Support program and printing system

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of easily transmitting an instruction for a print preparation operation to a printer when the printer is made to perform printing via an OS standard general-purpose print program.SOLUTION: The auxiliary program 42 corresponds to the printer 2 and supports the general-purpose print program 41 of the OS21 in PC1. The supporting program 42 can cause the printer 2 to execute the capability obtaining process of controlling the printer 2 to transmit the capability request command to the printer 2 at the CPU11 in PC1, and the printer 2 receiving the capability request command responds with the capability information indicating the capability of the printer 2. The capability request command can include a specific parameter, and when the capability acquisition processing is executed by satisfying a predetermined condition, the capability request command includes the specific parameter. When the received capability request command includes the specific parameter, the printer 2 performs a preparation operation for printing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

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

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

[0003] An example of a document disclosing technology related to an OS-standard general-purpose print program is Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 discloses a support program that supports the general-purpose print program, and when a print instruction is received, the support program transmits a preceding command to cause the printer to perform a print preparation operation. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-087247 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The technology disclosed in the aforementioned Patent Document 1 requires that a preceding command for performing a print preparation operation be created and sent independently from the support program, which complicates the processing of the support program and leaves room for improvement. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The support program aimed at solving the above-mentioned problems is as follows: 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 instructing the general-purpose print program to print an image on the printer, an acquisition process for acquiring image data representing the image from the general-purpose printing program; a print data transmission process, which is a process of controlling transmission of print data based on the image data acquired in the acquisition process to the printer, and in which printing based on the print data is performed by the printer that has received the print data; Execute The computer further comprises: a process for controlling transmission of a capability information acquisition request to the printer, wherein the printer that has received the capability information acquisition request responds with capability information indicating the capabilities of the printer, and an acquisition request transmission process can be executed, and when the acquisition request transmission process is executed by satisfying a predetermined condition, the capability information acquisition request includes a specific parameter, and the printer performs a preparation operation for printing when the capability information acquisition request received from the information processing device includes the specific parameter; It is configured as follows.

[0007] The support program disclosed in this specification, when a capability information request including a specific parameter is received and a capability information request is sent to a printer that is capable of performing printing preparatory operations by satisfying a predetermined condition, causes an information processing device to send the capability information request including the specific parameter to the printer. This allows the printer to start printing preparatory operations based on the capability information request, and the capability information request also serves as a command for performing printing preparatory operations. As a result, the support program does not need to execute a process for sending a command for performing printing preparatory operations separately from the process for sending the capability information request, thereby simplifying the processing of the support program.

[0008] An information processing device incorporating the above support program, a computer-readable storage medium storing the support program, a control method for realizing the functions of the support program, and a printing system including the support program and a printer are also novel and useful. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The technology disclosed in this specification realizes a technology that allows instructions for print preparation operations to be easily sent to a printer when printing is performed by the printer via a general-purpose print program that is standard for the OS. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [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 the procedure for printer selection and detailed setting in the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a print setting screen. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing a procedure when an auxiliary program acquires capability information. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a printing preparation process in a printer. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a display example of preparation information. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a detailed setting screen. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a procedure for executing printing. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing the procedure for printer selection and detailed setting in the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, a printing system including a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as "PC") that uses the support program of the present embodiment and a printer connected to the PC will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. This specification discloses the support program executed on the PC.

[0012] [PC configuration] As shown in FIG. 1, the printing system 100 of this embodiment includes a PC 1 and a printer 2. The PC 1 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 general term for hardware and software used to control the PC 1, and does not necessarily represent a single piece of hardware that actually exists in the PC 1.

[0013] The CPU 11 of the PC 1 executes various processes in accordance with programs read from the memory 12 and based on user operations. The memory 12 stores various programs and various data. The memory 12 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, DVD-ROM, etc.

[0014] The user IF 13 includes a display 13a, which is hardware that displays a screen for notifying the user of information, and hardware that accepts operations by the user. Note that the user IF 13 may include 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 include a touch panel that has the functions of the display 13a and an input acceptance function.

[0015] The communication IF 14 includes hardware for communicating with 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.

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

[0017] 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).

[0018] 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.

[0019] The generic printing program 41 is a program with 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 enable printing on many printers. Unlike printer drivers specific to each printer, the generic printing program 41 does not support functions specific to each printer or printer driver, especially functions that require complex processing.

[0020] The general-purpose printing program 41 is a program that includes a function to receive image data designated as the print target in a print instruction output from various application programs based on a user's instruction and generate intermediate data based on that image data. The intermediate data is, for example, XPS data. The general-purpose printing program 41 also has a function to generate print data in a format that can be used for printing on various printers based on the intermediate data. The print data is, for example, PWGRaster data or PDF data. The general-purpose printing program 41 also has a function to send the generated print data to the printer designated as the device to execute printing via a communication function provided by the OS 21.

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

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

[0023] For example, when a new printer is connected to the PC 1, the OS 21 of the PC 1 can download an appropriate auxiliary program according to the type and model of the connected printer from a server of the printer vendor or storage designated by the OS 21, 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, via the user IF 13, a print execution instruction for causing the printer 2 to execute printing. Note that the editing application 43 is not limited to a program for creating and editing data, and may also be a program having a function for receiving display instructions and print instructions for various types of information, such as map information and web pages, in response to a user request.

