Printer driver, information processing apparatus, and control method thereof

Abstract

To enable a user to easily grasp a position where a sheet is cut.SOLUTION: A printer driver of the present invention causes an information processing apparatus capable of communicating with an image forming apparatus having a cutting function of cutting a printed sheet to execute a transmission step of transmitting print data to the image forming apparatus and a reception step of receiving a setting for enabling the cutting function, and causes the information processing apparatus to display a line on an image based on the print data so that a user can identify a line on which the sheet is cut by the cutting function by receiving the setting in the reception step.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a printer driver, an information processing apparatus, and a control method thereof. [Background technology]

[0002] Currently, technology for printing documents, photographs, and other items onto print media is widely used. When printing, the print data for the document, photograph, or other item to be printed may not fit within the print media, resulting in missing print data. This can lead to reduced usability, as the user printing the item does not intend for the specified print data to be missing. In such cases, when the print data to be printed does not fit within the print media, a technology is known that processes the print data so that it fits within the print media before printing. (Patent Document 1)

[0003] In addition, printing systems called cutting printers, which print images on paper and then cut the printed paper, have become widespread. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-262439 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] There are cases where a cutting printer is used to cut printed paper. For example, when using a printer driver to set print settings and instruct cutting, if the user is not able to grasp the position of the cutting line, the paper may be cut in a position that the user did not intend.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to make it easier for the user to grasp the position where the paper will be cut. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The printer driver of the present invention is characterized in that it causes an information processing device capable of communicating with an image forming device having a cutting function for cutting printed paper to execute a transmission process for transmitting print data to the image forming device and a reception process for receiving settings for enabling the cutting function, and by receiving the settings in the reception process, causes the information processing device to display the line on an image based on the print data so that a user can identify the line along which the paper will be cut by the cutting function. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is easier for the user to grasp the position where the paper will be cut. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a cutting printer. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a communication system including a cutting printer. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a communication terminal. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of printer driver software for a cutting printer that operates on a communication terminal. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen of a printer driver of a cutting printer. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a flowchart for proposing editing of cutting printer print information in the present embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a flowchart of a sub-process for editing print information, among the flowcharts shown in FIG. 6; [Figure 8](a) A diagram showing an example of a pop-up window that notifies the user of a warning and a suggestion to edit the print information, (b) A diagram showing an example of a pop-up window that notifies the user of a warning, and (c) A diagram showing an example of a pop-up window that notifies the user of a suggestion to edit the print information. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a sequence of the cutting printer in the present embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a sequence in which printing is missing, among the sequences shown in FIG. 9; [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for issuing a warning about missing print in the cutting printer according to the present embodiment. [Figure 12] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing an example of a sequence for issuing a warning that printing is missing in the cutting printer according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the configurations described in the embodiments. Modifications such as replacing part of the configuration or part of the processing with equivalents or omitting them may be made within the scope of obtaining similar effects.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of a cutting printer 100 according to the present invention.

[0012] The cutting printer 100, which is an image forming apparatus or printing apparatus, includes a storage unit 118, a transport unit 120, a print execution unit 122, a cutting unit 124, and a paper output tray 150. The storage unit 118, the transport unit 120, the print execution unit 122, and the cutting unit 124 are provided inside the printer 100's housing (not shown). The paper output tray 150 is exposed to the outside of the housing. The storage unit 118 stores cut paper 156. "Cut paper" refers to paper that has been cut to a predetermined size, such as A4 size, A5 size, letter size, or postcard size. The paper sizes shown are merely examples. In this embodiment, cut paper of either A4 size or A5 size is stored in the storage unit 118. Arrows 140 and 142 indicate the direction of paper transport from the storage unit 118 to the paper output tray 150.

[0013] The transport unit 120 includes a transport path 152 and a plurality of rollers 158, 160, 162, 164, and 166. The cut sheet 156 stored in the storage unit 118 is transported along the transport path 152 by rollers 158 and 160. In this embodiment, the print execution unit 122 includes an inkjet head 168. The inkjet head 168 prints an image on the cut sheet 156 by ejecting ink onto the cut sheet 156 transported by rollers 158 and 160. The printed cut sheet 156 is further transported downstream in the transport direction by rollers 162 and 164. In a modified example, the print execution unit 122 may include a laser printing mechanism. The cutting unit 124 includes a cutting blade (not shown). The cutting unit 124 cuts the printed cut sheet 156 by moving the cutting blade in a direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 1. As a result, the cut sheet 156 is divided into an upstream portion and a downstream portion in the conveying direction. In particular, the cutting unit 124 cuts the cut sheet 156 in half by cutting a straight line connecting the midpoints of the pair of long sides of the cut sheet 156. That is, the cutting unit 124 can cut, for example, an A4-sized cut sheet in half to form two A5-sized cut sheets. Each cut sheet 156 is further transported downstream in the conveying direction by the rollers 166. As a result, each cut sheet 156 reaches the paper output tray 150. In this manner, the cutting printer 100 of this embodiment can cut the cut sheet 156. Therefore, if a user of the cutting printer 100 prepares, for example, an A4-sized cut sheet, they can obtain printed sheets of paper smaller than A4 (for example, A5 size). For example, a situation may arise in which the user desires to print on an A5-sized cut sheet, but does not have any A5-sized cut sheets on hand. In this case, the cutting printer 100 prints an image on an A4-sized cut sheet, and then executes the cut function to cut the printed sheet, thereby providing the user with an A5-sized cut sheet.

