Program, storage medium, information processing method, and information processing apparatus

Abstract

To enable a user to use a sharpness function by a program which expands a function of general-purpose printing software available in common in image forming apparatuses provided by a plurality of manufacturers.SOLUTION: A program expands a function of general-purpose printing software available in common in image forming apparatuses provided by a plurality of manufacturers and has: a code for displaying a display screen in which a setting of sharpness processing is received; and a code for setting the execution of the sharpness processing on image data generated by the general-purpose printing software, in an image forming apparatus being a transmission destination of the image data on the basis of the setting received in the display screen.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a program, a storage medium, an information processing method, and an information processing device. [Background technology]

[0002] There is a known configuration in which a printer driver installed on a host computer is used as control software for the printing device to issue print instructions to a printing device connected to the host computer. An operating system (OS), which is the basic software, is installed on the host computer, and the printer driver is configured according to the specifications defined by the OS and runs when called by the OS. By providing a printer driver that conforms to the OS specifications, a vendor (manufacturer) that provides a printing device can provide a means of issuing print instructions to the printing device using the OS.

[0003] In recent years, Windows (registered trademark) has provided standard class drivers (hereinafter also referred to as "standard drivers") that can be commonly used by printing devices provided by multiple vendors. Such standard drivers are included in the OS package and can be easily used by connecting any printing device to a host computer. Therefore, there is no need to separately install a model-specific printer driver suitable for the printing device, which is highly convenient. In addition, the standard driver is configured to be able to specify printing functions according to PrintDeviceCapabilities (hereinafter "PDC") generated based on information obtained from the connected printing device. As a result, a user who uses the standard driver can specify printing functions according to the capabilities of the connected printing device even though he or she is using one standard driver. However, this is limited to functions that can be realized only by the standard driver, and printer vendor-specific functions cannot be specified.

[0004] Therefore, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for expanding functions by using an extension application of a standard driver so that color printing, poster printing, and bookbinding printing, which are printer vendor-specific functions, can be realized. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-33526 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Here, a printer driver function unique to the printer vendor has a sharpness function. The sharpness function is a function that can adjust the sharpness of print data. The sharpness function enhances the edges of photographic parts and the like to improve the sharpness. Alternatively, it is possible to reduce the sharpness by performing a smoothing process. The user can select to print the image by either improving the sharpness, reducing the sharpness, or not using the sharpness function.

[0007] However, when using the standard driver, the sharpness function cannot be used. In Patent Document 1, the standard driver's extended application can be used to realize color printing, poster printing, and bookbinding printing when using the standard driver, but the sharpness function cannot be used.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to enable a user to use a sharpness function with a program that expands the functions of general-purpose printing software that can be used in common with image forming devices provided by multiple manufacturers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The present invention is a program that expands the functionality of general-purpose printing software that can be commonly used in image forming devices provided by multiple manufacturers, and is characterized by having code that displays a display screen that accepts sharpness processing settings, and code that sets image data generated by the general-purpose printing software to be subjected to sharpness processing in the image forming device to which the image data is sent, based on the settings accepted on the display screen. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to allow a user to use a sharpness function by using a program that expands the functions of general-purpose printing software that can be commonly used in image forming apparatuses provided by a plurality of manufacturers. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] Block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the printing system [Diagram 2] Printing system software configuration diagram [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a processing flow of sharpness processing performed by the printing device 102. [Figure 4] Image after sharpening [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a print setting screen displayed by the print setting screen expansion unit 205. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a flow chart showing a process for editing a PDC by the print function expansion unit 206. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of capability information acquired from a printing device 102. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a list of print functions supported by an extension application 204. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a list of printing functions supported by the general-purpose printing software 202. [Figure 10] A sequence diagram of the drawing application 201, the general-purpose printing software 202, the extension application 204, and the printing device 102. [Figure 11] Configuration of a printing system when an extension application 1102 is associated in the second embodiment [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a process flow of PDC editing processing by the print function extension unit 1103 in the second embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of capability information acquired from a printing device 1101 according to a second embodiment. [Figure 14] A sequence diagram of a drawing application 201, a general-purpose printing software 202, an extension application 1102, and a printing device 1101 according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention, and not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the present invention.

[0013] The same components are given the same reference numbers and their explanations are omitted.

[0014] <<Embodiment 1>> <Printing system hardware configuration> 1 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a printing system. In this diagram, a host computer 101 is an example of an information processing device, and has an input interface 110, a CPU 111, a ROM 112, a RAM 113, an external storage device 114, an output interface 115, and an input / output interface 116. Input devices such as a keyboard 118 and a pointing device 117 are connected to the input interface 110, and display devices such as a display unit 119 are connected to the output interface 115. A NETIF 120 is a network interface, and performs control for transferring data between the host computer 101 and an external device via a network.

[0015] An initialization program is stored in the ROM 112. The external storage device 114 is, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD). The external storage device 114 stores application programs, an operating system (OS), print data generation software, and various other data. The RAM 113 is used as a work memory or the like when various programs stored in the external storage device 114 are executed, and the various programs can run within the host computer 101.

[0016] In this embodiment, the CPU 111 performs processing in accordance with the code of a program stored in the ROM 112, thereby executing functions of the host computer 101, which will be described later, and processing related to flowcharts, which will be described later.

[0017] The printing device 102, which is a device, is an example of an image forming device, and is connected to the host computer 101 via an input / output interface 198 of the printing device 102 and an input / output interface 116 of the host computer 101. The input / output interface 198 of the printing device 102 and the input / output interface 116 of the host computer 101 may be connected via a wired network or a wireless network.

[0018] The printing device 102 includes a CPU 191 , a ROM 192 , a RAM 193 , an operation unit 194 , a reading unit 195 , a printing unit 196 , a NETIF 197 , and an input / output interface 198 .

[0019] The CPU 191 comprehensively controls the printing device 102. The ROM 192 is a memory that stores programs. The RAM 193 is a memory that temporarily stores programs and image data. The reading unit 195 is a scanner that reads images of an original. Note that the reading unit 195 is not essential. The printing unit 196 prints an image on a sheet based on the image data. The NETIF 197 is a network interface that controls data transfer between external devices via a network.

[0020] Here, the host computer 101 and the printing device 102 are configured separately, but they may be configured as one information processing device. A print setting screen and a detailed setting screen, which will be described later, are displayed on a display unit 119. In this embodiment, an electrophotographic digital multifunction device having multiple functions such as copying, printing, and faxing will be described as an example of the printing device. However, this is not limited to this, and the embodiment can also be applied to devices using other processes, such as an inkjet system. In addition, the host computer 101 may be a desktop personal computer, a smartphone, or a notebook computer.

