Support program

Abstract

To provide a technique for easily managing print settings for each user in an information processing device in which an OS standard general-purpose printing program is incorporated.SOLUTION: An auxiliary program 42 for supporting a general-purpose printing program 41 causes a CPU11 of a PC1 to execute: acquisition processing for acquiring print settings for a logged-in user, the print setting corresponding to a logged-in user of the PC1, on the basis of settings data in server side print setting data 35 of a server 3 which stores print settings set for each user to be managed; application processing for applying initial values of the print settings based on the print settings for the logged-in user acquired in the acquisition processing; and notification processing for notifying the general-purpose printing program 41 of at least some of the initial values of the print settings applied in the application processing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The technical field disclosed in this specification relates to a support program that supports control of a printer. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, a technology has been put into practical use that controls a printer using a standard general-purpose print program that is part of the operating system (OS) and does not use a printer driver provided by the printer vendor. With this technology, when the OS detects a printer, it associates it with the OS's standard general-purpose print program, and then when a print instruction for that printer is received, the OS's standard general-purpose print program generates print data, making it possible to print using the OS's standard general-purpose print program, without using a printer driver provided by the printer vendor.

[0003] An example of a document disclosing technology related to an OS-standard general-purpose print program is Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 discloses a support program that supports a general-purpose print program, and that acquires default print settings stored in a printer when a detailed print setting screen is displayed or when a reset button included in the detailed print setting screen is operated, and reflects the default print settings on the detailed print setting screen. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-144355 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] As disclosed in Patent Document 1, when using the default print settings set in the printer itself, it is not possible to set different print settings for each user, so there is room for improvement in the technology for managing print settings. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] This was made with the aim of solving the above-mentioned problems, A support program that can be executed by a computer of an information processing device, corresponds to a printer connected to the information processing device, and supports a general-purpose printing program included in an operating system of the information processing device, The computer, an acquisition process for acquiring print settings for a logged-in user of the information processing device, the print settings corresponding to the logged-in user, based on setting data that stores print settings set for each user to be managed; an application process for applying initial values ​​of print settings based on the print settings for the login user acquired in the acquisition process; a notification process for notifying the general-purpose printing program of at least a part of the initial values ​​of the print settings applied in the application process; Execute It is configured as follows.

[0007] According to the technology disclosed in this specification, print settings for the logged-in user are obtained from setting data that stores print settings set by an administrator for each user, and initial values ​​for the print settings based on the obtained print settings are applied, and at least some of them are notified to a general-purpose print program, so that the print settings prepared in advance for each user become the initial values ​​for the print settings, making it possible to manage print settings for each user. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The technology disclosed in this specification realizes a technology that makes it easy to manage print settings for each user in an information processing device that has an OS-standard general-purpose print program installed. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of an information processing system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of server-side print setting data. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a procedure for initial setting processing of print settings. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a menu screen. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a detailed setting screen. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a print setting screen. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a printing execution procedure. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a procedure for initial setting processing of print settings according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] (First embodiment) An information processing system embodying the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to an information processing system including a plurality of printers and an information processing device that can communicate with each other.

[0011] That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the information processing system 100 of this embodiment includes a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as "PC") as an information processing device that uses the support program of this embodiment, a plurality of printers 2, and a server 3, which are connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other.

[0012] As shown in Fig. 1, the PC 1 of this embodiment includes a controller 10 including a CPU 11 and a memory 12. The PC 1 is an example of an information processing device. The CPU 11 is an example of a computer. The PC 1 also includes a user interface (hereinafter referred to as "user IF") 13 and a communication interface (hereinafter referred to as "communication IF") 14, which are electrically connected to the controller 10. Note that the controller 10 in Fig. 1 is a collective term for hardware and software used to control the PC 1, and does not necessarily represent a single piece of hardware that actually exists in the PC 1.

[0013] The CPU 11 of the PC 1 executes various processes in accordance with programs read from the memory 12 and based on user operations. The memory 12 includes a non-volatile memory 121 and a volatile memory 122. The volatile memory 122 is also used, for example, as a work area when executing various programs. A buffer provided in the CPU 11 is also an example of the memory 12. Note that the example of the memory 12 is not limited to a ROM, RAM, HDD, etc. built into the PC 1, but may also be a storage medium readable and writable by the CPU 11, such as a recording medium, for example, a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, etc.

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

[0015] The communication IF 14 includes hardware for communicating with external devices such as the printer 2 and the server 3. The communication standards of the communication IF 14 are Ethernet (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), USB, etc. The PC 1 may be connectable to the Internet 4 via the communication IF 14, and the server 3 may be connected via the Internet 4. The PC 1 may be provided with multiple communication IFs 14 that are compatible with multiple communication standards. The communication IF is an example of a network interface.