[0025] In this embodiment, PC 1 is connected to printer 2 via communication IF 14, as shown in Fig. 1. Printer 2 is a device having at least a printing mechanism 22, a paper transport mechanism 23, and a communication IF 24. For example, when printer 2 receives print data from PC 1 or the like via communication IF 24, it can transport paper, which serves as a print medium, using paper transport mechanism 23 and execute printing based on the print data using printing mechanism 22. Printer 2 may be a device capable of color printing, or may be a device capable of executing only monochrome printing.

[0026] [PC printing process] Next, the procedure for processing related to printing on the printer 2 in the PC 1 of this embodiment will be described. Note that in this embodiment, each process other than user operation basically indicates processing by the CPU 11 in accordance with instructions written in a program such as the auxiliary program 42. In this specification, various processes performed by the controller 10 or the CPU 11 in accordance with programs such as the auxiliary program 42, the general-purpose printing program 41, and the OS 21 may be described, for convenience, as if each program were independently performing various processes. Processing by the CPU 11 also includes hardware control using the API of the OS 21. In this specification, the operation of each program will be described without a detailed description of the OS 21. Also, the term "acquire" is used as a concept that does not necessarily require a request.

[0027] [Printer selection and print settings (first form)] First, a first mode of the selection and setting procedure for accepting the selection of the printer to be used for printing and the print settings in the PC 1 will be described with reference to the sequence diagram of FIG.

[0028] The editing application 43 can create and edit text and images based on user instructions. When the user wants to print the text or image being displayed, the user selects print in the editing application 43 (A01). The user can select print, for example, from a menu of operation items provided in the editing application 43. Because the general-purpose printing program 41 is incorporated into the OS 21 of the PC 1, when the editing application 43 accepts the selection of print, it requests the general-purpose printing program 41 of the OS 21 to display a screen for accepting instructions related to printing (A02).

[0029] In response to the request, the general-purpose printing program 41 causes the user IF 13 to display a print setting screen 50 as shown in Fig. 3 (A03). The print setting screen 50 is a screen that accepts user instructions regarding various print settings that can be accepted by the general-purpose printing program 41. The print setting screen 50 shown in Fig. 3 includes, for example, a printer information field 51, an information display field 52, a setting information field 53, a detailed settings button 54, and a print button 55. Note that the print setting screen 50 may be displayed by the editing application 43.

[0030] The printer information field 51 displays information about the printer selected as the device to perform printing, and is a field that can accept device selection in a list box format. The selectable devices correspond to print queues managed by the OS 21, and Printer 2 is also included in the selectable devices.

[0031] The information display field 52 is a field that displays information specified by an auxiliary program corresponding to the device displayed in the printer information field 51. The setting information field 53 is a field that displays the currently set setting values ​​for some of the print setting items. In the example of FIG. 3, the information display field 52 includes a layout image 521 for Nin1 items, and the setting information field 53 includes an Nin1 setting field that displays the setting values ​​for the Nin1 items.

[0032] The advanced settings button 54 is a button for receiving an instruction to display a screen for making detailed print settings. The print button 55 is a button for receiving an instruction to execute printing using the selected device and print settings.

[0033] After displaying the print setting screen 50 on the user IF 13, the general-purpose printing program 41 can accept device selection through an operation in the printer information field 51. When an operation by the user to select printer 2 is accepted (opt:[printer selection], A11), the general-purpose printing program 41 requests display data to be displayed on the display target screen from the auxiliary program 42 corresponding to printer 2 (A12).

[0034] When the auxiliary program 42 is started in response to the request A12 from the general-purpose printing program 41, it executes a capability acquisition process (A13) to acquire capability information indicating the capabilities of the selected printer 2 from the printer 2. The capability acquisition process A13 is an example of an acquisition request transmission process.

[0035] Specifically, in the capability acquisition process, the auxiliary program 42 first requests the general-purpose printing program 41 to acquire capability information (A21), as shown in Fig. 4. The general-purpose printing program 41, which has received a request to acquire capability information from the auxiliary program 42, sends a capability request command requesting capability information to the printer 2, and receives the capability information sent from the printer 2 in response to the capability request command (A22). The general-purpose printing program 41 passes the capability information received from the printer 2 to the auxiliary program 42 (A23). This allows the auxiliary program 42 to acquire the capability information of the printer 2. The capability request command is an example of a capability information acquisition request.

[0036] In A22, the general-purpose printing program 41 communicates with the printer 2 via the OS 21, for example, by communication according to IPP (abbreviation for Internet Printing Protocol). Note that instead of making a request to the general-purpose printing program 41, the auxiliary program 42 may use, for example, MIB (abbreviation for Management Information Base) to send a capability request command to the printer 2 without going through the general-purpose printing program 41, and obtain capability information directly from the printer 2. Furthermore, the capability information that the auxiliary program 42 can obtain directly from the printer 2 may include more information than the capability information obtained via the OS 21.