[0021] <Software-centric printing system configuration> Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic software configuration of a printing system. The software configuration in Fig. 2 is stored in the external storage device 114 in Fig. 1. Here, the printing system will be described on the premise that a host computer 101 is equipped with Microsoft (registered trademark) Windows (registered trademark) 11 as the OS. Fig. 2(a) is a diagram showing a general configuration when an extension application 204 is not associated with the general-purpose printing software 202 and the printing device 102. Fig. 2(b) is a diagram showing a configuration when an extension application 204 is associated with the general-purpose printing software 202 and the printing device 102.

[0022] <Configuration of a Software-Centered Printing System (When the Extension Application 204 is Not Associated)> First, the configuration of a printing system in which the extension application 204 is not associated will be described with reference to FIG.

[0023] The drawing application 201 is software that creates content (drawing data) to be printed. For example, this corresponds to a word processing application or a spreadsheet application. When the drawing application 201 receives a print request from a user, it issues a print instruction to the OS. The print instruction includes print setting information for instructing the operation of the general-purpose printing software 202 and the printing device 102. The print setting information is also called a PrintTicket (hereinafter, "PT").

[0024] In order to output the PT, the drawing application 201 can display a print setting screen provided by any one of the general-purpose printing software 202, the OS, or the drawing application 201. When the detailed setting button in the print setting screen is pressed, the general-purpose printing software 202 additionally displays a detailed setting screen. The print setting screen and the detailed setting screen will be described later with reference to FIG. 5. The detailed setting screen includes setting items (hereinafter also referred to as "control items") indicating print functions that can be set according to the capability information (configurable information) of the general-purpose printing software 202, and control items indicating the setting values. The capability information is also called PrintCapabilities (hereinafter "PC"). The general-purpose printing software 202 determines the PC based on the print function information 203. The print function information 203 is data indicating all configurable print functions, their setting values, and the exclusive relationship between the setting values. The print function information 203 is also called PDC (Print Device Capabilities). The PDC 203 is included in a configuration file of the general-purpose printing software 202 and is arranged in the external storage device 114 as an unchangeable file. Alternatively, the PDC 203 can be dynamically generated by the general-purpose printing software 202. Specifically, the general-purpose printing software 202 or the OS can be configured to acquire printing device attribute data from the printing device 102 and generate the PDC 203 according to attribute information in the acquired attribute data. When the PDC 203 is dynamically generated, the generated PDC 203 is editable. The printing device attribute data acquired from the printing device 102 is a response acquired by issuing a Get-Printer-Attributes operation of the IPP (Internet Print Protocol) to the printing device. The response includes attribute information indicating functions (printing device capabilities) that can be specified by the printing device 102 and setting values ​​related to the attribute information. This response is stored in the RAM 113.

[0025] By configuring in this way, the general-purpose printing software 202 can be configured so that the user can specify the print functions available in each printing device 102 according to the connected printing device 102. That is, even if printing devices with different functions or printing devices developed by different vendors are connected, the general-purpose printing software 202 can be configured so that the user can specify the print functions available in accordance with the connected printing device. The vendor may be the manufacturer of the printing device 102. Here, a configuration using an IPP Class Driver installed in Windows (registered trademark) 11 will be described as the general-purpose printing software 202. The IPP Class Driver is a printer driver that executes print processing according to the specifications of a standard printing protocol called IPP (Internet Print Protocol), and is included in the OS package. The IPP Class Driver is not a specific printer driver according to the model of the printing device 102, but a standard class driver that can be commonly used by multiple printing devices. In addition, the IPP Class Driver acquires capability information of the connected printing device 102 so that the user can specify the print functions supported by the connected printing device 102, and generates a PDC 203 based on the information. However, the IPP ClassDriver does not support the sharpness function. This is because the sharpness function is a function unique to the printer vendor (printer manufacturer). Here, four points will be explained: the sharpness function, use cases of the sharpness function, the sharpness processing flow, and the sharpness effect in this embodiment. First, the sharpness function will be explained.

[0026] <Sharpness function> The sharpness function is a function that can adjust the sharpness of print data. It enhances the edges of the photographic part to improve the sharpness. Alternatively, it is possible to perform a smoothing process to reduce the sharpness. The user can select to print the image to be printed by improving the sharpness, reducing the sharpness, or not using the sharpness function. The sharpness process will be described later in detail in terms of a processing flow. Furthermore, the sharpness function can adjust the level of sharpness improvement / reduction. Specifically, the printing device 102 holds a plurality of filter coefficients that will be described in a processing flow that will be described later, and can adjust the level of sharpness improvement / reduction by switching the filter coefficients based on the sharpness setting set by the user.

[0027] <Use cases for sharpness function> Next, we will explain use cases for the sharpness function. Generally, print samples tend to be less sharp than the results displayed on screen. This is because when digital data is printed, analog factors in the printer make it impossible to faithfully reproduce the digital data. If the user feels that the print sample is blurred, they can set the sharpness in the printer driver or on the printer's UI screen to improve sharpness and print again. This allows the user to adjust the image quality to their intended level.

[0028] <Sharpness processing flow> Next, the flow of the sharpness processing performed by the printing device 102 will be described with reference to the flowchart of the sharpness processing shown in Fig. 3. Note that each step in Fig. 3 is realized by the CPU 191 of the printing device 102 reading a program stored in the ROM 192 or the external storage device 199 into the RAM 193 and executing the program.

[0029] First, in S301, the printing device 102 performs color conversion processing on the input image data, converting it into image data consisting of a color space of luminance and color difference system. In a step described later, by performing filtering processing only on the luminance component, processing is performed only on the brightness of the edge parts, making it possible to suppress color conversion of the edge parts to some extent. In this embodiment, the printing device 102 converts from the RGB color space to the YCbCr color space. The color conversion formula is shown below. Y=0.2990*R+0.5870*G+0.1140*B Cb=-0.1687*-0.3313*G+0.5000*B Cr=0.5000*R-0.4187*G-0.0813*B...Formula (1) Next, in S302, the printing device 102 cuts out a window of a predetermined size made up of a plurality of pixels from the YCbCr image data obtained in S301. In this embodiment, the window is 5x5 pixels.

[0030] Next, in S303, the printing apparatus 102 determines whether or not the sharpness setting is for improving sharpness. If it is determined as Yes, the process proceeds to S304 and subsequent steps, and if it is determined as No, the process proceeds to S309. First, the case where the process proceeds to the steps after S304 will be described.

[0031] Next, in S304, the printing device 102 performs edge enhancement processing by performing a filter processing operation on the luminance Y signal of the window obtained in S302. A typical edge enhancement method is to calculate a second derivative component using a Laplacian filter and add that value to the signal value of the original image. This second derivative component is calculated using the filter coefficients shown below. Hereinafter, the following filter coefficients will be referred to as sharpness "+1" coefficients. -0.09, -0.18, -0.27, -0.18, -0.09 -0.18, +0.09, +0.36, +0.09, -0.18 -0.27, +0.36, +1.08, +0.36, -0.27 -0.18, +0.09, +0.36, +0.09, -0.18 -0.09, -0.18, -0.27, -0.18, -0.09 The center of this 5x5 matrix (the position where 1.08 is multiplied in this example) becomes the pixel of interest for this window, and becomes the output result for this position. The edge component of luminance obtained in this way is hereafter treated as dY. This dY value is the amount by which the luminance Y of the pixel of interest has changed as a result of the processing in S304, and the closer to the edge the pixel is, the larger its absolute value is, and the greater the amount of change in the original image. Also, if the sign of dY is "+", the pixel of interest is determined to be brighter than the surrounding pixels, and if the sign of dY is "-", the pixel of interest is determined to be darker than the surrounding pixels.