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

[0017] The OS31 is a multitasking OS that can process multiple tasks in parallel by managing and switching between them. Examples of the OS31 include Windows (registered trademark), macOS (registered trademark), Linux (registered trademark), iOS (registered trademark), and Android (registered trademark).

[0018] The OS 31 includes a general-purpose printing program 41. The general-purpose printing program 41 is a standard OS program prepared by the OS 31 vendor and provided as part of the OS 31. In other words, the PC 1 is equipped with the OS 31 that includes the general-purpose printing program 41. The general-purpose printing program 41 is not configured to use printer drivers specific to each printer.

[0019] The generic printing program 41 is a program that has the function of printing on multiple models of printers provided by multiple vendors based on user instructions. The generic printing program 41 supports generic functions that allow printing on many printers. Unlike printer drivers specific to each printer, the generic printing program 41 does not support functions specific to each printer or printer driver, especially functions that require complex processing.

[0020] The general-purpose printing program 41 is a program that includes a function to receive image data designated as a print target in a print instruction output from various applications based on a user instruction and generate intermediate data based on that image data. The intermediate data is, for example, XPS data. The general-purpose printing program 41 also has a function to generate print data in a format that can be used for printing on various printers based on the intermediate data. The print data is, for example, PWGRaster data or PDF data. The general-purpose printing program 41 also has a function to send the generated print data to the printer designated as the device to execute printing via a communication function provided by the OS 31.

[0021] The auxiliary program 42 is a program or group of programs that executes processing based on instructions from the OS 31 in conjunction with the processing of the general-purpose printing program 41, and is a program that supports the control of the target hardware. The auxiliary program 42 of this embodiment corresponds to the model of the printer 2 connected to the PC 1, and is provided, for example, by the vendor of the printer 2. The general-purpose printing program 41 launches the auxiliary program 42 corresponding to the printer 2 when the printer 2 is selected as the device to execute printing, when an instruction for detailed print settings is received while the printer 2 is selected, when an instruction to execute printing on the printer 2 is received, etc. The auxiliary program 42 is, for example, called a print support app (abbreviated as PSA) or a hardware support app (abbreviated as HSA).

[0022] The auxiliary program 42 may be a combination of multiple programs that each accept an execution command, or a single program that can execute different processes depending on the command. The auxiliary program may also be a program prepared by a printer vendor for each printer type. For example, an auxiliary program for inkjet printers and an auxiliary program for laser printers may be prepared. A separate auxiliary program may be prepared not only for each printer type, but also for each printer model or series of printer models.

[0023] For example, when a new printer is connected to the PC 1, the OS 31 of the PC 1 can download an appropriate auxiliary program according to the type and model of the connected printer from a server of the printer vendor or the like and install it in the PC 1. The OS 31 associates the identification information of the installed auxiliary program with the printer information of the newly connected printer and stores it in the memory 12.

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

[0025] In this embodiment, the PC 1 is connected to the printer 2 via the communication IF 14 as shown in FIG. 1. The printer 2 is a device that has at least a printing function and a communication function. For example, when the printer 2 receives print data from the PC 1 or the like, it can execute printing based on the received print data. The printer 2 may be a device capable of color printing, or may be a device capable of only monochrome printing.

[0026] The printer 2 of this embodiment stores default print setting data 2A, which is set at the time of shipment from the factory or upon delivery, in a non-volatile memory of the printer 2. The print setting items in the print setting data 2A include, for example, double-sided printing, paper feed tray, paper output tray, color printing, eco mode, accumulated printing, toner save, color tone, special red, Nin1, and watermark, and are set to match the capabilities of the printer 2. Default parameters are stored for each print setting item.

[0027] Default parameters may vary by country of destination or destination. For example, one destination country may require environmentally friendly printing and default to double-sided printing, while other countries may default to single-sided printing. The same applies to eco-mode. Also, for example, China or Arabia may require a customizable shade of red, and default to a customized red.

[0028] The server 3 is provided by the manufacturer or sales company of the printer 2, and as shown in Fig. 2A, the server 3 has stored in its non-volatile memory server-side print setting data 35. The server-side print setting data 35 includes, for each user, login information 35A used when the user logs in to the PC 1, and default setting data stored for each setting item 35B of the print settings.

[0029] For example, an administrator may prepare server-side print setting data 35 in advance and store it in a storage location in non-volatile memory designated by server 3. Alternatively, server 3 may prepare an input screen that accepts input of user information and default setting data for each setting item 35B of the print settings, and the administrator may input default setting data for each user by operating the input screen. Server 3 may then generate server-side print setting data 35 by storing the input setting data in association with login information 35A of the user who input it.

[0030] In addition, the server-side print setting data 35 does not need to store default setting data for all print setting items 35B, but may store default setting data for, for example, major setting items 35B among the print setting items 35B.

