Support program

Abstract

To provide a technique for causing a printer to perform appropriate borderless printing, in an information processing apparatus having an OS-standard general-purpose printing program installed thereon.SOLUTION: An auxiliary program 42 supporting a general-purpose printing program 41 causes a CPU 11 to execute: notification processing of, when receiving a print instruction from an editing application 43 and borderless printing is designated in print settings, notifying the general-purpose printing program of an image size corresponding to the borderless printing on the basis of a printing paper size designated in the print settings; acquisition processing of acquiring, from the general-purpose printing program, intermediate data that indicates an image to be printed according to the print instruction and that is generated by the general-purpose printing program according to the image size notified in the notification processing; and print processing of performing processing for causing a printer to perform printing according to print data based on the intermediate data acquired in the acquisition processing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

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 printing program is Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration for an extension application program for extending the functions of print data generation software that generates print data, which acquires attribute data of a printing device and data indicating print functions, and if information indicating a specific function is not included in the data indicating the print functions, adds information related to the specific function based on the attribute information included in the attribute data, and displays a setting screen including setting items for the specific function based on the information related to the added specific function. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-108001 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Although general-purpose printing programs allow the user to specify borderless printing, there are cases in which the actual print result is not borderless. Patent Document 1 discloses that a setting value indicating whether or not a printer has borderless printing functionality can be obtained from the printer, and that the amount of overflow during borderless printing can be specified, but it does not specifically describe the processing that the support program performs during borderless printing, leaving room for improvement. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and provides 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 print program included in an operating system of the information processing device, The computer, When a print instruction is output from an application program installed in the information processing device, the print instruction is for causing the general-purpose print program to print an image on the printer, and borderless printing is specified as a print setting of the print instruction, a notification process for notifying the general-purpose printing program of an image size corresponding to borderless printing based on the print paper size specified in the print settings of the print instruction; an acquisition process for acquiring, from the general-purpose printing program, intermediate data indicating the image to be printed in accordance with the print instruction, the intermediate data being generated by the general-purpose printing program in accordance with the image size notified in the notification process; a printing process for causing the printer to print using print data based on the intermediate data acquired in the acquisition process; Execute the following.

[0007] According to the technology disclosed in this specification, when borderless printing is specified in the print settings, the support program notifies the general-purpose printing program of the image size that will result in borderless printing based on the print paper size in the print settings, and the general-purpose printing program generates intermediate data according to that image size, thereby increasing the likelihood of obtaining a printed product that is printed all the way to the edges of the paper, compared to when the general-purpose printing program determines the image size of the intermediate data. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The technology disclosed in this specification realizes a technology that allows a printer to perform appropriate borderless printing in an information processing device that has an OS-standard general-purpose printing program installed. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an outline of the electrical configuration of a PC. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the procedure of a print setting process when performing borderless printing. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a print setting screen. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a detailed print setting screen. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between each print setting item and the parameters that can be set for that item in borderless printing. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a non-conformity notification screen. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a procedure for a print execution process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] A personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a "PC") that uses the support program of the present embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. This specification discloses a support program executed on a PC.

[0011] 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.

[0012] 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.

[0013] 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.

[0014] The communication IF 14 includes hardware for communicating with an external device such as the printer 2. The communication IF 14 is compatible with a communication standard such as Ethernet (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), or USB. The PC 1 may be connectable to the Internet via the communication IF 14. The PC 1 may be equipped with multiple communication IFs 14 compatible with multiple communication standards.

[0015] 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 printing program 41, an auxiliary program 42, and an editing application 43. The auxiliary program 42 is an example of a support program.

[0016] OS21 is a multitasking OS that can process multiple tasks in parallel by managing and switching between them. Examples of OS21 include Windows (registered trademark), macOS (registered trademark), Linux (registered trademark), iOS (registered trademark), and Android (registered trademark).

[0017] The OS 21 includes a general-purpose printing program 41. The general-purpose printing program 41 is a standard OS program prepared by the OS 21 vendor and provided as part of the OS 21. In other words, the PC 1 is equipped with the OS 21 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.

[0018] 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 2, the generic printing program 41 does not support functions specific to each printer 2 or printer driver, especially functions that require complex processing.

[0019] 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 2 designated as the device to execute printing via a communication function provided by the OS 21.

[0020] The auxiliary program 42 is a program or a group of programs that executes processing based on instructions from the OS 21 in conjunction with the processing of the general-purpose printing program 41, and is a program that supports control of the target hardware. The auxiliary program 42 in 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.