[0032] Next, in S305, the printing device 102 determines whether the pixel of interest in the window extracted in the process of S302 is isolated from its surrounding pixels, and calculates the degree of isolation within the window. Specifically, the printing device 102 calculates the average value aveY of the luminance (Y) components of the eight pixels in the extracted window excluding the pixel of interest using the following formula (3), and calculates the standard deviation devY using the following formula (4). aveY=1 / 16*ΣY(i) …Equation (3) devY=1 / 16Σ(ave-Y(i))^2 …Equation (4) The smaller the standard deviation, the smaller the pixel variation, which indicates that the image has a flatter periphery. The correspondence relationship of the isolation degree is as follows. Note that |dY| below indicates the absolute value of dY. ·devY: small, |dY|: small → isolation degree small ·devY: small, |dY|: large → high isolation degree ·devY: large, |dY|: small → isolation degree small ·devY: large, |dY|: large → isolation degree small For example, if the standard deviation devY is large, the surrounding changes are large and it is not estimated to be an isolated pixel. Conversely, when the standard deviation devY is small, there is a possibility of an isolated pixel. If the standard deviation devY is small and the absolute value |dY| of the edge component dY is large, the pixel can be estimated to be an isolated pixel because the change in the surrounding pixels is small and flat, even though the edge component is large. Also, if the absolute value |dY| of the edge component dY is small and the standard deviation devY is also small, it can be determined that the image is flat.

[0033] Next, in S306, the printing device 102 determines the degree of edge enhancement according to dY obtained in S304 and the degree of isolation obtained in S305. Here, since bright and isolated parts are considered to be specular reflection components, even if the edges of the bright and isolated parts are enhanced, image quality deterioration is small. Conversely, since there is a possibility that image quality deterioration may occur due to edge enhancement of dark and isolated parts, edge enhancement of dark and isolated parts is controlled in a direction to be suppressed. In other words, the printing device 102 controls in a direction to suppress edge enhancement only when the sign of dY is "-" and the degree of isolation is large. As a specific process, when the sign of dY is "-", a correction value α is calculated using a LUT (Look Up Table) using the standard deviation devY. The correction value α is a value that approaches the maximum value 1.0 as the value of devY increases, and approaches the minimum value 0.0 as the value of devY decreases. How to use the correction value α will be described later in S307.

[0034] Next, in S307, the printing device 102 calculates the final luminance Y' from α obtained in S306, dY calculated in S304, and the luminance Y calculated in S301, using the following formula (5). Y'=Y+α*dY...Equation (5) Since the maximum value of α is 1.0, when it is 1.0, maximum edge emphasis is performed, and as α falls below 1.0, the amount of the secondary differential component dY calculated by convolution is reduced, and the amount of change to the original image is reduced, so edge emphasis is suppressed. Note that if Y' exceeds the maximum or minimum value, it may be clipped to the maximum or minimum value.

[0035] Next, in S308, the printing device 102 converts the output to RGB. This calculation corresponds to the inverse matrix of the color conversion performed in S301, and is converted by the following formula (6). R=Y'+1.4020*Cr G=Y'-0.3441*Cb-0.7141*Cr B=Y'+1.7720*Cb …Equation (6) Finally, the case where the process proceeds from S303 to S309 will be described. If the setting was not to improve sharpness (if the setting was to perform blur correction), the printing device 102 performs blur correction. Blur correction can be achieved by using an averaging filter or a Gaussian filter, which are well-known techniques. After blur correction, the image is converted to output RGB by the process of S308 described above.

[0036] The sharpness function is realized by the flow described above. In this embodiment, the degree of isolation is calculated using the standard deviation devY of the luminance Y around the pixel of interest, but this is not necessarily limited to this. Any feature amount related to the variance of the luminance Y of the pixels surrounding the pixel of interest may be used. For example, the variance value of the surrounding pixels may be used, or the difference between the pixel of interest and the average value of the surrounding pixels may be used, and the magnitude of the average value may be used as a reference value for whether the pixel of interest is isolated from the surroundings. In addition, although the color conversion from RGB to YCbCr has been described, this is not limited to this. If the input data to the printing device 102 is in the CMYK color space, it is possible to realize the same as the above flow by converting it into the Lab color space of the luminance color difference system. Furthermore, it is possible to further improve the sharpness by switching the filter coefficient used in S304 to a filter coefficient with a higher gain as shown below. Hereinafter, the following filter coefficient will be referred to as the sharpness "+2" coefficient. -0.20, -0.40, -0.60, -0.40, -0.20 -0.40, +0.20, +0.80, +0.20, -0.40 -0.60, +0.80, +2.40, +0.80, -0.60 -0.40, +0.20, +0.80, +0.20, -0.40 -0.20, -0.40, -0.60, -0.40, -0.20 <Sharpness function effect> Next, the effect of the sharpness function will be described with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4(a) shows an original image of a diagonal line. FIG. 4(b) shows an image when each pixel of the central 5x5 pixels of FIG. 4(a) is processed with a sharpness coefficient of "+1". FIG. 4(c) shows an image when each pixel of the central 5x5 pixels of FIG. 4(a) is processed with a sharpness coefficient of "+2". FIG. 4(d) shows an image when each pixel of the central 5x5 pixels of FIG. 4(a) is blurred. The numerical values ​​in the figure indicate the luminance component Y, and the processing results are clipped with a maximum value of 255 and a minimum value of 0 in FIG. 4(b) and FIG. 4(c). The blurring process is the result of processing using the following 5x5 Gaussian filter coefficients. In this embodiment, a general 3x3 Gaussian coefficient is expanded to a filter size of 5x5 and used. 0.0000, 0.0000, 0.0000, 0.0000, 0.0000 0.0000, 0.062701250, 0.0625, 0.0000 0.0000, 0.1250, 0.2500, 0.1250, 0.0000 0.0000, 0.062701250, 0.0625, 0.0000 0.0000, 0.0000, 0.0000, 0.0000, 0.0000 In the original image shown in Fig. 4(a), dark and bright luminance values ​​are evenly distributed, resulting in blurred lines. Here, Fig. 4(b) and Fig. 4(c) have been subjected to sharpening processing, so the distribution of dark and bright luminance values ​​is biased, and edges are emphasized. Also, Fig. 4(c) has been sharpened with a sharpness coefficient of "+2", so the distribution of luminance values ​​is even more biased than Fig. 4(b), and edges are emphasized even more. Meanwhile, Fig. 4(d) has been subjected to blurring processing, so the light and dark of the lines are harder to distinguish than Fig. 4(a).