[0031] Furthermore, one of the users of PC 1 may also serve as the administrator of the information processing system 100. Furthermore, each user of PC 1 may act as the administrator and set default setting data for each setting item 35B of the print settings.

[0032] 2(B), multiple printers 2 may be set for one user on the server, and default setting data for each setting item 35B of the print settings may be stored for each of the multiple printers 2. The setting data may be stored for each printer model, or for each individual printer identified by its serial number or IP address.

[0033] Next, various processing procedures related to printing on the printer 2 in the PC 1 of this embodiment will be described. Note that in this embodiment, each process other than user operation basically indicates processing by the CPU 11 in accordance with instructions written in a program such as the auxiliary program 42. In this specification, various processes performed by the controller 10 or the CPU 11 in accordance with programs such as the auxiliary program 42, the general-purpose printing program 41, and the OS 31 may be described, for convenience, as if each program were independently performing the various processes. Processing by the CPU 11 also includes hardware control using the API of the OS 31. In this specification, detailed description of the OS 31 will be omitted and the operation of each program will be described.

[0034] (Initial setting process for print settings) First, the procedure for initial setting processing of print settings set for the printer used for printing will be described with reference to the sequence diagram of FIG.

[0035] That is, when the user instructs the startup of auxiliary program 42 by, for example, clicking with a mouse on an icon displayed on an application program selection screen (not shown) of OS 31 (A11), the started auxiliary program 42 displays, for example, a menu screen 70 as shown in Fig. 4 on display 13A (A12). On menu screen 70, a printer selection field 71 is displayed.

[0036] Furthermore, the printer selection field 71 displays a model name display field 71A and a list button 71B to the right of the model name display field 71A. When the user clicks on the list button 71B with, for example, a mouse to instruct a pull-down display, a printer menu 71C is displayed below the model name display field 71A. The model name of the currently selected printer 2 is displayed in the model name display field 71A. Furthermore, the printer menu 71C displays a list of model names of printers 2 that are not selected.

[0037] When the user clicks, for example with a mouse, on the model name portion of printer 2 displayed in printer menu 71C, the printer 2 with that model name can be selected, and the model name of the newly selected printer is displayed in model name display field 71A. Note that the printers available as options in printer menu 71C correspond to print queues, and selecting a printer in printer selection field 71 means selecting a print queue. Printer selection field 71 is an example of a control.

[0038] Next, when the user selects printer 2 in the printer selection field 71 on the menu screen 70 (A13), the auxiliary program 42 requests PC login information for identifying the user logged in to PC 1 from the general-purpose printing program 41 (A14). The general-purpose printing program 41 then passes the PC login information corresponding to the logged-in user to the auxiliary program 42 (A15). The PC login information includes, for example, the login user name. The auxiliary program 42 determines whether there is a cache of setting data indicating default values ​​for the print settings corresponding to the PC login information for printer 2 selected in the printer selection field 71 (A16).

[0039] Then, if the auxiliary program 42 determines that there is cached setting data corresponding to the PC login information (alt:[Cached]), the auxiliary program 42 acquires the cached setting data corresponding to the PC login information, i.e., the setting data indicating the default values ​​of the print settings (A17).

[0040] In this embodiment, as described below, server-side print setting data 35 indicating the default values ​​of print settings is obtained from server 3. However, since communication with server 3 can take time, setting data based on previously obtained server-side print setting data 35 is cached, and if the setting data is cached, it is expected that processing will be completed more quickly by using the cached setting data rather than accessing server 3.

[0041] On the other hand, if the auxiliary program 42 determines that there is no cached setting data corresponding to the PC login information (alt:[no cache]), the auxiliary program 42 outputs a transmission request to the server 3 for data indicating the default values ​​of the print settings (A18). This transmission request is accompanied by the PC login information passed from the general-purpose printing program 41 in A15.

[0042] The server 3 then identifies the user based on the PC login information, reads out the setting data stored for each setting item 35B of the print settings corresponding to the identified user, and transmits the read setting data to the requesting PC 1 (A19). The auxiliary program 42 acquires setting data indicating the default print settings corresponding to the logged-in user by having the PC 1 receive the setting data transmitted from the server 3. The processes of A18 and A19 are an example of the acquisition process.

[0043] If the server-side print setting data 35 of the user identified based on the PC login information is not stored in the nonvolatile memory of the server 3, the auxiliary program 42 cannot acquire setting data indicating the default print settings from the server 3. In this case, the auxiliary program 42 may be configured to acquire the default print setting data 2A stored in the nonvolatile memory of the printer 2 instead of the setting data acquired from the server 3. This processing is an example of main body acquisition processing.