[0021] The general-purpose printing program 41 launches an 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 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 an inkjet printer and an auxiliary program for a laser printer 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 21 of the PC 1 can download an appropriate auxiliary program from a server of the printer vendor or the like according to the type and model of the connected printer 2 and install it in the PC 1. The OS 21 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, for example, a print execution instruction to cause the printer 2 to execute printing via the user IF 13. The editing application 43 is not limited to a program for creating and editing data, but 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. The editing application is an example of an application program.

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

[0026] Next, an example of the procedure for print setting processing that is executed prior to borderless printing using the printer 2 in the PC 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the sequence diagram shown in Fig. 2. Note that each process other than user operations in this embodiment basically represents processing by the CPU 11 in accordance with commands written in programs such as the auxiliary program 42.

[0027] 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 21 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 21. In this specification, the operation of each program will be described without providing a detailed description of the OS 21.

[0028] First, prior to borderless printing using printer 2, the user can create and edit text and images using editing application 43. If the user wants to print the text or image currently being displayed, the user selects print in editing application 43 (A01). The user can select print from a menu of operation items provided in editing application 43, for example.

[0029] When the editing application 43 accepts the selection of printing, it requests the general-purpose printing program 41 of the OS 21 to display a screen for accepting instructions regarding printing (A02). In response to the request, the general-purpose printing program 41 displays a print setting screen D2 on the display 13A (A03). 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.

[0030] An example of the print setting screen is shown in FIG. 3. The print setting screen D2 in the example of FIG. 3 includes a printer selection field 51, an information display field 52, a basic print setting selection field 53, a print button 55, etc. The printer selection field 51 is a field for accepting the selection of a device to execute printing. The information display field 52 is a field for displaying information specified by an auxiliary program corresponding to the device 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 21, the general-purpose print program 41 can start the auxiliary program 42 and display an image prepared by the auxiliary program 42 in the information display field 52.

[0031] The basic print settings selection field 53 is a field for accepting basic settings such as the number of copies to be printed and the print orientation. The advanced settings button 54 is a button for accepting instructions to make advanced settings that are not included in the basic print settings selection field 53. The print button 55 is a button for accepting instructions to execute printing using the selected print settings.

[0032] 2, when the user operates the advanced settings button 54 on the print setting screen D2 (A04), the editing application 43 instructs the general-purpose printing program 41 to display the advanced print setting screen (A05). Then, the general-purpose printing program 41 starts the auxiliary program 42 corresponding to the printer 2 specified in the printer selection field 51 and instructs the auxiliary program 42 to display the advanced print setting screen (A06). Then, the auxiliary program 42 requests the general-purpose printing program 41 for capability information of the printer 2 specified in the printer selection field 51 (A07).

[0033] Next, the general-purpose printing program 41 requests capability information from the printer 2 specified in the printer selection field 51 (A08). The printer 2 then transmits the requested capability information to the general-purpose printing program 41 (A09). Next, the general-purpose printing program 41 passes the received capability information to the auxiliary program 42 (A10).

[0034] In this embodiment, the auxiliary program 42 requests the general-purpose printing program 41 to obtain capability information, and the general-purpose printing program 41 is configured to indirectly obtain the capability information by communicating with the printer 2, for example, via communication in accordance with IPP (abbreviation for Internet Printing Protocol). However, the auxiliary program 42 may also obtain the capability information directly from the printer 2, for example, using MIB (abbreviation for Management Information Base).

[0035] Next, the auxiliary program 42 creates a list of capabilities that can be executed by the printer 2 based on the acquired capability information and stores it in the non-volatile memory 121 (A11). This capability list includes a list related to borderless settings. That is, the acquired capability information includes the physical paper size, paper type, and margin amount for each paper size that the printer 2 can print. The physical paper size includes the length (mm) and width (mm). Paper types include plain paper, transparency, inkjet paper, glossy paper, etc. The margin amount includes, for example, the top, bottom, left, and right margin amounts (mm). If the margin amount for each paper that the printer 2 can print on is 0 mm, the auxiliary program 42 registers the paper in the list related to borderless settings as paper that can be printed borderlessly. The margin amount may be determined to be 0 mm if at least one of the top, bottom, left, and right margins is 0 mm, if all of the top, bottom, left, and right margins are 0 mm, or if a specific margin amount for any of the top, bottom, left, and right margins is 0 mm. The auxiliary program 42 determines that the printer 2 is capable of borderless printing if the margin amount for at least one paper size is 0 mm, that is, if at least one paper size is a paper size that can be printed borderless. Furthermore, based on the capability information acquired from the printer 2, the auxiliary program 42 includes information on settings that cannot be used in conjunction with the borderless setting (exclusive settings) in the list related to the borderless setting.