[0014] Next, the configuration of a communication system including a cutting printer will be described with reference to Figure 2. The communication system includes a communication terminal 300 and a cutting printer 100. Other terminals may also be added. The devices 100 and 200 are connected to a LAN (short for Local Area Network) 300 and can communicate with each other via the LAN 200. The LAN 200 may be a wired LAN or a wireless LAN.

[0015] The communication terminal 300, which is an information processing device, is a portable terminal device such as a smartphone, tablet PC, or PD, and is capable of communicating with the cutting printer 100. In a modified example, the communication terminal 300 may be a stationary terminal device. The hardware and software configurations of the communication terminal 300 are shown in Figures 3 and 4.

[0016] The cutting printer 100 is a peripheral device (for example, a peripheral device of the communication terminal 300) that can execute a printing function. The cutting printer 100 includes a display unit 112, an operation unit 114, a communication I / F 116, a print execution unit 122, a cutting unit 124, and a control unit 130. Each unit 112 to 130 is connected to a bus line (reference numeral omitted). The cutting printer 100 includes the cutting unit 124, and is therefore a printer that can execute cutting of cut paper.

[0017] The display unit 112 is a display for displaying various information. The display unit 112 is a so-called touch panel, and also functions as an operation unit operated by the user. The operation unit 114 is an interface for receiving input of various instructions from the user. The user can input various instructions to the cutting printer 100 via the operation unit 114. The communication I / F 116 is connected to the LAN 200.

[0018] The control unit 130 includes a CPU 132 and a memory 134. The CPU 132 executes various processes in accordance with a program 136 stored in the memory 134. The memory 134 is configured with volatile memory, nonvolatile memory, etc. The memory 134 stores an OS (short for Operating System) program 136 and an application 138. Hereinafter, the OS program 136 and the application 138 will be referred to as "OS 136" and "app 138," respectively. The OS 136 is a program for controlling the basic operations of the cutting printer 100. The app 138 is a program for causing the cutting printer 100 to execute printing. The app 138 is installed in the cutting printer 100 from, for example, a server (not shown) installed on the Internet by the OS 136 vendor.

[0019] FIG. 3 illustrates the configuration of the communication terminal 300. The CPU 301 reads control programs stored in the ROM 303 or storage 304 and controls the functions of the communication terminal device. The RAM 302 is the main memory of the CPU 301 and is used as a temporary storage area for loading the various control programs stored in the ROM 303 and storage 304. The ROM 303 stores control programs executable by the CPU 301. The storage 304 is a storage device such as an SSD or HDD and stores image data and application programs. The operation unit I / F 305 connects the operation unit 306 to the communication terminal 300. The operation unit 306 is a device for detecting input from a user and may be a mouse or keyboard. The display unit I / F 308 connects the display unit 309 to the communication terminal 300. The display unit 309 is a device for displaying the processing contents of the communication terminal device so that the user can understand them and may be an LCD monitor. The network I / F 310 transmits and receives data to and from external devices via a network. For example, the network I / F 310 can send print data generated by a printer driver to the cutting printer 100. The USB I / F 311 sends and receives data to an external device via a USB standard cable. Note that the USB I / F 311 can also send print data to the cutting printer 100. The operation unit 306 may be connected to the communication terminal 300 via the USB I / F 311. The system bus 307 mediates the exchange of data between the various units.