[0044] In other words, if the administrator has not prepared print settings for the logged-in user on the server 3, the default print setting data 2A stored in the printer can be obtained and applied as the initial values ​​of the print settings, thereby making the initial values ​​of the print settings suitable for the printer.

[0045] 2(B), in the process of A18, if multiple printers 2 are set for one user on the server and default setting data for each setting item 35B of the print settings is stored for each of the multiple printers 2, the auxiliary program 42 may add printer information specifying the printer selected in the printer selection field 71 in addition to the PC login information to the transmission request of A18. In this case, the server 3 transmits setting data corresponding to the printer specified by the printer information, out of the setting data of the user specified by the PC login information.

[0046] In this case, the auxiliary program 42 will obtain the setting data prepared for the currently selected printer 2, and can apply setting data that is more suited to the type of printer to the initial values ​​of the print settings, thereby improving user convenience.

[0047] Next, the auxiliary program 42 requests main body capability information from the printer 2 selected in the printer selection field 71 (A21). In response, the printer 2 transmits its own main body capability information to the PC 1 (A22).

[0048] In A21, the auxiliary program 42 can use, for example, MIB (abbreviation for Management Information Base) to obtain the main body capability information directly from the printer 2. Alternatively, the auxiliary program 42 can request the general-purpose printing program 41 to obtain the capability information, and the general-purpose printing program 41 can obtain the main body capability information indirectly by communicating with the printer 2 using, for example, IPP (abbreviation for Internet Printing Protocol) communications.

[0049] Next, the auxiliary program 42 selects only the functions supported by the printer 2 from the setting data indicating the default print settings acquired in the process of A19 (A23). The process of A23 is an example of a selection process.

[0050] Here, to explain in detail the process of selecting only the functions supported by printer 2, the printer 2 selected in the printer selection field 71 has, as main body functions supported by printer 2, setting items such as those displayed in the detailed print setting item 64 of the detailed setting screen 60 shown in Figure 5, namely, "paper type," "print quality," "original size," "color," "print orientation," "multiple printing," "double-sided printing," and "paper feeding method."

[0051] In contrast, the server-side print setting data 35 stored in the non-volatile memory of the server 3 also stores setting data for main body functions that the printer 2 does not support, such as "color correction," "toner saving," "accumulation printing," and "watermark," as shown in Figure 2(A).

[0052] Therefore, in the process of A23, the auxiliary program 42 selects the print settings for the functions supported by the printer 2, i.e., the default setting data for "paper type," "print quality," "original size," "color," "print orientation," "multiple printing," "double-sided printing," and "paper feed method," from the print setting data acquired from the server 3. Therefore, values ​​for main body functions not supported by the printer 2, such as "color correction," "toner saving," "accumulation printing," and "watermark," are excluded from the setting data.

[0053] In addition, if, for example, an optional tray is set in the "Paper feed method" of the print setting data obtained from the server 3 and the optional tray is not installed in the printer 2 main body, the value for the "Paper feed method" may be excluded from the setting data.

[0054] Furthermore, the functions supported by the printer 2 include functions supported by the general-purpose printing program 41 and functions not supported by the general-purpose printing program 41. The functions supported by the general-purpose printing program 41 are, for example, "Original Orientation," "Color Mode," "Double-Sided Printing," and "Number of Pages per Sheet" displayed in the basic print setting selection field 53 of the print setting screen D2 shown in FIG. 6, which is displayed by the editing application 43. The default setting data for "Original Orientation," "Color Mode," "Double-Sided Printing," and "Number of Pages per Sheet" are examples of first initial values. The default setting data for the functions supported by the printer 2 excluding the functions supported by the general-purpose printing program 41, i.e., "Paper Type," "Print Quality," "Original Size," and "Paper Feed Method," are examples of second initial values.

[0055] Next, the auxiliary program 42 stores the selected setting data corresponding to the user identified based on the PC login information as a cache in association with the PC login information (A24). A24 is an example of a cache process. The cached setting data may be stored in the volatile memory 122 or the non-volatile memory 121.

[0056] When the cached setting data is stored in the non-volatile memory 121, it remains without being erased even when the PC 1 is turned off. Therefore, for example, a "Change Initial Value" button may be provided on the menu screen 70, and the setting data may be erased when the user clicks on the "Change Initial Value" button with the mouse. Alternatively, the setting data may be erased when a predetermined time has elapsed since it was stored in the non-volatile memory 121. The processes in A16 to A24 do not have to be for the data of one user based on the PC login information. For example, the information of all users may be cached in A24.

[0057] Next, the auxiliary program 42 notifies the general-purpose printing program 41 of the selected setting data as the default setting data for the user identified based on the PC login information (A25). The processing of A25 is an example of notification processing. The general-purpose printing program 41 then stores the selected setting data as the default setting data 41A for the user identified based on the PC login information in an area of ​​the non-volatile memory 121 managed by the general-purpose printing program 41 (A26).