[0037] As described above, the user can select the intended image quality by switching the sharpness setting.

[0038] However, as described above, the sharpness function is a printer vendor-specific function, and is therefore not displayed on the detailed setting screen displayed by the general-purpose printing software 202. In other words, when using the IPP Class Driver, the user cannot select the sharpness function, and cannot perform printing using the sharpness function.

[0039] Returning to the explanation of FIG. 2(a), when a print instruction is issued from the drawing application 201, an OS module in the general-purpose printing software 202 generates intermediate data (also called input data). The data output by the drawing application 201 for printing is data in Graphic Device Interface format (GDI format data) or data in XML Paper Specification format (XPS format data). Assume that an IPP Class Driver is used as the general-purpose printing software 202. In this case, if the data output by the drawing application 201 is data in GDI format, the OS converts the GDI format data output from the drawing application 201 into data in XPS format. The intermediate data includes drawing data, which is information on the picture to be formed on paper, and a PT set by the user.

[0040] The general-purpose printing software 202 converts the acquired intermediate data into print data that can be interpreted by the printing device 102, and transmits it to the printing device 102. Here, the print data in this embodiment is Page Description Language (PDL) data that complies with IPP. The PDL data that complies with IPP is, for example, data in PDF (Portable Document Format) or PWG-Raster format. The print data includes drawing data, which is information about a picture to be formed on paper, and print setting attribute information (attribute information that specifies print settings) generated based on a PT set by the user. The print setting attribute information includes attribute information that indicates functions that can be specified by the printing device 102 (capabilities of the printing device) and setting values ​​related to the attribute information.

[0041] The printing device 102 prints on paper based on the print data sent from the general-purpose printing software 202. At this time, the printing device 102 forms the drawing data included in the print data on paper in accordance with the print setting attribute information included in the print data. The print setting attribute information includes attribute information and its setting value for specifying the print quality (priority on image quality, priority on speed, etc.) and double-sided printing, etc. For example, if the print setting attribute information includes attribute information specifying double-sided printing and a setting value indicating that it is to be performed, the printing device 102 executes double-sided printing.

[0042] <Configuration of a software-centric printing system (when the extension application 204 is associated)> Next, the configuration of the print system when the extended application 204 is associated will be described with reference to Fig. 2B. Note that configurations and processes not specifically mentioned below are the same as those in Fig. 2A.

[0043] The extension application 204 is software for extending the functions of the general-purpose printing software 202, and is software that is not included (bundled) in advance in the OS. Therefore, the user needs to operate the host computer 101 to download and install the extension application 204 from a server via the Internet. Alternatively, the extension application 204 may be automatically installed when the printing device 102 is connected to the host computer 101. Specifically, when the printing device 102 is connected to the host computer 101, the OS acquires device identification information from the printing device 102. The OS may download and install the extension application 204 corresponding to the acquired device identification information from a server via the Internet. In other words, the general-purpose printing software 202 and the extension application 204 are held in the host computer 101 as separate files.

[0044] The general-purpose printing software 202 and the extension application 204 may be updated and upgraded, but these update processes are also performed at different times. That is, the timing at which the host computer 101 acquires the general-purpose printing software 202 is different from the timing at which the extension application 204 is acquired. In addition, the trigger at which the host computer 101 acquires the general-purpose printing software 202 is different from the trigger at which the host computer 101 acquires the extension application 204. When the extension application 204 is installed, the OS associates the extension application 204 with the general-purpose printing software 202 and the printing device 102.

[0045] The extension application 204 described in this embodiment includes a print setting screen extension unit 205, a print function extension unit 206, an intermediate data editing unit 207, and a notification unit 209. The extension application 204 also includes shared information 208 that can be commonly accessed by each unit. The shared information 208 is actually a file saved in the external storage device 114, or information stored in the RAM 113. The extension application 204 writes and reads information to and from the shared information 208 by using an API (Application Program Interface) provided by the OS.

[0046] The extension application 204 may terminate operation each time the processing of each unit is completed. In this case, the OS will start the extension application 204 each time a request to use each unit is received.

[0047] Furthermore, the extension application 204 may cancel processing during the processing of each unit. When the processing is canceled, the job being processed in the print queue is deleted by the OS.

[0048] When the drawing application 201 receives a print request from a user, it issues a print instruction to the OS. In this configuration, as in the configuration of FIG. 2(a), the drawing application 201 can display a print setting screen. In this configuration, a detailed setting screen provided by the extension application 204 is displayed. Specifically, a detailed setting screen provided by a print setting screen extension unit 205 included in the extension application 204 is displayed. In addition, the print setting screen extension unit 205 can save detailed settings set by the user in the shared information 208. Details of the print setting screen extension unit 205 will be described later with reference to FIG. 6 and FIG. 10.

[0049] The extension application 204 has an intermediate data editing unit 207. The intermediate data editing unit 207 acquires intermediate data from the general-purpose printing software 202, converts the intermediate data into print data, and then passes the print data to the printing device 102. Furthermore, the intermediate data editing unit 207 acquires detailed setting information from the shared information 208 and adds detailed settings to the print data. The printing device 102 prints on paper based on the accepted print data. Note that the method of converting intermediate data into print data is not limited to the above. The extension application 204 may be configured to acquire print data generated by the general-purpose printing software 202 and add detailed settings to the print data. Also, even in the configuration of FIG. 2(b), there are cases where the user does not set sharpness. In that case, as in the configuration of FIG. 2(a), the general-purpose printing software 202 may pass the print data to the printing device 102 without going through the extension application 204.

[0050] The extension application 204 has a print function extension unit 206. The print function extension unit 206 can edit the PDC 203 generated by the general-purpose printing software 202 or the OS. This allows the print function extension unit 206 to add functions provided by the extension application 204. The print function extension unit 206 can also add a function (sharpness function) that is supported by the printing device 102 but not supported by the general-purpose printing software 202, add an exclusive relationship between setting values ​​of printing functions, and so on. The OS starts the print function extension unit 206 when the extension application 204 is first associated with the printing device 102 and the general-purpose printing software 202. Furthermore, the OS may start the print function extension unit 206 at other times, such as when the OS is started. In this way, in a case where an optional device (e.g., a finisher, etc.) is added to the printing device 102 later and functions related to printing are extended, the print function extension unit 206 can detect the extended function and add it to the PDC 203.

[0051] The extension application 204 also has a notification unit 209. The notification unit 209 can display a notification to the user in response to an error occurring in the printing device 102. For example, when an out-of-paper error occurs in the printing device 102, the general-purpose printing software 202 detects it, and the OS uses a notification function of the OS called a toast notification to display a message on the display unit 119. When the user presses this toast notification, the notification unit 209 of the extension application 204 is called by the OS, and a UI screen of the notification unit 209 is displayed. On the UI screen of the notification unit 209, for example, a detailed message of the out-of-paper error and a method for loading paper can be displayed.

