print jobs, and the printing device includes: A control unit is configured to display a guide screen that presents a possible combination of a supply direction and a rotation angle of an image for printing, wherein the possible combination can be established based on the sheet size of the sheet placed in the supply mechanism. A generation unit, configured to generate, indicates first information representing a determined combination presented in the guide screen; and A communication unit, configured to send the first information generated by the generation unit in response to a request from the client terminal, and The client terminal includes: A communication unit configured to communicate with the printing device; and The control unit is configured to cause the display unit to display a print settings screen for generating the print job, wherein, in the presence of multiple possible combinations of feed direction and rotation angle of the image for printing, the control unit causes options for items corresponding to the feed direction and rotation angle respectively displayed in the print settings screen, wherein the multiple possible combinations are specified by the capability response of the printing device obtained by the communication unit and can be established in the printing device.

17. A method for controlling a printing device, the printing device receiving a print job in a format according to IPP (Internet Printing Protocol) from a client terminal, and performing printing based on the received print job, the control method comprising: The control step causes the display unit to display a first guide screen, which presents possible combinations of the supply direction and the rotation angle of the image for printing, wherein the possible combinations can be established based on the sheet size of the sheet placed in the supply mechanism. The generation step generates first information indicating the determined combination presented in the first guide screen; as well as In the sending step, in response to a request from the client terminal, the first information generated in the generation step is sent.

18. A control method for a client terminal, the client terminal being used to provide a printing device with a print job in a format according to IPP (Internet Printing Protocol), the control method comprising: The step involves obtaining a capability response from the printing device. as well as The control step involves displaying a print settings screen on the display unit for generating the print job, wherein... In the presence of multiple possible combinations of supply direction and rotation angle of the image for printing, the control step causes the options displayed on the print settings screen corresponding to the supply direction and rotation angle, respectively, wherein the multiple possible combinations are specified by the capability response of the printing device obtained in the obtaining step and can be established in the printing device.

19. A method for controlling a printing system, wherein a client terminal and a printing device are connected via a network. The printing device is a device that receives print jobs from the client terminal in a format according to IPP (Internet Printing Protocol) and prints based on the received print jobs. The control method includes: To enable the printing device to perform: The control step causes the display unit to display a guide screen, which presents possible combinations of the supply direction and the rotation angle of the image for printing, wherein the possible combinations can be established based on the sheet size of the sheet placed in the supply mechanism. The generation step generates first information indicating the determined combination presented in the guide screen; as well as In the sending step, in response to a request from the client terminal, the first information generated in the generation step is sent; and Cause the client terminal to perform: A receiving step is used to obtain a capability response from the printing device; as well as The control step causes the display unit to display a print settings screen for generating the print job, wherein, in the presence of multiple possible combinations of feed direction and rotation angle of the image for printing, the control step causes the options displayed on the print settings screen corresponding to the feed direction and rotation angle, respectively, wherein the multiple possible combinations are specified by the capability response of the printing device obtained in the obtaining step and can be established in the printing device.

20. A program for causing a computer to execute a control method for a printing apparatus according to claim 17.

21. A program for causing a computer to execute the control method for a client terminal according to claim 18.

22. A program for causing a computer to execute a control method for a printing system according to claim 19.

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