[0020] FIG. 4 shows the configuration of a printer driver stored in the storage 304 of the communication terminal device and linked with the cutting printer 100. The display processing unit 401 controls the content displayed on the display unit 309 when an application is running. The input processing unit 402 detects input from the operation unit 306 while the application is running and transmits the data to other functional units. The communication management unit 403 controls communication with the cutting printer 100 via the network I / F 310. The image processing unit 404 generates print data from image data based on user operations input from the input processing unit 402. The device registration unit 405 detects image forming devices, including the cutting printer 100, connected via the network I / F 310 or USB I / F 313, and stores information about each device in the storage 304. The device information includes the device type and communication information. The device management unit 406 updates and deletes information about devices registered by the device registration unit 405. A print instruction unit 407 transmits print data to the cutting printer 100 or an image forming device based on a user operation input from the input processing unit 402. For transmission, communication information of the device managed by the device management unit 406 is used.

[0021] The printer driver can also cause a preview display application that is installed together with the printer driver to display a preview image based on the print data generated by the image processing unit 404. In this case, the content displayed by the preview display application is the same as the preview image 518 displayed by the display processing unit 401, but the preview image 518 is displayed in a window (screen) separate from the print setting screen 500.

[0022] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a print setting screen displayed on the display unit 309 by the printer driver of the cutting printer 100 running on the communication terminal 300 shown in FIG. 2. The print setting screen 500 is a software module realized by the CPU 301 executing a main program loaded into the RAM 302, and there are multiple types depending on the type of image forming device other than the cutting printer 100. The screen display of the print setting screen 500 may differ depending on the type. The user downloads the printer driver to the RAM 502 via a web page, USB, disk, or the like. The download method is not important. The user starts the communication terminal 300, and while the image data to be printed is displayed in an editing application or the like, starts the printer driver and performs print settings on the print setting screen 500. The display items on the print setting screen 500 are described below.

[0023] Drop-down list 511 is a drop-down list for selecting the document size. Here, the size of the medium on which the print object will be printed is specified. Examples of sizes that can be specified include A4 and B5. Information about the paper size selected in drop-down list 511 is included in the print data sent to cutting printer 100. When cutting printer 100 receives the print data, it determines from which paper feed unit to transport paper based on the paper size and paper type information included in the print data. Although A4 is selected in Figure 5, the selected size is arbitrary.

[0024] Drop-down list 512 is a drop-down list for selecting a paper type. Here, the type of paper stored in storage unit 118 of cutting printer 100 is selected. Paper types that can be specified include plain paper and thick paper. Although plain paper is selected in drop-down list 512, the paper type can be selected arbitrarily from the paper types that cutting printer 100 can support.

[0025] Button 513 is a button for selecting whether or not to cut the printed material after printing. In other words, accepting the selection of "Yes" for button 513 means accepting the setting to enable the cutting function. Selecting "Yes" for button 513 makes buttons 514 and 515, described below, selectable. Note that if the image forming device linked to the printer driver does not have cutting capabilities, button 513 is grayed out and cannot be selected. The presence or absence of cutting capabilities can be determined in the following two ways. First, if the printer driver is specialized for the cutting printer 100, the setting information at the time the printer driver is installed includes a capability response for the cutting printer 100. Therefore, the presence or absence of cutting capabilities can be determined. On the other hand, if the printer driver is a general-purpose printer driver, the capability response is obtained when linking the printer driver to the cutting printer 100, and the presence or absence of cutting capabilities is determined. Also, selecting "Yes" or "No" for button 513 is mutually exclusive.

[0026] Button 514 is a button that selects whether to reduce the print information to A5 size and print it on the top and bottom of the print medium when the print information is, for example, single-sided A4. If "Yes" is selected, if the print target is single-sided A4, the print medium is divided along the cut line, and the print target for single-sided A4 is placed within each divided area and printed. In other words, when "Yes" is selected in button 514, a first setting is performed in which one page of image and another page of image are printed on the paper, and the cutting function cuts the paper in half to separate the one page of image from the other page. When "No" is selected, a second setting is performed in which one page of image is printed on the paper, and the cutting function cuts the paper in half to separate the one page of image. Also, when "No" is selected, the flowcharts in Figures 6, 7, and 10 (described below) are executed, and depending on the results, a pop-up screen is displayed or the print information is edited. Also, selecting "Yes" and "No" in button 514 is mutually exclusive.

[0027] When the decision button 515 is selected, print data including setting information based on the settings made on the print setting screen 500 is sent from the network I / F 510 to the cutting printer 100 via the network 704. The CPU 101 of the cutting printer 100 receives the print data via the network I / F 110. The CPU 101 executes the main program loaded into the RAM 102 based on the settings. If "Yes" is selected with the button 513, the CPU 101 executes cutting after printing.

[0028] Preview image 518 is a print preview display. It displays the image that will be printed according to the size of the print medium. Preview image 518 displays star marks, but the display content is arbitrary. It may also display print data specified by the user.