[0058] Therefore, when displaying the print setting screen, the general-purpose printing program 41 displays, for example, a print setting screen D2 as shown in Fig. 6 on the display 13A based on the setting data 41A stored in the non-volatile memory 121. Details of the print setting screen D2 will be described later.

[0059] The conditions for executing the processing from A14 onwards are not limited to when a printer is selected in the printer selection field 71; for example, an "Update default values ​​for print settings" button may be provided on the menu screen 70, and A14 may be executed when the user clicks on the "Update default values ​​for print settings" button with the mouse.

[0060] Furthermore, in this embodiment, even if the setting data is cached, the processing from A21 onwards is executed, and the printer 2's main body capability information is acquired and the cache is updated. However, if the setting data is cached, the processing from A21 to A24 does not need to be executed. This also omits communication with the printer 2, allowing the processing to be completed more quickly. On the other hand, even if the setting data is cached, by acquiring the printer 2's main body capability information, if the printer 2's capabilities change, for example, if an option is changed, the change can be accommodated.

[0061] (printing process) Next, the procedure of the printing process when printing using the printer 2 in the PC 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the sequence diagram shown in Fig. 7. Note that each process other than the user's operation in this embodiment basically indicates the processing of the CPU 11 in accordance with instructions written in a program such as the auxiliary program 42.

[0062] In this specification, various processes performed by the controller 10 or the CPU 11 in accordance with programs such as the auxiliary program 42, the general-purpose printing program 41, and the OS 31 are sometimes described as being performed independently by each program, for the sake of convenience. The processing by the CPU 11 also includes control of hardware using the API of the OS 31. In this specification, the operation of each program will be described without providing a detailed description of the OS 31.

[0063] First, prior to printing using the printer 2, the user can create and edit text and images using the editing application 43. If the user wants to print the text or image currently being displayed, the user selects print in the editing application 43 (B01). The user can select print from a menu of operation items provided in the editing application 43, for example.

[0064] When the editing application 43 accepts the selection of printing, it requests the general-purpose printing program 41 of the OS 31 to display a screen for accepting instructions regarding printing (B02). In response to the request, the general-purpose printing program 41 displays a print setting screen D2 as shown in FIG. 6 on the display 13A (B03). The print setting screen D2 is a screen that mainly accepts user instructions regarding various print settings that can be accepted by the general-purpose printing program 41. Note that the print setting screen may be displayed by the editing application 43.

[0065] The print setting screen D2 in the example of FIG. 6 includes a printer selection field 51, an information display field 52, a basic print setting selection field 53, an advanced settings button 54, a print button 55, etc. The printer selection field 51 is a field for accepting the selection of the printer to be used for printing. The information display field 52 is a field for displaying information specified by an auxiliary program corresponding to the printer selected in the printer selection field 51. For example, when the selection of printer 2 is accepted in the printer selection field 51, or when a print instruction is accepted when printer 2 is set as the printer to be normally used in the OS 31, the general-purpose print program 41 can start the auxiliary program 42 and display an image prepared by the auxiliary program 42 in the information display field 52.

[0066] The basic print setting selection field 53 is a field for accepting basic settings such as the number of copies to be printed and the orientation of the original. The default display in the print setting selection field 53 is displayed based on the setting data 41A stored in the nonvolatile memory 121. That is, the general-purpose printing program 41 reads the default setting data 41A of the user identified based on the PC login information from the nonvolatile memory 121, and executes the default display in the print setting selection field 53 based on the read default setting data.

[0067] The advanced settings button 54 is a button for receiving instructions to perform advanced settings that are not included in the basic print settings selection field 53. The advanced settings button 54 is an example of an operator.

[0068] Specifically, when the general-purpose printing program 41 receives a user operation on the advanced settings button 54 (B04), the general-purpose printing program 41 launches the auxiliary program 42 and requests the auxiliary program 42 to display a screen that accepts detailed instructions regarding printing (B05).

[0069] 5 on the display 13A. The detailed settings screen 60 displays a restore default button 61, an OK button 62, a cancel button 63, and a detailed print setting item 64 for setting parameters for each print setting item within the range that can be executed by the printer 2. Note that, since there are many print setting items that can be accepted on the detailed settings screen 60, the auxiliary program 42 may be able to accept an instruction to switch the item to be selected, for example, using multiple tabs.

[0070] The initial values ​​of each item in the detailed print setting items 64 are also displayed based on the setting data 41A stored in the non-volatile memory 121. That is, the auxiliary program 42 acquires the setting data 41A corresponding to the user identified based on the PC login information from the general-purpose print program 41, and displays the defaults in the detailed print setting items 64 based on the acquired default setting data. The display of the detailed setting screen 60 may also be performed by the editing application 43 or the general-purpose print program 41. When the restore default button 61 is operated, the values ​​of each item in the detailed print setting items 64 are restored to their initial values ​​based on the default setting data acquired from the general-purpose print program 41.