[0037] The capability information acquired from the printer 2 includes information on setting items that can be set as print settings and values ​​that can be set for each setting item. The capability information may include, for example, information on items related to paper feed trays and output trays that can be used by the printer 2, such as information indicating selectable paper feed trays and output trays, and information on the paper size and paper type set for each paper feed tray. The capability information may also include information on print formats that the printer 2 can support, information on print resolutions that the printer 2 can support, information on image processing functions that the printer 2 can execute, information indicating the status of the printer 2 such as information on the remaining amounts of consumables, information indicating default print settings, and information indicating whether accumulated printing is possible.

[0038] Furthermore, upon receiving the capability request command from the general-purpose printing program 41, the printer 2 executes a print preparation process to respond with capability information (A24). The print preparation process executed by the printer 2 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

[0039] In the print preparation process, the printer 2 first analyzes the received capability request command (S01) and determines whether it contains a specific parameter that instructs the print preparation operation (S02). The auxiliary program 42 can include a parameter for specifying the capability to be obtained from the printer 2 in the capability request command sent from the general-purpose print program 41. There are multiple parameters that can be included in the capability request command, such as a parameter indicating whether to include information on a specific capability as the capability information to be responded to, or a parameter indicating that information on all capabilities that can be responded to be included.

[0040] Furthermore, the capability request command has an extension field in which each printer manufacturer can include its own parameters. For example, when the auxiliary program 42 requests the general-purpose printing program 41 to acquire capability information at A21, the auxiliary program 42 associates its own parameters with the request, and the general-purpose printing program 41 then sends the capability request command to the printer 2 with the original parameters included in the extension field of the capability request command.

[0041] The preparatory operations for printing are part of the operations that the printer 2 performs from receiving a print instruction from the PC 1 without receiving an instruction for the preparatory operations for printing until the completion of printing. The preparatory operations for printing include the operation of at least one of the printing mechanism 22 and the paper transport mechanism 23 provided in the printer 2. Examples of preparatory operations for printing that involve the operation of the printing mechanism 22 in a laser printer include warming up the fuser roller, driving the polygon motor, and calibration for color adjustment and color misregistration correction. In an inkjet printer, these include heating the ink head and cleaning the ink head. In addition, an example of preparatory operations for printing that involve the operation of the paper transport mechanism 23 in both laser printers and inkjet printers is carrying paper to the printing position.

[0042] In the auxiliary program 42 and the printer 2, printing preparatory operations are associated with parameters included in the capability request command. For example, if the printer 2 is a laser printer and the printing preparatory operation is warming up the fuser roller, it is associated with a first specific parameter, and if the printing preparatory operation is carrying paper to the printing position, it is associated with a second specific parameter. The first specific parameter and the second specific parameter are each an example of a specific parameter. Furthermore, the number of printing preparatory operations associated with one specific parameter is not limited to one; for example, polygon motor drive, color adjustment, and calibration for color misalignment correction may be associated with one specific parameter. In S02, if there is an associated printing preparatory operation among the parameters included in the received capability request command, it is determined that the command contains a specific parameter instructing the printing preparatory operation. If there is no associated printing preparatory operation, it is determined that the command does not contain a specific parameter instructing the printing preparatory operation.

[0043] If the specific parameter instructing a printing preparatory operation is included (S02: YES), the printer 2 starts the printing preparatory operation associated with the specific parameter (S03). In this embodiment, in the capability acquisition process at A13, the auxiliary program 42 includes the specific parameter in the capability information acquisition request at A21, and the capability request command sent from the general-purpose printing program 41 at A22 includes the specific parameter. Therefore, in the capability acquisition process at A13, the printer 2 starts the printing preparatory operation associated with the specific parameter. For example, if the specific parameter is the first specific parameter, the printer 2 starts warming up the fuser roller. Note that S03 is a process for starting the printing preparatory operation, not a process for waiting for the completion of the printing preparatory operation. Therefore, the printer 2 can proceed to S04 without waiting for the completion of the printing preparatory operation.

[0044] After S03, the printer 2 acquires the status of the preparatory operations for printing (S04) and, if necessary, updates the capability information returned to the general-purpose printing program 41 to include preparatory operation information indicating the status of the preparatory operations for printing (S05). The capability information also has an extension field, and each printer manufacturer can include its own proprietary information in that extension field. For example, if warming up of the fuser roller is started in S03, the printer 2 updates the capability information to include preparatory operation information indicating that warming up has started. On the other hand, even if the conditions for starting warming up of the fuser roller are met, if warming up is already in progress, the printer 2 continues warming up and updates the capability information to include preparatory operation information indicating that warming up has started. Furthermore, if warming up has already been completed, the printer 2 updates the capability information to include preparatory operation information indicating that warming up has been completed. By returning capability information including preparatory operation information from the printer 2, the auxiliary program 42 can execute processing according to the status of the preparatory operations for printing in the printer 2. After S05, the printer 2 ends the preparatory processing for printing.