[0029] The cut line and cut line mask area 519 are image displays of the cut line relative to the document size and the mask area that suppresses printing. Here, it expresses that printing is missing in the approximate center of the paper.

[0030] In this way, the cut line is displayed on the image based on the print data so that the user can identify the line along which the paper will be cut by the cut function. Also, as described above, preview image 518, the cut line, and cut line mask area 519 may be displayed by a preview display application rather than the printer driver. In this case, the printer driver issues an instruction to the preview display application to display preview image 518, the cut line, and cut line mask area 519. In other words, when "Yes" on button 513 is selected, the printer driver causes display unit 309 of communication terminal 300 to display the cut line on the image based on the print data via the preview display application.

[0031] The basic settings tab 550 is a tab for making settings related to printing and cutting. There may be multiple tabs. When the tab is switched, the display of configurable items also switches.

[0032] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a flowchart for proposing editing of printing information for a cutting printer in this embodiment.

[0033] In 6001, the user selects with button 513 whether or not to cut the printout after printing on print setting screen 500 executed on communication terminal 300. If "Yes" is selected with button 513, button 514 is no longer grayed out and becomes selectable, and the process transitions to 6002. If "No" is selected, the process transitions to 6008.

[0034] In 6002, the user selects whether or not to reduce the print to match the size of the printed output after cutting on the print setting screen 500. For example, if the user selects A4 in drop-down list 511 and cuts after printing, two A5 size sheets will be ejected. Therefore, if "Yes" is selected in button 514, the A4 size print data will be reduced to the 2-in-1 A5 size, printed, and then cut. If "Yes" is selected in button 514, the process transitions to 6009. If "No" is selected, the process transitions to 6003.

[0035] In step 6003, the printer driver analyzes the print information designated by the user and compares it with the coordinate information of the mask area near the cut line that the printer driver holds as a setting value.

[0036] The method for obtaining the mask area of ​​the printer driver is as follows: If the printer driver is specialized for the cutting printer 100, the coordinate information of the mask area is stored in the setting information at the time the user installs the printer driver on the communication terminal 300.

[0037] On the other hand, if the printer driver is a general-purpose printer driver, when the user links the printer driver to the cutting printer 100, a capability response is obtained from the cutting printer 100. Coordinate information of the mask area is obtained from the capability response.

[0038] If the print information and the mask area overlap, the process transitions to 6004; if they do not overlap, the process transitions to 6007. In the cutting printer 100, cutting is performed immediately after printing, so the area near the cut line is masked to prevent printing. Therefore, if the user places the print data in the center of the paper, for example, the printing of the part of the print data that overlaps the mask area of ​​the cut line may be missing.

[0039] The print information may be in bitmap or PDL (Page Description Language). In the case of bitmap, the coordinates and color of the print information are stored in the print data. Therefore, by comparing the coordinates of the mask area of ​​the cut line held by the printer driver with the coordinates of the print information held in the bitmap, it is possible to determine whether the print information overlaps with the mask area.

[0040] In the case of PDL, print data contains information that combines text, graphics, images, etc. on a page-by-page basis. Therefore, by comparing the coordinates of the mask area of ​​the cut line held by the printer driver with the coordinates of the object held in the PDL, it is possible to determine whether the print information overlaps with the mask area.

[0041] In 6004, the printer driver warns that there is a possibility that printing may be missing due to the mask area overlapping the print area. At the same time, it also suggests whether to print the data processed to prevent missing printing. For this reason, a pop-up window containing a warning message and a suggestion message is displayed, as shown in Figure 8(a). However, the warning message and the suggestion message may be displayed in separate pop-up windows, as shown in Figures 8(b) and (c), or may be displayed on the print setting screen 500.

[0042] In step 6005, the printer driver determines whether the user has accepted the proposal to print the processed data so that no print is missing. The user inputs data to the operation unit 306, and the operation unit I / F 305 analyzes the user input. The result of the analysis of the user input is notified to the input processing unit 402. The input processing unit 402 receives the notification and analyzes the notification. If the analysis result shows that the user has accepted the proposal, the process transitions to step 6006. If the user has declined the proposal, the process transitions to step 6007.

[0043] In step 6006, the printer driver processes the print information so that no part of the print is missing. The details of this process will be explained in Fig. 7. Once this process is complete, the process proceeds to step 6007.

[0044] In step 6007, the printer driver performs processing to mask the vicinity of the cut line in the print information. The printer driver may use the position information of the mask area stored in the printer driver, or may acquire the position information by inquiring of the cutting printer 100. Alternatively, the printer driver may store the setting values ​​of the cutting printer 100 in advance. Processing is performed to replace the print information in the portion of the print information that corresponds to the position information of the mask area with blank paper, and the process proceeds to step 6008.