[0036] Next, the auxiliary program 42 notifies the general-purpose printing program 41 of the information from the created capability list that the general-purpose printing program 41 can handle as capability information of the printer 2 (A12). For example, this information may include information that the printer 2 has a borderless printing function and information about settings that cannot be used in conjunction with borderless printing. In response to this notification, the general-purpose printing program 41 or the editing application 43 may display a message on the print setting screen D2 in FIG. 3 requesting acceptance of the borderless printing setting. In this case, if the borderless printing setting is accepted on the print setting screen D2 in FIG. 3, for example, the double-sided printing setting may no longer be accepted.

[0037] The printer 2 capability information acquired in A07-A10 may further include, for example, information on remaining consumables, information on selectable trays, paper information for each tray, and information on supported print resolutions. The printer 2 may also have a function for performing image processing based on a received print job and printing based on the processed data, such as a function for performing aggregate printing such as Nin1, composite printing such as watermark printing, and economical printing that saves on coloring materials. If the printer 2 has an image processing function it can execute, the printer 2 may pass capability information including information on that function. The printer 2 may also pass capability information including information indicating its own status.

[0038] Next, the auxiliary program 42 displays, for example, a detailed setting screen 60 as shown in Fig. 4 on the display 13A (A13). The detailed setting screen 60 displays a restore default button 61, an OK button 62, a cancel button 63, and a detailed print setting item 64. In addition, in the detailed print setting item 64, it is possible to set parameters for each print setting item within the range that can be executed by the printer 2 (auxiliary program 42) specified in the printer selection field 51.

[0039] That is, for each print setting item in the detailed print setting item 64, print setting parameters are displayed in a pull-down menu based on the capability information acquired from the printer 2. For example, if the printer 2 is capable of borderless printing, a check box 64A is displayed corresponding to the "borderless printing" item. Therefore, the user can set "borderless printing" by operating the check box 64A. Furthermore, if the user operates the check box 64A again when "borderless printing" has been set, the "borderless printing" setting is canceled.

[0040] Furthermore, when "borderless printing" is set in the detailed print setting item 64, based on the information about settings (exclusive settings) that cannot be used in conjunction with the borderless setting included in the list of borderless settings stored in non-volatile memory 12 by A11, parameters that are compatible with borderless printing are displayed as selectable, and parameters that are not selectable are not displayed as selectable. For example, with regard to the print setting parameters for "paper type," if printer 2 is compatible with "inkjet paper" and "glossy paper," those parameters are displayed in a pull-down menu, allowing the user to select one of them as the "paper type" parameter. On the other hand, if printer 2 is not compatible with "plain paper" or "transparency," those parameters are not displayed in the pull-down menu, and therefore those parameters cannot be selected as the "paper type."

[0041] Additionally, regardless of whether "borderless printing" is set or not, parameters that can be executed on Printer 2 may be displayed as selectable, and a warning may be given to the user when a parameter that cannot be set for borderless printing is selected. For example, for the print setting parameter "Paper type," "Inkjet paper," "Glossy paper," "Plain paper," and "Transparency" may all be displayed as selectable, but if "Plain paper" or "Transparency," which are not compatible with borderless printing, are selected, a message may be displayed indicating that the selection is not possible.

[0042] By configuring it in this way, when the user operates checkbox 64A to set "borderless printing," it is possible to restrict the acceptance of print settings that cannot be used in conjunction with "borderless printing," thereby avoiding printing errors.

[0043] Furthermore, the default display in the detailed print setting items 64 is displayed based on the setting data stored in the nonvolatile memory 121. That is, the auxiliary program 42 reads the default setting data of the user identified based on the PC login information from the nonvolatile memory 121, and executes the default display in the detailed print setting items 64 based on the read default setting data. The detailed setting screen 60 shown in FIG. 4 is the default display.

[0044] The settings of the various items displayed on the detailed settings screen 60 may be accepted on the print settings screen D2. Also, 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 items to be selected using multiple tabs, for example.