[0045] On the other hand, if the specific parameter instructing the preparatory operation for printing is not included (S02: NO), the printer 2 ends the preparatory process for printing without starting the preparatory operation for printing or updating the capability information to include the preparatory operation information.

[0046] After the print preparation process is completed, the printer 2 responds with the capability information corresponding to the parameters included in the capability request command (A22 in FIG. 4). At this time, if the capability information has been updated in S05, the printer 2 responds with the updated capability information.

[0047] Returning to the explanation of the sequence diagram of FIG. 2, the auxiliary program 42 pops up preparatory information indicating the status of the preparatory operation for printing in the printer 2 on the user IF 13 based on the acquired capability information (A14). As described above, in the capability acquisition process by A13, the printer 2 may start warming up the fuser roller. In such a case, preparatory operation information related to warming up is included in the capability information. Therefore, if the acquired capability information includes preparatory operation information related to warming up, a screen 30 including a message based on the preparatory operation information related to warming up is popped up on the user IF 13 as shown in FIG. 6, thereby notifying the user of the start of warming up of the fuser roller, for example. A14 is an example of response processing. By notifying the user of the start of the preparatory operation for printing as in A14, the user can recognize that the preparatory operation for printing may shorten the time until printing is completed.

[0048] The auxiliary program 42 also creates display data based on the acquired capability information (A15) and passes it to the general-purpose printing program 41 (A16). The general-purpose printing program 41 updates the information display field 52 and the setting information field 53 of the print setting screen 50 based on the display data created by the auxiliary program 42 (A17). As a result, selectable options in the setting information field 53 on the print setting screen 50 are configured based on the capability information acquired in A13.

[0049] Instead of displaying the preparation information as a pop-up in A14, the auxiliary program 42 may be configured to create display data so that the preparation information is displayed in the information display field 52 of the print setting screen 50, and to display the preparation information on the print setting screen 50. The preparation information may be output not only as a display on the display 13a, but also as an audio output.

[0050] Furthermore, when the selection of printing in A01 is accepted with printer 2 selected as the device to execute printing, the editing application 43 passes information indicating that printer 2 has been selected to the general-purpose printing program 41. When displaying the print setting screen 50 in A03, the general-purpose printing program 41 selects printer 2 in the printer information field 51 as the initial value of the device to execute printing. In this case, just as when the user selects printer 2 in the printer information field 51, the general-purpose printing program 41 requests the auxiliary program 42 corresponding to printer 2 for display data to be displayed on the display target screen (A12), and the auxiliary program 42 executes the processes from A13 to A17.

[0051] After the print setting screen 50 is displayed on the user IF 13, the general-purpose print program 41 can accept an instruction to perform detailed print settings by operating the detailed settings button 54. After the printer 2 is selected, if an operation on the detailed settings button 54 is accepted (opt:[detailed settings], A31), the general-purpose print program 41 passes a detailed settings instruction to the auxiliary program 42 to start accepting detailed print settings (A32).

[0052] When the auxiliary program 42 is started in response to a detailed setting instruction from the general-purpose printing program 41, it executes a capability acquisition process (A33), similar to when a printer is selected. The capability acquisition process of A33 is also an example of an acquisition request transmission process. Furthermore, the auxiliary program 42 pops up preparation information indicating the status of the printing preparation operation in the printer 2 based on the acquired capability information (A34). A34 is also an example of a response process. A33 and A34 are similar to the processes A13 and A14 described above, and therefore will not be described again.

[0053] The auxiliary program 42 causes the user IF 13 to display a detailed settings screen 60 (A35) that accepts detailed print settings based on the acquired capability information, as shown in Fig. 7. The detailed settings screen 60 of this embodiment includes a setting field 61 that accepts changes to various setting items of the print settings, a layout image 62 that shows the page layout corresponding to the current setting values ​​for aggregate printing, and an OK button 63. Note that the detailed settings screen 60 may also include setting items that are not included in the print settings screen 50. Note that, because there are many 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 between setting items to be set, for example, using multiple tabs.

[0054] The auxiliary program 42 can change the setting values ​​of various setting items by accepting user operations on the setting field 61 of the detailed setting screen 60. When the auxiliary program 42 accepts a change operation to one setting item in the setting field 61 (A41), it updates the display of the setting value of the setting item for which the change was accepted (A42).

[0055] Furthermore, when the auxiliary program 42 receives an instruction to confirm the print settings by operating the OK button 63 on the detailed setting screen 60 (A45), the auxiliary program 42 stores information about the confirmed print settings in the memory 12 (A46). The auxiliary program 42 passes the information about the confirmed print settings to the general-purpose printing program 41 (A47).

[0056] Upon receiving an operation on the OK button 63, the auxiliary program 42 closes the detailed settings screen 60. As a result, the print settings screen 50 (FIG. 3, etc.) described above is displayed. The auxiliary program 42 may generate new display data according to the print settings received on the detailed settings screen 60 and pass it to the general-purpose printing program 41. The auxiliary program 42 may pass the capability information acquired by A33 to the general-purpose printing program 41. The general-purpose printing program 41 may store the capability information passed from the auxiliary program 42 in the memory 12, or pass it to the editing application 43 and share it with the editing application 43.