[0045] In 6008, the printer driver waits for pressing of the decision button 515. The input processing unit 402 of the printer driver determines whether the user input is the decision button 515, and transitions to 6010 when pressing of the decision button 515 is detected.

[0046] In step 6009, the printer driver analyzes the print information, reduces the print information to fit the size after cutting, and rearranges the reduced print information to fit the size after cutting, and the process transitions to step 6007.

[0047] In step 6010, the printer driver references the device management unit 406 and acquires communication destination information associated with the cutting printer 100. Next, the print instruction unit 407 notifies the communication management unit 403 of the print instruction, the acquired communication destination information, and the print information. The communication management unit transmits the notified information to the communication I / F 116 of the cutting printer 100 via the network I / F 310 and LAN 200.

[0048] Fig. 7 is an example of a flowchart of a subprocess that executes the processing of print information so that no print is missing, which transitions from 6006 in the flowchart shown in Fig. 6. All of the executors of this flowchart are printer drivers.

[0049] In 7001, a process is executed to divide the print information into upper and lower parts at a specific position such as the center of the mask area, and the process proceeds to 7002. Hereinafter, for the sake of explanation, the upper print information will be referred to as print information A, and the lower print information will be referred to as print information B.

[0050] As described above in 6003 of FIG. 6, the print information may be a bitmap or PDL (Page Description Language).

[0051] In the case of bitmaps, the coordinates and colors of the print information are stored in the print data, so the coordinates of the print information stored in the bitmap are compared with the coordinates of the cut line stored in the printer driver, and print data is generated that is divided into upper and lower parts based on the cut line.

[0052] In the case of PDL, print data contains information that combines text, graphics, images, etc. on a page-by-page basis. Therefore, the printer driver compares the cut line coordinates with the coordinates of the objects stored in the PDL, and generates print data that is divided into upper and lower parts based on the cut line.

[0053] In step 7002, the print medium and print information are compared based on the print information set by the user, and it is determined whether there is a blank space half the size of the mask area on both the top and bottom of the print medium. If there is a blank space, the process proceeds to step 7003, and if there is no blank space, the process proceeds to step 7004.

[0054] If the print data entered by the user is a bitmap, the coordinates and colors of the print information are stored in the print data. Therefore, the coordinates of the print information stored in the bitmap are compared with the coordinates of the document size selected in the drop-down list 511 stored in the printer driver, and a determination is made as to whether there is a margin above and below the document size that is half the value of the mask area of ​​the cut line.

[0055] In the case of PDL, print data stores information that combines text, graphics, images, etc. on a page-by-page basis. Therefore, the coordinates of the document size held by the printer driver are compared with the coordinates of the object held in the PDL, and a determination is made as to whether there is a margin above and below the document size that is half the value of the mask area of ​​the cut line.

[0056] In step 7003, print information A and print information B are rearranged within the print medium, avoiding the masked area, and print information is generated.

[0057] In step 7004, when print information A and print information B are arranged to avoid the mask area, the print information is reduced so that it fits within the print medium. The reduced print information A and print information B are rearranged within the print medium, and the print information is generated. After that, the process proceeds to step 6007 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 6.

[0058] 8(a) is an example of a pop-up window displayed in 6004 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 6. The pop-up window is displayed on the display unit 309 by the display processing unit 401 via the display unit I / F 308. When the operation unit 306 detects a user input, the operation unit 306 notifies the input processing unit 402 via the operation unit I / F 305. In this way, if the cut line and the printing area specified by the print data overlap, the printer driver displays a message indicating that the image will be printed with some of the image missing. The printer driver also causes the communication terminal 300 to display a message confirming whether or not to process the print data so that the image is not missing.

[0059] When the printer driver transitions to flowchart 6004, it displays pop-up window 800. Pop-up window 800 includes a warning message and a message 801 suggesting that print data be processed so that no missing characters are printed. It also includes an OK button 802 and a Cancel button 803. After displaying pop-up window 800, the flowchart transitions to 6005 and waits for user input. When it is detected in flowchart 6006 that the "OK" button 802 has been pressed, it clears the pop-up window 800 and transitions to flowchart 6006. When it is detected that the "Cancel" button has been pressed, it clears the pop-up window 800 and transitions to flowchart 6007. Also, message 801 is an example, and the wording and expression may be different.

[0060] Fig. 8(b) is an example of a pop-up window displayed in 6004 in the flowchart shown in Fig. 6. The pop-up window is displayed on the display unit 309 by the display processing unit 401 via the display unit I / F 308. When the operation unit 306 detects a user input, the operation unit 306 is notified to the input processing unit 402 via the operation unit I / F 305.