[0071] 7, after the user has determined the image to be printed and the print settings for printer 2, the user inputs a print execution instruction in editing application 43 (B07). That is, for example, when the editing application 43 receives an operation on print button 55 on print setting screen D2 shown in FIG. 6, because the general-purpose print program 41 is incorporated into OS 31 of PC 1, the editing application 43 determines that it has received an execution instruction to cause printer 2 to print the selected image to the general-purpose print program 41.

[0072] If the user does not need to make detailed settings that are not included in the basic print setting selection field 53 on the print setting screen D2, that is, if the default settings are acceptable, the user can directly operate the print button 55 without operating the advanced settings button 54 on the print setting screen D2. In this case, the processes from B04 to B06 are not executed.

[0073] The editing application 43 outputs the received print instruction information to the general-purpose printing program 41 (B08). The general-purpose printing program 41 acquires, from the editing application 43, image data indicating the image to be printed and information indicating the print settings as the print instruction information.

[0074] The general-purpose printing program 41 generates intermediate data by converting the format of the image data of the image to be printed into the format of intermediate data based on the information obtained from the editing application 43 (B09). The image data included in the editing application 43 is of various types, and the general-purpose printing program 41 converts the image data to be printed into intermediate data suitable for generating print data. Note that if the image data to be printed is data suitable for generating print data, the generation of intermediate data may be omitted and the image data may be used as is as intermediate data.

[0075] Before generating the intermediate data, the general-purpose printing program 41 may start the auxiliary program 42 corresponding to the designated device, printer 2, and notify the printer 2 that print job processing has started. When started by the general-purpose printing program 41, the auxiliary program 42 can pass information indicating various instructions used when generating the intermediate data to the general-purpose printing program 41 as necessary.

[0076] After generating the intermediate data, the general-purpose printing program 41 outputs an execution instruction to the auxiliary program 42, thereby starting the auxiliary program 42 (B10). The auxiliary program 42 can acquire the intermediate data and print settings generated by the general-purpose printing program 41 (B12), for example, by requesting data from the general-purpose printing program 41 (B11). Then, the auxiliary program 42 edits the acquired intermediate data based on the print setting information (B13).

[0077] Next, the auxiliary program 42 passes the print settings and edited intermediate data to the general-purpose printing program 41 and requests the general-purpose printing program 41 to generate print data (B15).The general-purpose printing program 41 then rasterizes the intermediate data and generates print data including raster data, which is bitmap data (B16).The general-purpose printing program 41 then passes the generated print data to the auxiliary program 42 (B17).

[0078] The auxiliary program 42 passes the print data to the general-purpose print program 41, thereby instructing the general-purpose print program 41 to send a print instruction to the printer 2 (B18). The general-purpose print program 41 sends a print job including the print data to the printer 2 (B19). The printer 2 executes printing based on the received print data (B20). As a result, a printed matter based on the print instruction output from the editing application 43 is generated.

[0079] (Second embodiment) Next, the procedure for the initial setting process for setting print settings for a printer used for printing according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the sequence diagram of FIG. 8. Note that in this embodiment, each process other than user operation basically represents processing by the CPU 11 in accordance with instructions written in a program such as the auxiliary program 42. For convenience, in this specification, various processes performed by the controller 10 or the CPU 11 in accordance with programs such as the auxiliary program 42, the general-purpose print program 41, and the OS 31 may be described as if each program independently performs the various processes. Processing by the CPU 11 also includes hardware control using the API of the OS 31. In this specification, the operation of each program will be described without a detailed description of the OS 31. Furthermore, parts that achieve the same effects as those in the previous embodiment will be described with the same reference numerals.

[0080] First, prior to printing using the printer 2, the user can create and edit text and images using the editing application 43. If the user wants to print the text or image currently being displayed, the user selects print in the editing application 43 (B01). The user can select print from a menu of operation items provided in the editing application 43, for example.

[0081] When the editing application 43 accepts the selection of printing, it requests the general-purpose printing program 41 of the OS 31 to display a screen for accepting instructions regarding printing (B02). In response to the request, the general-purpose printing program 41 displays the print setting screen D2 on the display 13A (B03). The print setting screen D2 is a screen for accepting user instructions regarding various print settings that can be accepted by the general-purpose printing program 41. The print setting screen may be displayed by the editing application 43. This process is an example of display processing.

[0082] Next, when the user selects a new printer in the printer selection field 51 of the print setting screen D2 (C11), the editing application 43 notifies the general-purpose printing program 41 of the change in printer (C12). Then, the general-purpose printing program 41 notifies the auxiliary program 42 of the change in printer (C13).