[0045] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between each print setting item and the parameters that can be set for that item when using "borderless printing." Data showing this relationship is based on information about settings that cannot be used in conjunction with the borderless setting (combined settings) in the list of borderless settings stored in non-volatile memory 121 by A11. In the example shown in FIG. 5, when performing borderless printing, the only parameter that can be set for the "paper size" print setting item is "postcard." This is based on the fact that, of all the paper sizes included in the capability information obtained from Printer 2, only "postcard" has a margin of 0 mm. If there is any paper other than "postcard" that has a margin of 0 mm, that paper size will also be included in the parameters that can be set for the "paper size" print setting item.

[0046] Here, if the user specifies a printer 2 in the printer selection field 51 that cannot perform borderless printing, the auxiliary program 42 will gray out the check box 64A corresponding to "borderless printing" on the advanced settings screen 60 in processing A13, preventing the user from selecting "borderless printing."

[0047] Furthermore, in this embodiment, if there is no paper size with a margin amount of 0 mm for each paper size included in the capability information obtained from printer 2, the printer is determined to be incapable of "borderless printing," but other methods of determination may also be used. For example, a paper size corresponding to "borderless printing" may be separately provided in the capability information obtained from printer 2, and this may be used to make the determination. Also, for example, information corresponding to "borderless printing" for each model of printer 2 may be included in the support program, and this may be used to make the determination.

[0048] By having the auxiliary program 42 restrict the settings related to borderless printing in this way, the user can know in advance whether the printer 2 specified in the printer selection field 51 can perform borderless printing with the desired print settings, improving convenience. Furthermore, if the printer 2 is not capable of borderless printing, the check box 64A corresponding to "borderless printing" on the advanced settings screen 60 is grayed out, and the user's setting for "borderless printing" is not accepted, thereby preventing inappropriate print settings.

[0049] 4 is displayed on display 13A, a user who desires "borderless printing" operates checkbox 64A corresponding to the print setting item "borderless printing" to select "borderless printing." After the user changes and sets the parameters appropriate for "borderless printing" for each print setting item, when the user operates OK button 62 (A14), auxiliary program 42 stores the settings and terminates the display of detailed settings screen 60.

[0050] If parameters that are not compatible with borderless printing are not disabled for input on the advanced settings screen 60, the following process is performed after the OK button 62 is pressed. That is, it is determined whether parameters suitable for "borderless printing" shown in Fig. 5 are set for each print setting item on the advanced settings screen 60 (A15). Then, if the auxiliary program 42 determines that parameters suitable for "borderless printing" shown in Fig. 5 are not set for any of the print setting items, for example, the auxiliary program 42 displays an incompatibility notification screen 70 shown in Fig. 6 on the display 13A (A16).

[0051] The incompatibility notification screen 70 displays a reason display field 71, a solution selection field 72, and an OK button 73. For example, when "plain paper" is set in the "paper type" item of the print settings, the reason display field 71 of the incompatibility notification screen 70 shown in Fig. 6 notifies the user that the "borderless printing" setting and the "plain paper" setting in the "paper type" item of the print settings are incompatible.

[0052] If the user then operates the first radio button 72A adjacent to the "Automatically resolve incompatibilities" indication in the solution selection field 72 and then operates the OK button 73, the auxiliary program 42 will change the "Paper type" setting in the print settings from "Plain paper" to, for example, "Inkjet paper." This process is an example of a change process.

[0053] Furthermore, if the user operates the second radio button 72B adjacent to the indication "Manually resolve incompatibility" in the solution selection field 72 and then operates the OK button 73, the user will need to manually change the print setting parameters in accordance with the notification in the reason display field 71. That is, the user changes the setting of the print setting item "Paper type" from "Plain paper" to, for example, "Inkjet paper" on the detailed setting screen 60 (A17).

[0054] In this embodiment, by sequentially executing the steps of the print setting process shown in Figure 2, the user can select printer 2 in the printer selection field 51 of print setting screen D2, and in the detailed print setting item 64 of the detailed setting screen 60, set parameters that can be set for borderless printing, for example, as shown in Figure 5, for each item of the print settings of the selected printer 2.

[0055] Specifically, the user operates checkbox 64A to set "borderless printing," and then sets, for example, "glossy paper" for "paper type," "photo" for "print quality," "postcard" for "paper size," "single-sided printing" for "double-sided printing," and "tray 1" for "paper feed method." Note that the settings may be automatically configured when "borderless printing" is finally set for one setting item.