[0057] The capability information that the auxiliary program 42 stores in the memory 12 and the capability information that it passes to the general-purpose printing program 41 and the editing application 43 may be information that includes all of the capability information acquired from the printer 2, or may be information that includes only part of the capability information acquired from the printer 2. For example, the capability information passed to the general-purpose printing program 41 and the editing application 43 may be only information related to print settings that can be accepted by the general-purpose printing program 41 and the editing application 43. By passing the capability information of the printer 2 to the general-purpose printing program 41 and the editing application 43 as well, options that match the capabilities of the printer 2 are displayed on the print setting screen 50 so that they can be selected.

[0058] [Print execution] Next, the procedure for executing printing will be described with reference to the sequence diagram in Fig. 8. After the user decides on the image to be printed and the print settings for printer 2, the user inputs a print execution instruction into editing application 43 (B01). When the editing application 43 receives the user's print execution instruction, it determines that it has received an execution instruction to cause printer 2 to print the selected image to the general-purpose printing program 41, since the general-purpose printing program 41 is incorporated into OS 21 of PC 1. The editing application 43 outputs information about the received print instruction to the general-purpose printing program 41 (B02).

[0059] The general-purpose printing program 41 acquires, as print instruction information, image data indicating the image to be printed and information indicating print settings from the editing application 43. Based on the information acquired from the editing application 43, the general-purpose printing program 41 generates intermediate data by converting the format of the image data of the image to be printed into the format of intermediate data (B03). The image data included in the editing application 43 is of various types, and the general-purpose printing program 41 converts the image data to be printed into intermediate data suitable for generating print data. Note that if the image data to be printed is data suitable for generating print data, the generation of intermediate data may be omitted and the image data may be used as is as intermediate data.

[0060] Before generating the intermediate data, the general-purpose printing program 41 may start the auxiliary program 42 corresponding to the selected device, printer 2, and notify the program that print job processing has begun. When started by the general-purpose printing program 41, the auxiliary program 42 can pass information indicating various instructions used when generating the intermediate data to the general-purpose printing program 41 as necessary.

[0061] After generating the intermediate data, the general-purpose printing program 41 outputs an execution instruction to the auxiliary program 42, thereby starting the auxiliary program 42 (B04). When started by the general-purpose printing program 41, the auxiliary program 42 executes a capability acquisition process (B05). The capability acquisition process of B05 is also an example of an acquisition request transmission process.

[0062] In the capability acquisition process by B05, the auxiliary program 42 also includes a specific parameter in the capability information acquisition request in A21, but there may be differences compared to the capability acquisition process (A13, A33) during print setup described above. For example, a first specific parameter may be included in A13 and A33, and a second specific parameter may be included in B05. In this case, the capability request command sent from the general-purpose printing program 41 in A22 during B05 includes the second specific parameter but not the first specific parameter. As a result, during the capability acquisition process by B05, the printer 2 begins transporting paper to the printing position, which is a preparatory operation for printing associated with the second specific parameter. The reason the first specific parameter is not included is because the warm-up of the fuser roller, which is a preparatory operation for printing corresponding to the first specific parameter during the capability acquisition process (A13, A33) during print setup described above, has already started or completed. In this way, by including specific parameters in the capability acquisition process of B05 that are different from those in the capability acquisition processes of A13 and A33, it is possible to instruct a different print preparation operation from the print preparation operation instructed in the capability acquisition process of A13 or A33. Furthermore, after the capability acquisition process of B05, as will be described later, the print data is sent immediately and the printer 2 is instructed to print, so the auxiliary program 42 does not need to display preparation information based on the acquired capability information.

[0063] Note that even if a print setting is compatible at the time of print setup, the capabilities may change, for example, if an optional tray is removed between print instructions, and the settings may no longer be compatible when printing is executed. For this reason, the auxiliary program 42 can obtain capability information even when a print instruction is issued, thereby determining, for example, whether the print settings of a print job are compatible with the current capabilities of the printer 2.

[0064] After acquiring the capability information, the auxiliary program 42 requests the general-purpose printing program 41 to acquire intermediate data generated by the general-purpose printing program 41 and information on print settings (B06). The intermediate data acquired in B06 is image data representing an image to be printed, and is intermediate data generated by the general-purpose printing program 41 based on the image data acquired from the editing application 43 in B02. B06 is an example of an acquisition process.

[0065] The auxiliary program 42 edits the intermediate data obtained from the general-purpose printing program 41 as necessary, passes the edited intermediate data to the general-purpose printing program 41, and instructs the general-purpose printing program 41 to generate print data and send it to the printer 2 (B12). As a result, the general-purpose printing program 41 performs necessary processing such as rasterizing the intermediate data to generate print data (B13), and sends a print job including the generated print data to the printer 2 (B14). The printer 2 executes printing based on the received print job (B21). B12 is an example of a print data transmission process.