[0083] Next, the auxiliary program 42, which has been notified of the printer change, requests PC login information for identifying the user logged in to PC 1 from the general-purpose printing program 41 (C14). Then, the general-purpose printing program 41 passes the PC login information corresponding to the logged-in user to the auxiliary program 42 (C15). The PC login information includes, for example, the login user name. Then, it determines whether there is a cache of setting data indicating default values ​​for the print settings corresponding to the PC login information for the printer 2 selected in the printer selection field 51 (C16).

[0084] After that, the PC1 executes the processes of A17 to A25.

[0085] Then, the general-purpose printing program 41, having received notification of the default setting data by A25, stores the data in an area of ​​the non-volatile memory 121 managed by the general-purpose printing program 41 as the default setting data 41A of the user identified based on the PC login information (A26), and re-displays the print setting screen D2 (C30).

[0086] When the general-purpose printing program 41 displays the print setting screen D2 in C30, the print setting screen D2 reflecting the setting data 41A stored in the nonvolatile memory 121 in A26 is displayed on the display 13A.

[0087] In this embodiment, when a user selects a new printer in the printer selection field 51 of the print settings screen D2, the default print settings screen D2 corresponding to the newly selected printer 2 will be displayed on the display 13A.

[0088] In the second embodiment, when the user newly selects a printer in the printer selection field 51 of the print setting screen D2, the default print setting screen D2 corresponding to the newly selected printer 2 is displayed on the display 13A, but it may also be configured so that when the advanced settings button 54 of the print setting screen D2 accepts a user operation, the default advanced settings screen 60 corresponding to the printer 2 selected in the printer selection field 51 is displayed on the display 13A. Also, it may be configured so that when the user operates the return to default button 61 on the advanced settings screen 60, the default advanced settings screen 60 corresponding to the printer 2 selected in the printer selection field 51 is displayed on the display 13A.

[0089] As explained in detail above, server-side print setting data 35 of the print settings of a user identified by login information is obtained from server 3, which stores server-side print setting data 35 of the print settings set by the administrator for each user, and initial values ​​are applied to the display corresponding to the setting items of the print settings based on the obtained server-side print setting data 35, and at least some of these are notified to general-purpose print program 41. This sets the display corresponding to the setting items of the print settings prepared in advance for each user to their initial values, making it possible to manage the print settings for each user. This improves user convenience.

[0090] The embodiments disclosed in this specification are merely examples and do not limit the present invention in any way. Therefore, the technology disclosed in this specification can naturally be improved and modified in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the device connected to PC1 is not limited to a printer, but may be any device with a printing function, such as a multifunction device, copier, or fax machine. Furthermore, the number of printers connected to PC1 is not limited to the illustrated example, and may be two or more.

[0091] Furthermore, for example, the examples of screens displayed on the display 13A are all examples and are not limited to the examples shown in the drawings. Furthermore, the wording, object shapes, backgrounds, etc. displayed on each of the illustrated screens may be any. Furthermore, for example, while FIG. 6 shows the print setting screen D2 including one information display field 52, the arrangement, shape, size, number, etc. of the information display field 52 are not limited to the example shown in this drawing. Furthermore, the information display field 52 may not be present.

[0092] Furthermore, in this specification, the server-side print setting data 35 is configured to be stored in the non-volatile memory of the server 3, but the storage location of the print setting data may be, for example, another information processing device prepared by the administrator of the information processing system 100, the printer 2 itself, or the PC 1 itself.

[0093] Furthermore, although the auxiliary program 42 stores default setting data in the nonvolatile memory 121 in this specification, it may also store the data in the volatile memory 122.

[0094] In the embodiment, only the printing operation is described in detail as the operation of the auxiliary program 42, but the auxiliary program 42 may have other roles as well. The program that executes the process of this embodiment is not limited to the auxiliary program 42, and may be any program that receives instructions from the OS 31 or the general-purpose print program 41 when printing using the general-purpose print program 41. For example, it may be a print workflow application (Print workflow) whose specifications have been made public by Microsoft.

[0095] Furthermore, the execution timing of the auxiliary program 42 is not limited to that of the embodiment. For example, the auxiliary program 42 may be executed in response to a direct execution instruction from the OS 31, or may be a resident auxiliary program 42. If the auxiliary program 42 is resident, it may receive an execution command and perform the above-described operation.

[0096] Furthermore, in any flowchart disclosed in the embodiments, the execution order of multiple processes in any multiple steps can be changed or they can be executed in parallel as long as no contradiction occurs in the processing content.