[0056] Therefore, in this embodiment, the user can correctly set print settings suitable for borderless printing on the print setting screen D2 and the detailed setting screen 60, thereby significantly improving convenience.

[0057] Next, a printing procedure for causing the printer 2 to perform "borderless printing" in the PC 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the sequence diagram shown in FIG.

[0058] After determining the image to be printed and the print settings on the print setting screen D2 and the advanced setting screen 60, the user inputs a print execution instruction into the editing application 43 (B01). That is, for example, when the user operates the OK button 62 after setting the print settings on the advanced setting screen 60 shown in Fig. 4, that is, for example, the user operates the checkbox 64A to set "borderless printing," the editing application 43 displays the print setting screen D2 shown in Fig. 3. Then, when the user further operates the print button 55 on the print setting screen D2, the editing application 43 receives an execution instruction to have the printer 2 print the selected image.

[0059] The editing application 43 outputs the received print instruction information to the general-purpose printing program 41 (B02). The general-purpose printing program 41 acquires, as the print instruction information, image data indicating the image to be printed and information indicating the print settings from the editing application 43. Here, the general-purpose printing program 41 acquires the print settings set on the print setting screen D2 and the detailed setting screen 60 from the editing application 43.

[0060] The general-purpose printing program 41 outputs an execution instruction to the auxiliary program 42, thereby starting the auxiliary program 42 corresponding to the specified printer 2, and passes information indicating the print settings to the auxiliary program 42 (B04).

[0061] When the auxiliary program 42 is started in response to the instruction in B04, it acquires the capability information of the printer 2. Specifically, the auxiliary program 42 requests the general-purpose printing program 41 to acquire the capability information (B05). In response, the general-purpose printing program 41 sends a command requesting the capability information to the printer 2 (B06) and acquires the capability information from the printer 2 (B07). The general-purpose printing program 41 passes the acquired capability information to the auxiliary program 42 (B08). This allows the auxiliary program 42 to acquire the capability information of the printer 2. The processing of B05 to B08 is the same as the processing of A07 to A10 in the print setting procedure shown in FIG. 2.

[0062] It should be noted that the auxiliary program 42 may obtain the capability information directly from the printer 2 using, for example, an MIB (abbreviation of Management Information Base) instead of making a request to the general-purpose printing program 41.

[0063] Furthermore, if the auxiliary program 42 has already acquired the capability information of the printer 2 when it is started in B04, the auxiliary program 42 does not need to perform the process of acquiring the capability information in B05 to B08.

[0064] The auxiliary program 42 verifies the information indicating the print settings obtained from the general-purpose printing program 41, and if "borderless printing" is set, verifies whether any incompatible settings have been set (B09). Specifically, if any settings that are incompatible with "borderless printing" have been set, the auxiliary program 42 cancels the "borderless printing" setting. In other words, the auxiliary program 42 disables operations on the checkbox 64A and cancels the "borderless printing" setting.

[0065] More specifically, the auxiliary program 42 verifies whether any parameters other than those that can be set for "borderless printing" shown in Figure 5 have been set on the print setting screen D2 and the advanced setting screen 60. For example, when performing borderless printing, the only parameter that can be set for the print setting item "paper size" is "postcard." In this case, if "A4" is set for "paper size," the auxiliary program 42 determines that a setting that is incompatible with "borderless printing" has been set, and cancels the "borderless printing" setting. Note that if the "borderless printing" setting is canceled, the auxiliary program 42 executes normal printing processing.

[0066] The auxiliary program 42 also determines the borderless printing method (B10). In this embodiment, the program determines whether to implement printing using a method where the image size is the same as the physical paper size (first method) or a method where the image size is larger than the physical paper size (second method). When the image size is larger than the physical paper size, ink droplets ejected outside the paper will not land on the paper, so the printer 2 needs a structure to receive the ink droplets. Therefore, whether or not borderless printing can be performed using the second method depends on the structure for receiving the ink droplets. In this embodiment, the capability information from the printer 2 includes information indicating whether borderless printing is possible when the image size is larger than the physical paper size, and the borderless printing method is determined based on that information. Note that in this embodiment, borderless printing can be performed using both the first and second methods, but only one borderless printing method may be used. In this case, processing in B10 is unnecessary.