[0061] When the printer driver transitions to flowchart 6004, it displays a pop-up window 810. The pop-up window 810 includes a warning message 811. The message is an example, and different wording and expressions may be used. Alternatively, a message urging the user to create print data so that no printing is missing may be displayed. The pop-up window 810 may include an OK button 812. After displaying the pop-up window 810, the flowchart transitions to flowchart 6005 and waits for user input. When it detects that the "OK" button 812 has been pressed, the pop-up window 810 is hidden and the flowchart transitions to flowchart 6006. When the OK button is not included, the display processing unit 401 may perform processing to hide the pop-up window 810 after a certain time has elapsed since the pop-up window 810 was displayed, without waiting for user input. In this case, the flowchart transitions to flowchart 6007.

[0062] Fig. 8(c) is an example of a pop-up window displayed in 6004 in the flowchart shown in Fig. 6. The pop-up window is displayed on the display unit 309 by the display processing unit 401 via the display unit I / F 308. When the operation unit 306 detects a user input, it is notified to the input processing unit 402 via the operation unit I / F 305.

[0063] When the printer driver transitions to flowchart 6004, it displays a pop-up window 820. The pop-up window 820 includes a message 821 suggesting that the print data be processed so that no printing is missing. It also includes an OK button 822 and a Cancel button 823. After displaying the pop-up window 820, the flowchart transitions to 6005 and waits for user input. When it is detected in flowchart 6006 that the "OK" button 822 has been pressed, the pop-up window 820 is cleared and the flowchart transitions to flowchart 6006. When it is detected that the "Cancel" button has been pressed, the pop-up window 820 is cleared and the flowchart transitions to flowchart 6007. Also, message 801 is an example, and the wording and expression may be different.

[0064] FIG. 9 shows an example of a sequence when using the cutting printer of this embodiment.

[0065] Steps 9001 to 9004 are performed the first time only to register the cutting printer 100 in the printer driver. Display processing related to the printer driver is performed by the display processing unit 401 performing screen configuration processing, issuing drawing instructions to the display unit I / F 308, and displaying on the display unit 309. User input processing is realized when the operation unit 306 detects user input and the operation unit I / F 305 notifies the input processing unit 402.

[0066] In step 9001, the user executes a printer driver on the communication terminal 300 and registers a printer device that will execute a print job.

[0067] In 9002, the printer driver accepts user input, executes the input processing unit 402, and notifies the device registration unit 405. The device registration unit 405 receives the notification and instructs the display processing unit 401 to draw on the screen. The user follows the screen display and inputs information such as an IP address and USB connection destination settings to uniquely identify the printer device to be registered. Based on that identification information, the device registration unit 405 requests the communication management unit 403 to obtain a capability response from the target cutting printer.

[0068] The cutting printer returns a capability response in 9003. The capability response includes information such as the supported paper sizes and paper types, and whether cutting is supported.

[0069] In 9004, the device registration unit 405 receives the capability response notification from the cutting printer and notifies the data to the device management unit 406. The device management unit 406 receives the data notification and writes management information to the RAM 302. The management information includes an IP address and port name for uniquely identifying the printer, the type of corresponding printer driver, the device name, and the like.

[0070] In 9005, the user invokes the print setting screen 500 shown in FIG. 5 for the medium they want to print on, and sets print settings such as the document size and paper type. The document size and paper type can be set using drop-down lists 511 and 512. These elements reflect the results of the capability response received in 9004. The user also selects whether or not to cut the document after printing using button 513. If "Yes" is selected using button 513, the process transitions to 9006. If "No" is selected, the process transitions to 9012.

[0071] In step 9006, the printer driver notifies the display processing unit 401 and displays the button 514.

[0072] In 9007, the user selects whether or not to enlarge or reduce the image to match the size after cutting using button 514. If "Yes" is selected using button 514, the process transitions to 9010. If "No" is selected, the process transitions to 9008.

[0073] In step 9008, the printer driver compares the print information in the print settings with the mask area of ​​the cut line held by the device management unit 406. If the print information overlaps the mask area, the process transitions to step 9009. If it does not overlap, the process transitions to step 9011.

[0074] In step 9009, the printer driver edits the print information so that the print information does not overlap the mask area. The detailed sequence is shown in FIG.

[0075] In the case of 9010, when cutting after printing but enlarging or reducing, the print information is edited so as to be 2 in 1.

[0076] In step 9011, masking is performed on the print information based on coordinate information of the mask area of ​​the cut line held by the device management unit 406, and print data is created.