[0052] Once the extension application 204 has sent print data to the printing device 102, it is no longer possible to display on the screen any guides or other information associated with the print data during the processing of each unit.

[0053] Further, the configuration of the extension application 204 for realizing this embodiment is not limited to having all of the above-mentioned functions (units), and may have only some of the functions or other functions. Also, the extension application 204 may simply be called print software. As described above, it can be said that the extension application 204 has at least one of the following functions. The first is a function to display a setting screen (print setting screen extension unit 205). The second is a function to edit intermediate data, convert it to print data, and add detailed settings to the print data (intermediate data editing unit 207). The third is a function to extend functions that can be specified by the print data generation software (print function extension unit 206). The fourth is a function to display a screen in response to an error occurrence in the printing device 102 (notification unit 209).

[0054] <An example of the print settings screen / detailed settings screen> Next, an example of the print setting screen and the detailed setting screen in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5(a) is a print setting screen displayed by the drawing application 201. FIG. 5(b) is a detailed setting screen displayed in a configuration in which the extended application 204 shown in FIG. 2(a) is not present. FIG. 5(c) is a detailed setting screen displayed in a configuration in which the extended application 204 shown in FIG. 2(b) is present. Note that the units and modules that display the print setting screen are not limited to those described above. For example, the print setting screen extension unit 205 may be configured to only generate a display screen. In that case, the print setting screen extension unit 205 transmits the generated display screen to the drawing application 201 via the general-purpose printing software 202. The drawing application 201 may be configured to display the acquired display screen.

[0055] <FIG. 5(a) Print setting screen displayed by the drawing application 201> First, Fig. 5(a) will be described. Control 501 has objects for allowing the user to set the printer to which image data will be sent (the printer to be used for printing), the print orientation, and the number of copies to be printed. Control 502 is a preview screen, control 503 is a print start button, and control 504 is a button for canceling printing. Control 505 is a detailed settings button, and when control 505 is pressed, an additional print screen is displayed by the general-purpose printing software 202 or the print setting screen extension unit 205.

[0056] <FIG. 5(b) Detailed setting screen displayed by the general-purpose printing software 202> Next, Fig. 5(b) will be described. Fig. 5(b) is an additional setting screen displayed by the general-purpose printing software 202 when the extension application 204 is not present. Control 506 allows the paper type to be set, and indicates that plain paper has been selected. Similarly, control 507 allows the paper size to be specified, and control 508 allows the printer paper feed slot to be specified. Control 509 is a setting end button, and pressing control 509 returns to the print setting screen of Fig. 5(a).

[0057] <FIG. 5(c) Print setting screen displayed by the print setting screen extension unit 205> Next, FIG. 5(c) will be described. FIG. 5(c) is an additional setting screen displayed by the print setting screen extension unit 205 when the extension application 204 is present. Unlike FIG. 5(b), a control 510 and a list 511 are added. The control 510 is a button that allows the selection of a sharpness setting, and indicates that the standard is selected. The list 511 indicates the setting items of the sharpness setting when the control 510 is pressed. The list 511 indicates that in addition to the currently selected "+1", there are "-1", "0", and "+2". The sharpness setting "0" indicates that no sharpness processing is performed. The sharpness settings "+1" and "+2" are settings that improve sharpness, and "+2" is a setting that improves sharpness more than "+1". The sharpness setting "-1" is a setting that reduces the sharpness of the image. The user selects a sharpness setting that provides the desired image quality from the list 511, and switches the sharpness function to perform printing. In this embodiment, when sharpness "-1" is selected, the processing is performed by the 5x5 Gaussian filter described above. When sharpness "+1" is selected, the coefficient of sharpness "+1" described above is used for sharpness processing, and when sharpness "+2" is selected, the coefficient of sharpness "+2" described above is used for sharpness processing. In this way, the user can set whether or not to perform sharpness processing and the level (strength) of sharpness processing. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and only the setting of whether or not to perform sharpness processing may be accepted.

[0058] Here, the reason why the print setting items are different between FIGS. 5(b) and 5(c) will be explained. The detailed setting screen is generated by referring to the PC generated based on the print function information. However, since the general-purpose print software 202 does not support the sharpness function, the sharpness function cannot be added to the print function information. Also, even if the sharpness function was originally included in the print function information, the general-purpose print software 202 cannot interpret the sharpness function included in the print function information, so the sharpness setting cannot be displayed on the detailed setting screen. However, configure the print function extension unit 206 to add the sharpness function to the PDC203, and configure the print setting screen extension unit 205 to display the detailed setting screen by referring to the PC. With these configurations, the extended application 204 can display the sharpness setting on the detailed setting screen. Note that FIG. 5(c) may additionally include extended functions other than the sharpness function.

[0059] <Flowchart of the print function extension unit 206 that edits the PDC203> Here, with reference to FIG. 6, the processing flow in which the print function extension unit 208 edits the PDC203 will be explained. Each step is realized by each unit read from the external storage device 114 to the RAM113 by the CPU111 and executed.

[0060] First, in S601, the print function extension unit 208 acquires the capability information from the printing device 102. The capability information is attribute information indicating functions that can be specified by the printing device 102 and setting values related to the attribute information, which are included in the response obtained by issuing the IPP Get-Printer-Attributes operation to the printing device 102. Table 701 in FIG. 7 shows an example list of the capability information acquired from the printing device 102 as a table. As shown in Table 701, functions such as sharpness and options that can be set for each function can be acquired from the printing device 102.

[0061] Next, in S602, the function extension unit 208 acquires a list of print functions supported by the extension application 204 from the shared information 208. The list of print functions supported by the extension application 204 is stored in the shared information 208, and lists all print functions that can be processed by the extension application 204 and their setting values. An example of the list of print functions supported by the extension application 204 is shown in table 801 in Fig. 8. The list of print functions supported by the extension application 204 may be updated by updating the extension application 204, for example.

[0062] Next, in S603, the print function extension unit 206 acquires the PDC 203 created by the general-purpose printing software 202 from the OS. Table 901 in FIG. 9 shows an example of a list of print functions supported by the general-purpose printing software 202. The PDC 203 created by the general-purpose printing software 202 is created based on capability information 701 acquired by the general-purpose printing software 202 from the printing device 102. The PDC created by the general-purpose printing software 202 describes only the print functions supported by the general-purpose printing software 202 from the capability information acquired from the printing device 102, so the functions of the PDC are limited. For example, the capability information 701 acquired from the printing device 102 includes a sharpness function, but the general-purpose printing software 202 does not support the sharpness function, so the sharpness function is not described in the PDC. The print function extension unit 206 adds functions and options to the PDC, so that the extension application 204 can compensate for the lack of functions of the general-purpose printing software 202. The print function expansion unit 206 can also delete unnecessary functions and options from the PDC created by the general-purpose printing software 202 .