[0067] If the auxiliary program 42 determines that the first method is used, in which the image size and the physical paper size are the same, it requests the general-purpose printing program 41 to draw the intermediate data at the same size as the physical paper size set in the parameter "Paper Size" in the print settings, for example, the same size as the physical paper size of a postcard in this embodiment (B11). This processing is an example of notification processing.

[0068] In this embodiment, when borderless printing is performed using the first method, the drawing request for the intermediate data requests that it be drawn at the same size as the physical paper size of the parameter set in the "Paper Size" print settings item, so that printing on that printer can be expected to be done right to the edge of the paper.

[0069] On the other hand, if the auxiliary program 42 determines that the second method is used, in which the image size is larger than the physical paper size, it requests the general-purpose printing program 41 to draw the intermediate data at a size larger than the physical paper size of the parameter set in the print setting item "Paper Size," for example, a size larger than the physical paper size of a postcard in this embodiment (B12). The amount by which the drawing size is set larger than the physical paper size may be set based on the paper transport error of the printer 2, or may be a default value determined by the printer 2. This process is an example of notification processing.

[0070] Thus, in this embodiment, when printer 2 performs borderless printing using the second method, the rendering request for intermediate data to general-purpose printing program 41 requests that it be rendered at a size larger than the physical paper size of the parameter set in the "Paper Size" print setting item, so that printing can be reliably performed to the full borders even if there is a transport error in the printer.

[0071] Next, in response to a request from the auxiliary program 42, the general-purpose printing program 41 generates intermediate data based on the image data indicating the image to be printed, which is acquired from the editing application 43 (B13).

[0072] Next, the general-purpose print program 41 passes the intermediate data to the auxiliary program 42, and the auxiliary program 42 acquires the intermediate data (B15). Note that this process is an example of an acquisition process.

[0073] Next, the auxiliary program 42 rasterizes the acquired intermediate data to generate raster data, which is bitmap data (B16).

[0074] It should be noted that the general-purpose printing program 41 may perform rasterization instead of the auxiliary program 42. In this case, if rasterization is performed by the general-purpose printing program 41, the processing of the auxiliary program 42 is reduced, and the program size of the auxiliary program 42 can be reduced. On the other hand, if rasterization is performed by the auxiliary program 42, there is a greater degree of freedom compared to when rasterization is performed by the general-purpose printing program 41, and it is more likely that raster data suitable for printing on the printer 2 will be generated.

[0075] The auxiliary program 42 then encodes the generated raster data into PDL data to generate print data (B17). The print data generated here may be data in a format that can be printed by the printer 2. Note that the PDL data generated by the auxiliary program 42 may also be data in a format that can be used for printing by printers other than the printer 2 model.

[0076] The auxiliary program 42 passes an instruction to the general-purpose printing program 41 to send the print data to the printer 2. At this time, if the auxiliary program 42 determines in processing B10 that the borderless printing method is the first method, it passes print data with the top, bottom, left, and right margins specified as 0 mm to the general-purpose printing program 41 (B18). Also, if the auxiliary program 42 determines in processing B10 that the borderless printing method is the second method, it passes print data with the top, bottom, left, and right margins specified as a specified value (for example, -5 mm) to the general-purpose printing program 41 (B19). The processing of B18 and B19 is an example of printing processing.

[0077] Then, the general-purpose printing program 41 sends the print data to the printer 2 and instructs it to print (B20) in accordance with the instructions of the auxiliary program 42. The printer 2 executes printing based on the received print data and the instructed top, bottom, left, and right margin amounts (B21).

[0078] In this procedure, the print data is passed to the general-purpose print program 41, which then transmits it to the printer 2. Alternatively, the auxiliary program 42 may transmit a print command instructing the printer 2 to execute printing and the print data. For example, if the print settings include settings related to image processing that can be executed by the printer 2, the auxiliary program 42 may generate a print command that also includes information about that processing. In this case, the auxiliary program 42 may notify the general-purpose print program 41 of completion information after completing transmission of the print data.

[0079] As described above in detail, in this embodiment, when borderless printing is specified in the print settings, the auxiliary program 42 notifies the general-purpose printing program 41 of the image size that will result in borderless printing based on the print paper size in the print settings, and then acquires the intermediate data generated by the general-purpose printing program 41 according to that image size. This increases the likelihood of obtaining a printed product that is printed to the edge of the paper. That is, when the general-purpose printing program 41 attempts to determine the size of image data for borderless printing, it is difficult to set appropriate margins for each printer, which can result in margins remaining. Furthermore, it is difficult to control the generation of intermediate data with an image size larger than the print paper size. Therefore, by specifying the image size of the intermediate data from the auxiliary program 42, as in this embodiment, the likelihood of obtaining a printed product that is printed to the edge of the paper is increased compared to when the general-purpose printing program 41 determines the image size for borderless printing.