[0077] In step 9012, the user completes all print settings and presses the OK button 515. The printer driver detects that the OK button 515 has been pressed, and the process transitions to step 9013.

[0078] In step 9013, the printer driver issues a print instruction to the registered cutting printer via the print instruction unit 407 along with the print data created in step 9011.

[0079] FIG. 10 shows an example of the sequence performed in 9009.

[0080] In 1001, the printer driver instructs the display processing unit 401 to display a pop-up window such as that shown in Figure 8(a), (b), or (c). Figure 10 will be explained using Figure 8(a) as an example.

[0081] In 1002, the user selects either the OK button 802 or the Cancel button 803 displayed in the pop-up window 800. If the OK button 802 is selected, the process transitions to 1003. If the Cancel button 803 is selected, the process transitions to sequence 9011 in FIG. 9.

[0082] In 1003, the printer driver executes a process of dividing the print information into upper and lower parts at a specific position such as the center of the mask area. Hereinafter, for the sake of explanation, the upper print information will be referred to as print information A and the lower print information will be referred to as print information B.

[0083] In 1004, the printer driver compares the print medium and print information from the print information set by the user and determines whether there is a blank space for the mask area above and below the print medium. If the determination result is true, the process proceeds to 1005, and if false, the process proceeds to 1007.

[0084] In 1005, print information A and print information B are rearranged in the margin determined in 1004.

[0085] The print information A and B are placed within the print medium, and the masked area is rearranged to avoid printing, and the process then proceeds to sequence 9011 in FIG.

[0086] In 1006, when print information A and print information B are arranged to avoid the mask area, the print information is reduced so that it fits within the print medium. The reduced print information A and print information B are rearranged within the print medium, and print information is generated. After that, the process transitions to 9011 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 9.

[0087] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a flowchart for issuing a warning that printing is missing in the cutting printer of this embodiment.

[0088] In 1101, the user selects with button 513 whether or not to cut the printout after printing on print setting screen 500 executed on communication terminal 300. If "Yes" is selected with button 513, button 514 is no longer grayed out and becomes selectable, and the process transitions to 1108. If "No" is selected, the process transitions to 1102.

[0089] In 1102, the user selects whether or not to reduce the print to match the size of the printed output after cutting on the print setting screen 500. For example, if the user selects A4 in the drop-down list 511 and cuts after printing, two A5 size sheets will be ejected. Therefore, if "Yes" is selected in button 514, the A4 size print data will be reduced to the 2-in-1 A5 size, printed, and then cut. If "Yes" is selected in button 514, the process transitions to 1109. If "No" is selected, the process transitions to 1103.

[0090] In step 1107, the printer driver analyzes the print information, reduces the print information to fit the size after cutting, and rearranges the reduced print information to fit the size after cutting, and the process transitions to step 1106.

[0091] In step 1103, the printer driver warns that there is a possibility that printing may be missing due to the mask area overlapping the printing area, and therefore displays a pop-up window containing a warning message as shown in Figure 8(b).

[0092] The printer driver waits for input from the user in 1104. When it detects that the "OK" button 812 in the pop-up window 810 has been pressed, the display processing unit 401 closes the pop-up window 810.

[0093] In 1105, the printer driver performs a process to mask the vicinity of the cut line in the print information. The printer driver may use the position information of the mask area stored in the printer driver, or may acquire the position information by querying the cutting printer 100. A process is performed to replace the print information of the part of the print information that corresponds to the position information of the mask area with blank paper, and the process proceeds to 1106.

[0094] In 1106, the printer driver waits for the decision button 515 to be pressed. The input processing unit 402 of the printer driver determines whether the user input is the decision button 515, and transitions to 1108 when the decision button 515 has been pressed.

[0095] In 1108, the printer driver references the device management unit 406 and acquires communication destination information associated with the cutting printer 100. Next, the print instruction unit 407 notifies the communication management unit 403 of the print instruction, the acquired communication destination information, and the print information. The communication management unit transmits the notified information to the communication I / F 116 of the cutting printer 100 via the network I / F 310 and LAN 200.

[0096] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a sequence for issuing a warning that printing is missing in the cutting printer of this embodiment.

[0097] In this sequence, the initial device registration settings in sequences 9001 to 9004 in FIG. 9 are omitted.

[0098] In 1201, the user invokes a printer driver such as that shown in Fig. 5 for the medium they wish to print on, and sets print settings such as the document size and paper type. The user also selects whether or not to cut the paper after printing using button 513. If "Yes" is selected using button 513, the process transitions to 1202. If "No" is selected, the process transitions to 1208.