[0097] The processes disclosed in the embodiments may be executed by hardware such as a single CPU, multiple CPUs, or ASIC, or a combination thereof. The processes disclosed in the embodiments may be realized in various ways, such as a recording medium on which a program for executing the processes is recorded, or a method. [Explanation of symbols]

[0098] 100 Information Processing Systems 1 PC (information processing device) 2. Printer 3 Server 11 CPU 13 User Interface 13A Display 41 General-purpose printing program 42 Subsidy Programs D2 Print settings screen 60 Advanced settings screen

Claims

1. A support program that can be executed by a computer of an information processing device, corresponds to a printer connected to the information processing device, and supports a general-purpose printing program included in an operating system of the information processing device, The computer, an acquisition process for acquiring print settings for a logged-in user of the information processing device, the print settings corresponding to the logged-in user, based on setting data that stores print settings set for each user to be managed; an application process for applying initial values ​​of print settings based on the print settings for the login user acquired in the acquisition process; a notification process for notifying the general-purpose printing program of at least a part of the initial values ​​of the print settings applied in the application process; Execute A support program configured to:

2. 2. The support program according to claim 1, the initial values ​​of the print settings based on the print settings for the login user include a first initial value supported by the general-purpose print program and a second initial value not supported by the general-purpose print program; A support program configured to:

3. 2. The support program according to claim 1, the information processing device can access a server that stores the setting data via a network interface of the information processing device, and the server can respond with print settings corresponding to a designated user based on the setting data in response to an acquisition request designated by the user; In the acquisition process, transmitting the acquisition request specifying the login user to the server, and receiving the print settings for the login user transmitted from the server, thereby acquiring the print settings for the login user; A support program configured to:

4. 4. The support program according to claim 3, The computer, executing a display process for displaying a screen for accepting input operations using a user interface of the information processing device, the input operations accepted on the screen including selection of a printer; In response to the printer being selected on the screen, the acquisition process, the application process, and the notification process are executed. A support program configured to:

5. 2. The support program according to claim 1, The setting data stores user information for identifying a user, printer information for identifying a printer, and the print setting in association with each other, In the acquisition process, acquires the print settings associated with the user information corresponding to the login user and the printer information corresponding to the currently selected printer as print settings for the login user; A support program configured to:

6. 2. The support program according to claim 1, The setting data can store one print setting for each user, The computer, executes a selection process for selecting settings supported by the currently selected printer from the print settings for the login user acquired in the acquisition process; In the application process, initial values ​​of the print settings are applied using the print settings selected in the selection process. A support program configured to:

7. 2. The support program according to claim 1, The computer, executes a cache process in which the print settings used as the initial values ​​of the print settings in the application process are associated with user information indicating a logged-in user and stored in a memory of the information processing device; The computer further comprises: If the print settings associated with the user information indicating the logged-in user are not stored in the memory, the acquisition process is executed, and the cache process is executed in conjunction with the execution of the application process; If the print settings associated with the user information indicating the logged-in user are stored in the memory, the acquisition process is not executed, and in the application process, the print settings associated with the user information indicating the logged-in user are read from the memory, and initial values ​​of the print settings based on the read print settings are applied. A support program configured to:

8. 2. The support program according to claim 1, If the print settings for the login user cannot be acquired in the acquisition process, the support program executes a device acquisition process to acquire device settings, which are initial values ​​of print settings set in the printer, from the printer; In the application process, initial values ​​of print settings based on the device settings acquired in the device acquisition process are applied. A support program configured to:

9. 2. The support program according to claim 1, The computer, executing a display process for displaying a screen for accepting input operations using a user interface of the information processing device, wherein the input operations accepted on the screen include an operation on an operator indicating application of an initial value of a print setting; Executing the application process in response to the operation of the operator on the screen. A support program configured to:

10. 10. The support program according to claim 9, The computer, Executing the acquisition process in response to the screen being displayed by the user interface; After the acquisition process is executed, the application process is executed in response to the operation of the operator on the screen while the screen is being displayed. A support program configured to:

11. 10. The support program according to claim 9, The computer, executing the acquisition process and the application process in response to the operation of the operator on the screen; A support program configured to:

12. 12. The support program according to claim 1 or any one of claims 3 to 11, The support program is installed on the computer. After the initial values ​​of the print settings based on the print settings for the login user are applied in the application process, when a print instruction is output from an application program installed in the information processing device and the print instruction causes the general-purpose print program to print on the printer, executes a print process for causing the printer to perform printing based on print data indicating an image to be printed in accordance with the print instruction and the initial values ​​of the print settings; A support program configured to:

13. 13. The support program according to claim 12, the initial values ​​of the print settings based on the print settings for the login user include a first initial value supported by the general-purpose print program and a second initial value not supported by the general-purpose print program; In the printing process, intermediate data corresponding to an image to be printed is acquired from the general-purpose printing program, the intermediate data is processed in accordance with the second initial value, and printing is performed by the printer based on the print data generated from the processed intermediate data. A support program configured to:

Images