[0066] Note that the auxiliary program 42 may perform rasterization instead of the general-purpose printing program 41 to generate print data. In this case, the auxiliary program 42 may perform rasterization based on the intermediate data to generate print data, and may pass the generated print data and print settings to the general-purpose printing program 41 to instruct it to be sent to the printer 2. The auxiliary program 42 may also process the print data generated by the general-purpose printing program 41 or the auxiliary program 42 as necessary. Note that the print data sent to the printer 2 may be data in a format that can be printed by the printer 2.

[0067] Rasterization by the auxiliary program 42 allows for greater flexibility than rasterization by the general-purpose printing program 41, and is more likely to generate print data suitable for printing on the printer 2. On the other hand, if rasterization is performed by the general-purpose printing program 41, the processing by the auxiliary program 42 is reduced, and the program size of the auxiliary program 42 can be reduced.

[0068] Furthermore, instead of sending print data from the general-purpose print program 41 to the printer 2, the auxiliary program 42 may 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.

[0069] As explained in detail above, when the auxiliary program 42 receives a capability request command including specific parameters such as a first specific parameter or a second specific parameter and sends a capability request command to the printer 2, the auxiliary program 42 causes the PC 1 to send the capability request command including the specific parameters to the printer 2, when the auxiliary program 42 is able to perform preparatory operations for printing by receiving the capability request command including the specific parameters and sending a print execution instruction to the printer 2. This allows the printer 2 to start preparatory operations for printing corresponding to the specific parameters based on the capability request command, and the capability request command also serves as a command for performing preparatory operations for printing. As a result, the auxiliary program 42 does not need to independently send a command for performing preparatory operations for printing, separate from the process for sending the capability request command, simplifying the processing of the auxiliary program 42.

[0070] Furthermore, when printer 2 is selected as the printer to be controlled on the print setting screen 50, the auxiliary program 42 causes printer 2 to perform preparatory operations for printing during the capability acquisition process at A13, thereby enabling the preparatory operations for printing to begin earlier than when the preparatory operations for printing are performed when a print instruction is received.

[0071] Furthermore, when printer 2 is selected on print setting screen 50, auxiliary program 42 causes printer 2 to warm up the fuser roller as a preparatory operation for printing. Furthermore, if a print instruction is received, auxiliary program 42 also causes printer 2 to carry paper to the front of the printing position as a preparatory operation for another print in the capability acquisition process in B05. That is, by performing preparatory operations for printing during print setting before a print instruction is received, the preparatory operations for that print can be started early, but if a print instruction is not received, the started preparatory operations for that print will be wasted. Therefore, rather than starting all preparatory operations for printing when a printer is selected, only some of the preparatory operations for printing are started, and then, if a print instruction is received, preparatory operations for another print are started, thereby avoiding the waste of preparatory operations for another print.

[0072] The aforementioned capability request command may be, for example, a Get-Printer-Attributes command if the communication protocol with the printer 2 is IPP. The specific parameters for the print preparation operations to be included in the capability request command may be parameters that are not defined in the communication protocol with the printer 2 and that can be understood by the printer 2. If the capability request command has an extension field available from the printer manufacturer, the auxiliary program 42 requests the general-purpose printing program 41 to acquire capability information so that a capability request command including the specific parameters can be sent in the extension field. The printer 2 can start the print preparation operations by receiving a capability request including the specific parameters in the extension field. By setting the parameters for starting the print preparation operations as dummy parameters that are not defined in the communication protocol with the printer and are mutually understandable with the printer, the auxiliary program 42 can decide whether to include the parameters in the capability request command, thereby increasing the flexibility in timing for starting the print preparation operations in the printer 2.

[0073] Furthermore, the specific parameters for the print preparation operation can be any parameters that can specify the timing of sending the capability request command, even if they are defined in the communication protocol with the printer 2. By using the specific parameters for the print preparation operation as parameters defined in the communication protocol with the printer, it is possible to cause the printer to start the print preparation operation without preparing dummy parameters for the print preparation operation.

[0074] Note that, when the specific parameters are parameters defined in the communication protocol with the printer 2, parameters that can identify the time of print setting, such as the first specific parameters described above, include, for example, parameters of the basic configuration (for example, parameters for acquiring the print method or whether color is possible). That is, the basic configuration is information necessary for accepting print settings on the print setting screen 50, and the parameters of the basic configuration can be used as parameters for identifying the time of print setting. Furthermore, parameters that can identify the time of print execution, such as the second specific parameters described above, include, for example, parameters for acquiring the print format. That is, while print format information is necessary when printing with the printer 2, it is information that is not necessary during print setting, and parameters for acquiring the print format can be used as parameters for identifying the time of print execution.

[0075] [Printer selection and print settings (second form)] Next, a selection and setting procedure for accepting the selection of a printer to be used for printing and print settings at the PC 1 in the second embodiment will be described with reference to the sequence diagram of FIG.

[0076] The auxiliary program 42 of the second embodiment also executes the capability acquisition process when a change operation to one item in the setting field 61 on the detailed setting screen 60 shown in Fig. 7 is accepted. In this respect, it differs from the first embodiment in that the capability acquisition process is not executed when a change operation to one item in the setting field 61 is accepted. Note that the same components and procedures as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and their explanations are omitted.