[0063] The following steps S604, S605, and S606 are processes that are repeatedly performed for the list of functions included in the capability information acquired from the printing device in S601. In this embodiment, these processes are repeatedly performed for the 13 types of functions included in table 701, from size: A4 to sharpness: +2.

[0064] First, in S604, the function extension unit 208 determines whether the function / option being processed exists in the PDC generated by the generic printing software 202. If Yes, the next item is selected from among the function / options contained in the capability information acquired from the printing device 102, and S604 is performed again. If the last item is being processed from among the function / options contained in the capability information acquired from the printing device 102, the flowchart of FIG. 6 ends. If No, the process proceeds to S605. In this embodiment, for example, size: A4 shown in table 701, which is the capability information of the printing device 102, is also present in table 901, which is the capability information of the generic printing software 202, and therefore it is determined as Yes. On the other hand, sharpness: +1 shown in table 701 does not exist in table 901, and therefore it is determined as No, and the process proceeds to S605.

[0065] Next, in S605, the function extension unit 208 judges whether the function: option being processed exists in the function: options supported by the extension application 204. If Yes, proceed to S606. If No, as in the case where Yes is judged in S604, S604 is performed again or the flowchart of Fig. 6 is terminated. In this embodiment, for example, if the function being processed is sharpness: +1, it is also present in table 801, which is the capability information of the extension application 204, so Yes is judged and proceed to S606.

[0066] Next, in S606, the function extension unit 208 adds the function / option being processed to the PDC 203. After the processing of S606, similarly to the case where the determination in S604 is Yes, S604 is performed again or the flowchart in FIG.

[0067] As described above, the function extension unit 208 adds functions / options that are not supported by the general-purpose printing software 202, are supported by the printing device 102, and are supported by the extension application 204 to the PDC 203. A PC is generated based on the PDC edited by this process. Furthermore, the print setting screen extension unit 205 generates a display screen based on the generated PC, thereby extending functions that are not supported by the general-purpose printing software 202 and making it possible to display the detailed setting screen shown in FIG. 5(c).

[0068] <Sequence after the drawing application 201 accepts print settings> Next, the sequence of the drawing application 201, the general-purpose printing software 202, the extension application 204, and the printing device 102 after the drawing application 201 accepts print settings will be described with reference to Fig. 10. Note that each step other than that of the printing device 102 in Fig. 10 is performed by the CPU 111 reading the drawing application 201, the general-purpose printing software 202, and the extension application 204 from the external storage device 114 to the RAM 113 and executing them. Each step of the printing device 102 in Fig. 10 is realized by the CPU 191 of the printing device 102 reading a program stored in the ROM 192 or the external storage device 199 to the RAM 193 and executing it.

[0069] First, in step S1001, the drawing application 201 accepts print settings from the user. The user can instruct the drawing application 201 to set print settings by operating the pointing device 117 or the keyboard 118.

[0070] Next, in S1002, the drawing application 201 displays the print setting screen shown in FIG.

[0071] Next, in step S1003, the drawing application 201 accepts a detailed setting instruction. The user can operate the pointing device 117 or the keyboard 118 to select a control 505 to instruct detailed setting.

[0072] Next, in step S1004, the drawing application 201 requests the general-purpose printing software 202 to display detailed settings.

[0073] Next, in S1005, the general-purpose printing software 202 requests the extension application 204 to display detailed settings. As described above, in the case of the configuration of FIG. 2A, the general-purpose printing software 202 displays the detailed settings screen of FIG. 5C.

[0074] Next, in S1006, the print setting screen expansion unit 205 of the extension application 204 displays the detailed setting screen of Fig. 5(c) on the display unit 119. This is because, as described in Fig. 6, the sharpness setting has been added to the PDC by the function expansion unit 208. The print setting screen expansion unit 205 refers to the PC generated based on the PDC after the addition, and displays the detailed setting screen of Fig. 5(c) on the display unit 119.

[0075] Next, in S1007, the print setting screen expansion unit 205 accepts detailed settings. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 5C, it is assumed that the user selects Paper Type: Plain Paper, Paper Size: A4, Paper Feed: Automatic, and Sharpness: +1. The accepted settings are stored in the RAM 113 by the CPU 111.

[0076] Next, in S1008, the print setting screen expansion unit 205 accepts that the detailed setting has been completed, and instructs the print setting screen expansion unit 205 to write the accepted setting to the PT. The user can instruct the print setting screen expansion unit 205 to end the detailed setting by operating the pointing device 117 or the keyboard 118 and selecting the control 509.

[0077] Next, in step S1009, the extension application 204 notifies the general-purpose printing software 202 that the detailed settings have been completed.

[0078] Next, in S1010, the general-purpose printing software 202 notifies the drawing application 201 that the detailed settings have been completed.

[0079] Next, in step S1011, the drawing application 201 accepts a print instruction. The user can issue a print instruction by operating the pointing device 117 or the keyboard 118 to select a control 503.

[0080] Next, in step S1012, the drawing application 201 issues a print instruction.

[0081] Next, in S1013, the general-purpose printing software 202 uses a module of the OS to generate intermediate data.

[0082] Next, in S1014, the general-purpose printing software 202 stores the PT in the shared information 208. The general-purpose printing software 202 converts the contents of the PT into setting values ​​for IPP data, and generates the IPP data.

[0083] Next, in step S1015 , the general-purpose printing software 202 passes the intermediate data and the converted IPP data to the extension application 204 .

[0084] Next, in S1016, the intermediate data editing unit 207 of the extension application 204 obtains the PT stored in S1014 from the shared information 208.

[0085] Next, in S1017, the intermediate data editing unit 207 of the extension application 204 adds the item name and setting value of sharpness to the extension area of ​​the IPP data. The intermediate data editing unit 207 of the extension application 204 generates print data from the intermediate data.

[0086] Next, in S1018, the intermediate data editing unit 207 of the extension application 204 causes the printing device 102 to transmit the print data.

[0087] Next, in S1019, the printing device 102 interprets the print data and performs necessary image processing on the image of the print data. In this embodiment, if the print settings of FIG. 5(c) are configured, image processing with sharpness +1 is performed. In other words, image data with improved sharpness is generated compared to when sharpness processing is not performed. Here, in this embodiment, as described with reference to FIG. 4, if the image data of FIG. 4(a) is input data, an edge-enhanced image as shown in FIG. 4(b) is generated.

[0088] Next, in S1020, the printing device 102 prints the image data generated in S1019. Since sharpness +1 processing is performed in S1019, the sharpness of the print sample is improved compared to when no sharpness processing is performed.