[0080] 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.

[0081] Furthermore, for example, the examples of screens displayed on the user IF 13 are all merely 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. 3 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.

[0082] Furthermore, although the general-purpose printing program 41 is described as sending a print job to the printer 2, the auxiliary program 42 may instead send a print command instructing the printer 2 to execute printing and the print data. For example, if the print settings include settings related to image processing that can be executed by the printer 2, the auxiliary program 42 may generate a print command that also includes information about that processing. In this case, the auxiliary program 42 may notify the general-purpose printing program 41 of completion information after completing the transmission of the print data.

[0083] 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 processing of this embodiment is not limited to the auxiliary program 42, and may be any program that receives instructions from the OS 21 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.

[0084] 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 21, or may be a resident auxiliary program 42. If the auxiliary program 42 is resident, it may simply receive an execution command and perform the above-described operation.

[0085] 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.

[0086] 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]

[0087] 1 PC 2. Printer 11 CPU 13 User Interface 41 General-purpose printing program 42 Subsidy Programs 43 Editing Apps D2 Print settings screen 60 Advanced settings screen 64A Checkbox (Borderless printing)

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, When a print instruction is output from an application program installed in the information processing device, the print instruction is for causing the general-purpose print program to print an image on the printer, and borderless printing is specified as a print setting of the print instruction, a notification process for notifying the general-purpose printing program of an image size corresponding to borderless printing based on the print paper size specified in the print settings of the print instruction; an acquisition process for acquiring, from the general-purpose printing program, intermediate data indicating the image to be printed in accordance with the print instruction, the intermediate data having been generated by the general-purpose printing program in accordance with the image size notified in the notification process; a printing process for causing the printer to print using print data based on the intermediate data acquired in the acquisition process; Execute A support program configured to:

2. 2. The support program according to claim 1, In the notification process, If the printer is capable of printing with a margin amount of 0 for the print paper size specified in the print settings of the print instruction, notify the general-purpose print program of an image size equivalent to the print paper size specified in the print instruction as the image size corresponding to borderless printing. A support program configured to:

3. 2. The support program according to claim 1, In the notification process, notifying the general-purpose printing program of an image size that is larger than the print paper size specified in the print instruction as the image size that corresponds to borderless printing; A support program configured to:

4. 4. The support program according to claim 1, The computer, a capability acquisition process is executed to acquire capability information indicating the capabilities of the printer, the capability information including information regarding print settings that cannot be used in conjunction with borderless printing; The computer further comprises: If the print instruction is given and borderless printing is specified in the print instruction, a determination is made as to whether or not the print settings specified by the print instruction include settings that cannot be used in conjunction with borderless printing, based on the capability information acquired in the capability acquisition process, and if it is determined that settings that cannot be used in conjunction with borderless printing are included, a change process is executed to change the print settings specified by the print instruction to printable settings. A support program configured to:

5. 2. The support program according to claim 1, The computer, a display process is executed to display, using a user interface of the information processing device, a setting screen for accepting print settings to be used for printing on the printer, the setting screen including a setting item for whether or not to perform borderless printing; The computer further comprises: a capability acquisition process is executed to acquire capability information indicating the capabilities of the printer, the capability information including information regarding print settings that cannot be used in conjunction with borderless printing; The computer further comprises: When a setting for borderless printing is made on the setting screen, acceptance of print settings that cannot be used in conjunction with borderless printing on the setting screen is restricted based on the capability information acquired in the capability acquisition process. A support program configured to:

6. 6. The support program according to claim 5, The capability information acquired in the capability acquisition process includes information for determining whether or not borderless printing is supported, The computer, If it is determined that the printer does not support borderless printing based on the capability information acquired in the capability acquisition process, the setting screen is not allowed to accept settings for borderless printing. A support program configured to:

7. 7. The support program according to claim 6, the capability information acquired in the capability acquisition process includes a margin amount for each paper size that can be set in the printer; The computer, If there is at least one paper size with a margin amount of 0 among the paper sizes that can be set on the printer, it is determined that the printer supports borderless printing, and if there is no paper size with a margin amount of 0, it is determined that the printer does not support borderless printing. A support program configured to:

Images