[0099] In 1202, the printer driver notifies the display processing unit 401 and displays the button 514. The user checks the display and selects the button 514. If "Yes" is selected with the button 514, the process transitions to 1206. If "No" is selected, the process transitions to 1203.

[0100] In 1203, the printer driver displays a pop-up window 810 as shown in FIG. 8(b).

[0101] At 1204 , the user confirms the pop-up window 810 and presses the “OK” button 812 .

[0102] At 1205, the printer driver receives notification of the user input and closes the pop-up window 810.

[0103] In step 1206, if cutting after printing but scaling is selected, the print information is edited to become 2-in-1.

[0104] In step 1207, masking is performed on the print information based on the mask area information of the cut line held by the device management unit 406, and print data is created.

[0105] In 1208, the user completes all print settings and presses the OK button 515. The printer driver detects that the OK button 515 has been pressed, and the process transitions to 1209.

[0106] In 1209, the printer driver transmits the print data to the registered cutting printer via the print instruction unit 407.

[0107] <Other embodiments> The present invention can be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and by having one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

Claims

1. An information processing device capable of communicating with an image forming device having a cutting function for cutting printed paper, a transmitting step of transmitting print data to the image forming device; and executing a receiving step of receiving a setting for enabling the cut function, A printer driver characterized in that, by accepting the setting in the acceptance process, the information processing device displays the line on an image based on the print data so that the user can identify the line along which the paper will be cut by the cutting function.

2. 2. The printer driver according to claim 1, wherein, upon receiving the setting in the receiving step, the information processing device displays the line on an image based on the print data via a display application.

3. 2. The printer driver according to claim 1, wherein the first setting or the second setting can be selected by accepting the setting in the accepting step.

4. the cut function is a function of cutting the printed paper in half, 4. The printer driver according to claim 3, wherein the first setting is a setting in which the image forming device prints one page of image and another page of image on a sheet of paper, and the image forming device cuts the sheet of paper in half using the cutting function to separate the one page of image and the other page of image.

5. 5. The printer driver according to claim 4, wherein the second setting is a setting in which the image forming device prints an image of one page on a sheet of paper and cuts the sheet of paper in half using the cutting function so that the image of one page is divided into two parts.

6. 2. The printer driver according to claim 1, wherein when the line overlaps with the printing area specified by the print data, a message indicating that the image will be printed in a missing state is displayed on the information processing device.

7. The printer driver according to claim 1, characterized in that when the line overlaps with the printing area specified by the print data, the information processing device displays a message indicating that the image will be printed with some part missing, and a message confirming whether to process the print data so that the image is not missing.

8. 2. The printer driver according to claim 1, wherein the information processing device is caused to execute a step of accepting a setting of a size of paper on which the image is to be printed.

9. An information processing device capable of communicating with an image forming device having a cutting function for cutting printed paper, a transmission means for transmitting print data to the image forming device; a receiving means for receiving a setting for enabling the cut function; and a display means for displaying the line on an image based on the print data so that the user can identify the line along which the paper will be cut by the cutting function when the setting is accepted by the acceptance means.

10. 10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein, when the setting is accepted by the accepting unit, the display unit displays the line on an image based on the print data via a display application.

11. 10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the accepting means accepts the setting, thereby making it possible to select either the first setting or the second setting.

12. the cut function is a function of cutting the printed paper in half, 12. The information processing device according to claim 11, wherein the first setting is a setting in which the image forming device prints an image of one page and an image of another page on a sheet of paper, and the image forming device cuts the sheet of paper in half using the cutting function to separate the image of one page from the image of the other page.

13. 13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the second setting is a setting in which the image forming apparatus prints an image of one page on a sheet of paper and cuts the sheet of paper in half using the cutting function so that the image of one page is divided into two parts.

14. 10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein, when the line overlaps with a printing area specified by the print data, the display means displays a message indicating that the image will be printed in a missing state.

15. The information processing device according to claim 9, characterized in that, when the line overlaps with the printing area specified by the print data, the display means displays a message indicating that the image will be printed with some of the image missing, and a message confirming whether to process the print data so that the image does not get missing.

16. 10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising means for accepting a setting of a size of paper on which the image is to be printed.

17. 1. A control method for an information processing device capable of communicating with an image forming device having a cutting function for cutting printed paper, comprising: a transmitting step of transmitting print data to the image forming device; a receiving step of receiving a setting for enabling the cut function; A control method characterized in that, by accepting the setting in the acceptance process, the information processing device displays the line on an image based on the print data so that the user can identify the line along which the paper will be cut by the cutting function.

Images