[0089] As described above, in this embodiment, the print setting screen extension unit 205 of the extension application 204 modifies the PDC 203 based on the capability information of the general-purpose printing software 202, the extension application 204, and the printing device 102. Furthermore, when a detailed setting screen is requested by the user, the setting screen is displayed based on the PC generated from the PDC 203, so that the user can set the sharpness. Furthermore, the intermediate data editing unit 207 generates print data based on the set sharpness setting, so that the sharpness setting can be reflected in the print data. After that, when the intermediate data editing unit 207 printing device 102 receives the printing device in which the sharpness setting is reflected, the sharpness module in the printing device 102 performs sharpness processing on the image data based on the sharpness setting. Through the above series of processes, the printing device 102 can realize the sharpness function, and the sharpness function can be provided to the user.

[0090] In this embodiment, the detailed setting screen shown in Fig. 5(c) has been described using the configuration in Fig. 2(b), but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when a detailed setting display request is made to the general-purpose printing software 202 in S1004, the general-purpose printing software 202 may display the detailed setting screen shown in Fig. 5(b). Next, after the detailed setting in Fig. 5(b) is completed, the general-purpose printing software 202 requests the extension application 204 to display an additional detailed setting screen. Next, the extension application 204 may display an additional detailed setting screen in which sharpness can be set.

[0091] In the present embodiment, the extension application 204 generates print data based on the intermediate data generated by the general-purpose printing software 202. However, the extension application 204 itself may generate the intermediate data.

[0092] <<Embodiment 2>> A second embodiment of the present invention will be described below. In the first embodiment, the extension application 204 first generates print data including a sharpness setting and transmits the print data to the printing device 102. Next, the printing device 102 interprets the print data including the sharpness setting and performs sharpness processing in a sharpness module in the printing device 102.

[0093] However, some printing devices may not be equipped with a sharpness module due to cost and other considerations. In that case, even if the extended application generates print data including sharpness settings, the printing device cannot be made to perform sharpness processing. Therefore, if the printing device does not have a sharpness module, it is preferable to generate print data using an image after sharpness processing and pass it to the printing device.

[0094] Therefore, in the second embodiment, first, it is determined whether or not a sharpness module is installed based on the capability information of the printing device. Next, if the printing device is equipped with a sharpness module, print data reflecting the sharpness setting is generated and passed to the printing device. On the other hand, if the printing device is not equipped with a sharpness module, the extended application performs sharpness processing on the image of the drawing data. Next, print data is generated using the image after sharpness processing and passed to the printing device. This makes it possible to provide the sharpness function to the user even if the printing device is not equipped with a sharpness module.

[0095] In the following, only the differences from the first embodiment will be described. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in three points: the configuration of the print system when an extension application is associated, the PDC editing flow, and the sequence after the drawing application accepts the print settings.

[0096] <Configuration of a Software-Centered Printing System in the Second Embodiment (When an Extension Application 1102 is Associated)> The configuration of the printing system when the extension application 1102 is associated will be described with reference to FIG. 11. In FIG. 11, blocks with the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 2 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and therefore will not be described. In FIG. 11, blocks different from those in FIG. 2 are a printing device 1101, an extension application 1102, a print function extension unit 1103, and a sharpness processing unit 1104. The printing device 1101 in the second embodiment is a printing device that does not have a sharpness module, unlike the printing device 103 in the first embodiment. The extension application 1102 has a different configuration from the extension application 204 in the first embodiment. Unlike the first embodiment, the print function extension unit 1103 adds a sharpness function to the PDC 203 if there is a unit that performs sharpness processing in the extension application 204, even if there is no sharpness function in the capability information acquired from the printing device. The sharpness processing unit 1104 performs sharpness processing on the intermediate data (drawing data) received from the general-purpose printing software 202 based on the sharpness setting set by the user. Details will be described later.

[0097] <Flowchart of the print function extension unit 1103 for editing the PDC 203 in the second embodiment> The PDC editing process by the print function extension unit 1103 in the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 12. Each step in Fig. 12 is realized by the CPU 111 executing each unit read from the external storage device 114 to the RAM 113. Also, the steps with the same reference numerals in Fig. 6 and Fig. 12 are the same processes as those in Fig. 6, so their description will be omitted.

[0098] When the repeated processing of S604 to S606 is completed, the print function extension unit 1103 proceeds to S1201. Here, in the second embodiment, the capability information returned from the printing device 1101 is shown in Table 1301 of Fig. 13. Unlike Table 701, the printing device 1101 in the second embodiment is not equipped with a sharpness module. Therefore, no sharpness function has been added to the PDC 203 after the processing of S604 to S606 is completed.

[0099] Therefore, in S1201 and S1202, a process is performed to add modules that are not included in the capability information returned from the printing device 1101 but that the extension application 1102 has to the PCD.

[0100] Specifically, in S1201, the print function extension unit 1103 refers to table 1301 in Fig. 13 and the PDC 203 to determine whether the extension application 204 has a module that performs sharpness processing. If it is determined as Yes, the process proceeds to S1202, and if it is determined as No, the process in Fig. 12 ends. Since the extension application 204 in the second embodiment is equipped with the sharpness processing unit 1104, the process proceeds to S1202.

[0101] Next, in S1202, the print function extension unit 1103 adds sharpness: -1, 0, +1, +2 in table 801 to the PDC. As described above, the function extension unit 1102 first adds functions / options that are not supported by the general-purpose printing software 202, are supported by the printing device 102, and are supported by the extension application 204 to the PDC 203. After that, it is determined whether the extension application 204 has a sharpness processing unit, and if so, a sharpness function is added to the PDC. With this process, even if the printing device 1101 does not have a sharpness module, the print setting screen extension unit 205 can display the detailed setting screen shown in FIG. 5C by generating a display screen based on the PC generated by the PDC.

[0102] <Sequence after the drawing application 201 accepts print settings in the second embodiment> Next, the sequence of the drawing application 201, the general-purpose printing software 202, the extension application 1102, and the printing device 1101 after the drawing application 201 accepts print settings will be described with reference to Fig. 14. Each step other than that of the printing device 1101 in Fig. 14 is performed by the CPU 111 reading the drawing application 201, the general-purpose printing software 202, and the extension application 1102 from the external storage device 114 to the RAM 113 and executing them. Each step of the printing device 1101 in Fig. 14 is realized by the CPU 191 of the printing device 102 reading a program stored in the ROM 192 or the external storage device 199 to the RAM 193 and executing it. Also, the steps with the same reference numerals in Fig. 14 and Fig. 10 are the same process, so their description will be omitted.

[0103] In S1401, the sharpness processing unit 1104 of the extension application 1102 acquires the PT and acquires the sharpness setting. Note that if sharpness is set to 0, no sharpness processing is performed, and the subsequent steps S1402 to S1404 are skipped.

[0104] Next, in step S1402, the sharpness processing unit 1104 of the extension application 1102 acquires the capability information of the printing device 1101 from the shared information 208. If the capability information of the printing device 1101 is not available, the print function extension unit 1102 may request the capability information from the printing device 1101 and store it in the shared information 208.