[0077] When the auxiliary program 42 is started in response to a request A12 from the general-purpose printing program 41 as a result of a user operation to select the printer 2, it executes a capability acquisition process (A130). In the capability acquisition process when the printer is selected in A130 in the second embodiment, the first specific parameter is not included in the capability request command. This differs from the first embodiment in which the first specific parameter is included in the capability request command. Because the first specific parameter is not included, the printer 2 is not instructed to perform a print preparation operation. Therefore, there is no need to display the preparation information.

[0078] When the auxiliary program 42 is started in response to a detailed setting instruction from the general-purpose printing program 41 in response to an operation of the detailed setting button 54, it executes a capability acquisition process (A330) in which the first specific parameter is not included in the capability request command, as in the case of printer selection. A330 is the same process as A130 described above, and therefore its explanation is omitted. The auxiliary program 42 causes the user IF 13 to display a detailed setting screen 60 based on the acquired capability information (A35).

[0079] Thereafter, when the auxiliary program 42 receives a change operation for one of the setting items in the setting field 61 (A41), it executes a capability acquisition process (A410). In the capability acquisition process executed when the setting is changed, a first specific parameter is included in the capability request command. That is, a capability acquisition process similar to A13 or A33 in the first embodiment is executed. As a result, in the second embodiment, the printer 2 is not instructed to perform print preparation operations when a printer is selected or when the detailed setting screen 60 is displayed, but is instructed to perform print preparation operations when a setting change occurs. The capability acquisition process of A410 is an example of an acquisition request transmission process. Then, based on the acquired capability information, the auxiliary program 42 displays a pop-up display of preparation information indicating the status of the print preparation operations in the printer 2 (A411). That is, a capability acquisition process similar to A14 or A34 in the first embodiment is executed. A411 is an example of a response process. Thereafter, the auxiliary program 42 updates the display of the setting value of the accepted setting item (A42).

[0080] Furthermore, even in the second embodiment, when a print execution command is received, the same procedure as in the first embodiment is performed. That is, when the auxiliary program 42 is started from the general-purpose print program 41, it executes a capability acquisition process (B05). In this capability acquisition process, a second specific parameter is included in the capability request command. This allows a different print preparation operation to be performed when printing is executed than when the settings are changed.

[0081] As explained in detail above, even in the second embodiment, when a capability request command is sent due to a predetermined condition, such as a setting change, the capability request command including the first specific parameter is sent to the printer 2. This allows the printer 2 to start preparatory operations for printing based on the capability request command, and the capability request command also serves as a command for performing preparatory operations for printing. As a result, the processing of the auxiliary program 42 is simplified.

[0082] Furthermore, since there is a higher possibility that a print instruction will be issued when settings are changed, the second form is less likely to result in wasted print preparation operations than the first form. On the other hand, by sending a print preparation instruction when a printer is selected or when the advanced settings screen 60 is displayed, as in the first form, the printer 2 can start print preparation operations earlier than in the second form.

[0083] 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, a copier, or a fax machine. Furthermore, the number of printers connected to PC1 is not limited to the illustrated example, and may be two or more.

[0084] Furthermore, for example, the examples of the screens displayed on the user IF 13 are 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.

[0085] Furthermore, if the user changes the default printer from another printer to printer 2 via the OS 21 after the print setting screen is displayed by the general-purpose print program 41, the general-purpose print program 41 may also start the auxiliary program 42. Furthermore, the auxiliary program 42 may be started not only when printing is selected, but also when printer 2 is selected as device settings, for example. Even in these cases, the auxiliary program 42 may be able to execute a procedure for updating the capability information.

[0086] In addition, in the embodiment, printer 2 starts different printing preparatory operations when multiple pieces of capability information are acquired at the time of print setting (when a printer is selected or when print settings are changed) and when printing is executed, but it is also possible to start all printing preparatory operations, for example, at the time of print setting.

[0087] In addition, although the embodiment describes the printer 2 as a laser printer, it may also be an inkjet printer. In that case, for example, heating the ink head may be associated with a first specific parameter, and carrying the paper to the printing position may be associated with a second specific parameter. Even in this case, the start of different print preparation operations can be instructed when the capability acquisition process is executed during print setup and when printing is actually performed.

[0088] In the embodiment, when the printer 2 receives the parameters for the preparatory operations for printing and responds with the preparatory operation information, the auxiliary program 42 executes the process of displaying the preparatory information in a pop-up. However, the process corresponding to the preparatory operation information is not limited to displaying the preparatory information in a pop-up. For example, the process corresponding to the preparatory operation information may be to wait for the time required for the preparatory operations for printing to be completed after the capability acquisition process in B05, before sending the print data.

[0089] 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.

[0090] 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.