[0105] Next, in S1403, the sharpness processing unit 1104 of the extension application 1102 determines whether or not the printing device 1101 has a sharpness module based on the capability information acquired in S1402. In the second embodiment, since the printing device 1101 is not equipped with a sharpness module, the result is No. If the result is Yes, the subsequent step of S1404 is skipped and print data is generated. This is because the sharpness module in the printing device 1101 is basically capable of performing sharpness processing at a higher speed than the sharpness processing unit 1104. Specifically, the sharpness module in the printing device 1101 is capable of high-speed processing by an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit).

[0106] Next, in S1404, the sharpness processing unit 1104 of the extension application 1102 performs sharpness processing on the intermediate drawing data based on the sharpness setting acquired in S1401, and stores the result in the shared information 208. Also, the sharpness setting of the PT is edited to "0", or the sharpness setting is deleted from the PT.

[0107] As described above, in the second embodiment, even if the printing device does not have a sharpness module, it is possible to provide the user with a sharpness function.

[0108] <<Other embodiments>> In the first embodiment, the intermediate data editing unit 207 generates print data reflecting the sharpness setting and transmits it to the printing device 102, thereby providing the user with the sharpness function. In the second embodiment, the sharpness processing unit 1103 first determines whether the printing device 1101 has a sharpness module. If it is determined that the printing device 1101 does not have a sharpness module, the sharpness processing unit 1103 performs sharpness processing on the intermediate data. On the other hand, if the printing device 1101 has a sharpness module, the sharpness processing unit 1103 does not perform sharpness processing. Instead, the intermediate data editing unit 207 generates print data reflecting the sharpness setting and transmits it to the printing device 102. In this way, in the second embodiment, even if the printing device does not have a sharpness module, it is possible to provide the user with the sharpness function. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, if it is determined that the printing device 1101 does not have a sharpness module, when the detailed setting control 505 in FIG. 5(a) is selected, the screen in FIG. 5(b) may be displayed.

[0109] The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program for implementing one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that implements one or more of the functions. [Explanation of symbols]

[0110] 111 CPU 112 RAM 113 ROM

Claims

1. A program for expanding the functions of general-purpose printing software that can be used in common with image forming devices provided by multiple manufacturers, code for displaying a display screen for receiving settings for sharpness processing; and code for setting the image forming device to which the image data is sent to perform sharpness processing on the image data generated by the general-purpose printing software based on the settings accepted on the display screen.

2. 2. The program according to claim 1, wherein the setting of the sharpness processing is a setting as to whether or not the sharpness processing is to be executed.

3. the setting of the sharpness processing includes a setting of the strength of the sharpness processing, 2. The program according to claim 1, further comprising setting the image forming apparatus to execute the sharpness processing on the image data generated by the general-purpose printing software based on a strength set on the display screen.

4. code for displaying a plurality of sharpness intensities on the display screen; 4. The program of claim 3, further comprising code for accepting one sharpness from the plurality of sharpnesses from a user.

5. 2. The program of claim 1, further comprising code for performing sharpness processing on image data.

6. further comprising code for determining whether sharpness processing can be performed on the image forming device; When it is determined that the image forming apparatus can perform sharpness processing, setting is made so that the image forming apparatus, which is a transmission destination of the image data, performs sharpness processing on the image data generated by the general-purpose printing software based on the sharpness setting set on the display screen; The program according to claim 5, characterized in that if it is determined that sharpness processing cannot be performed on the image forming device, sharpness processing is performed on intermediate data generated by the general-purpose printing software based on the sharpness setting set on the display screen.

7. A program for expanding the functions of general-purpose printing software that can be used in common with image forming devices provided by multiple manufacturers, code for displaying a display screen for receiving settings for sharpness processing; and code for performing sharpness processing on image data generated by the general-purpose printing software based on the settings received on the display screen.

8. the setting of the sharpness processing includes a setting of the strength of the sharpness processing, 8. The program according to claim 7, further comprising setting the image forming apparatus to perform the sharpness processing on the image data generated by the general-purpose printing software based on a strength set on the display screen.

9. code for displaying a plurality of sharpness intensities on the display screen; 9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, further comprising code for accepting one sharpness from the plurality of sharpnesses from a user.

10. A storage medium storing the program according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. An information processing method for expanding a function of general-purpose printing software that can be commonly used in image forming devices provided by a plurality of manufacturers, comprising: a display step of displaying a display screen for accepting settings for sharpness processing; and a setting step of setting an image forming device to which the image data is sent so as to perform sharpness processing on the image data generated by the general-purpose printing software based on the settings received on the display screen.

12. 12. The information processing method according to claim 11, wherein the setting of the sharpness processing is a setting as to whether or not the sharpness processing is to be executed.

13. the setting of the sharpness processing includes a setting of the strength of the sharpness processing, The information processing method according to claim 11, characterized in that in the setting step, the image forming device is set to perform the sharpness processing on the image data generated by the general-purpose printing software based on the strength set on the display screen.

14. a display step of displaying a plurality of sharpness intensities on the display screen; 14. The information processing method according to claim 13, further comprising a receiving step of receiving one sharpness from the plurality of sharpnesses from a user.

15. 12. The information processing method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of performing sharpness processing on the image data.

16. a determination step of determining whether or not sharpness processing can be performed by the image forming apparatus, When it is determined in the determination step that the image forming apparatus can perform sharpness processing, in the setting step, setting is made so that the image forming apparatus, which is a transmission destination of the image data, performs sharpness processing on the image data generated by the general-purpose printing software based on the sharpness setting set on the display screen; The information processing method according to claim 15, characterized in that if it is determined in the determination step that sharpness processing cannot be performed on the image forming device, sharpness processing is performed in the processing step on intermediate data generated by the general-purpose printing software based on the sharpness setting set on the display screen.

17. An information processing method for expanding a function of general-purpose printing software that can be commonly used in image forming devices provided by a plurality of manufacturers, comprising: a display step of displaying a display screen for accepting settings for sharpness processing; and a processing step of performing sharpness processing on image data generated by the general-purpose printing software based on the settings received on the display screen.

18. the setting of the sharpness processing includes a setting of the strength of the sharpness processing, The information processing method according to claim 17, characterized in that in the setting step, the image forming device is set to perform the sharpness processing on the image data generated by the general-purpose printing software based on the strength set on the display screen.

19. a display step of displaying a plurality of sharpness intensities on the display screen; 20. The information processing method according to claim 18, further comprising a receiving step of receiving one sharpness from the plurality of sharpnesses from a user.

20. An information processing apparatus having a program for expanding the functions of general-purpose printing software that can be commonly used in image forming apparatuses provided by a plurality of manufacturers, A display means for displaying a display screen for accepting settings for sharpness processing; and a setting means for setting the image forming device to which the image data is sent so as to perform sharpness processing on the image data generated by the general-purpose printing software based on the settings received on the display screen.

Images