[0091] 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]

[0092] 1 PC 2. Printer 11 CPU 13 User Interface 21 OS 41 General-purpose printing program 42 Subsidy Programs 100 Printing Systems

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 instructing the general-purpose print program to print an image on the printer, an acquisition process for acquiring image data representing the image from the general-purpose printing program; a print data transmission process, which is a process of controlling transmission of print data based on the image data acquired in the acquisition process to the printer, and in which printing based on the print data is performed by the printer that has received the print data; Execute The computer further comprises: a process for controlling transmission of a capability information acquisition request to the printer, wherein the printer that receives the capability information acquisition request responds with capability information indicating the capabilities of the printer, and an acquisition request transmission process can be executed, and when the acquisition request transmission process is executed by satisfying a predetermined condition, the capability information acquisition request includes a specific parameter, and the printer performs a preparation operation for printing when the capability information acquisition request received from the information processing device includes the specific parameter; A support program configured to:

2. 2. The support program according to claim 1, the general-purpose printing program is capable of causing the computer to display a setting screen for accepting print settings on a user interface of the information processing device, the setting screen including an item for selecting a device to be controlled; The computer, When the printer is selected as a device to be controlled on the setting screen, the acquisition request transmission process is executed; When the printer is selected as a device to be controlled, the predetermined condition is satisfied, and when the acquisition request transmission process is executed as a result of the printer being selected as a device to be controlled, the capability information acquisition request includes the specific parameter. A support program configured to:

3. The support program according to claim 1 or 2, The computer, After the acquisition request transmission process is executed, if the capability information received from the printer includes preparatory operation information, a response process based on the preparatory operation information is executed, and when the printer receives the capability information acquisition request including the specific parameter from the information processing device, the printer responds by including the preparatory operation information regarding the preparatory operation for printing, including whether the preparatory operation for printing has started, in the capability information. A support program configured to:

4. 4. The support program according to claim 3, In the response process, when the preparatory operation information indicating that the preparatory operation for printing has started is included in the capability information, the start of the preparatory operation for printing is notified. A support program configured to:

5. 3. The support program according to claim 2, The types of the specific parameters include a first specific parameter and a second specific parameter, and the printer is capable of performing a first preparatory operation as the preparatory operation for printing when the first specific parameter is included in the capability information acquisition request received from the information processing device, and is capable of performing a second preparatory operation different from the first preparatory operation as the preparatory operation for printing when the second specific parameter is included in the capability information acquisition request received from the information processing device, The computer, When the print instruction is given, the acquisition request transmission process is executed before the print data transmission process is executed; When the printer is selected as a device to be controlled or when a print instruction is given, the predetermined condition is met, When the acquisition request transmission process is executed because the printer is selected as a device to be controlled, the capability information acquisition request includes the first specific parameter, When the acquisition request transmission process is executed in response to the print instruction, the capability information acquisition request includes the second specifying parameter. A support program configured to:

6. 2. The support program according to claim 1, the general-purpose printing program is capable of causing the computer to display a setting screen for accepting print settings on a user interface of the information processing device, and accepting changes to the print settings via the setting screen; The computer, When the print settings are changed on the setting screen, the acquisition request transmission process is executed; When the print settings are changed, the predetermined condition is satisfied, and when the acquisition request transmission process is executed due to the change in the print settings, the capability information acquisition request includes the specific parameter. A support program configured to:

7. 7. The support program according to claim 6, The types of the specific parameters include a first specific parameter and a second specific parameter, and the printer is capable of performing a first preparatory operation as the preparatory operation for printing when the first specific parameter is included in the capability information acquisition request received from the information processing device, and is capable of performing a second preparatory operation different from the first preparatory operation as the preparatory operation for printing when the second specific parameter is included in the capability information acquisition request received from the information processing device, The computer, When the print instruction is given, the acquisition request transmission process is executed before the print data transmission process is executed; When the print settings are changed or when the print instruction is given, the predetermined condition is met, When the acquisition request transmission process is executed due to a change in print settings, the capability information acquisition request includes the first specific parameter, When the acquisition request transmission process is executed in response to the print instruction, the capability information acquisition request includes the second specifying parameter. A support program configured to:

8. The support program according to claim 1 or 2, The specific parameter is a parameter defined by a communication protocol with the printer for requesting a response of capability information including information related to a predetermined capability, and is a parameter that can specify the timing of sending the capability information acquisition request, and the capability information including the information related to the predetermined capability is responded by the printer that has received the capability information acquisition request including the specific parameter. A support program configured to:

9. The support program according to claim 1 or 2, The specific parameter is a parameter that can be included in the capability information acquisition request, is not defined in a communication protocol with the printer, and can be understood by the printer. A support program configured to:

10. A printing system including an information processing device and a printer connected to the information processing device, The information processing device includes: a support program that supports a general-purpose printing program included in the operating system; when a print instruction is output from an application program installed in the information processing device and the print instruction is to the general-purpose print program to cause the printer to print an image, image data representing the image is passed from the general-purpose print program to the support program, and print data based on the image data is sent to the printer via the support program; The printer When the print data is received, printing is performed based on the received print data; The information processing device includes: The support program can send a capability information acquisition request to the printer, and when the capability information acquisition request is sent by satisfying a predetermined condition, the capability information acquisition request includes a specific parameter, The printer When the capability information acquisition request is received, capability information indicating the capability of the printer is sent to the information processing device as a response, and when the specific parameter is included in the received capability information acquisition request, a preparation operation for printing is performed. A printing system configured to:

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