Support Programs

Abstract

To provide a technology for reducing unintended paper-based printing by a user in an information processing device into which an OS-standard general-use printing program has been incorporated.SOLUTION: According to an auxiliary program 42, a CPU 11 of a PC 1 acquires printing data, representing an image to be printed as a result of a printing instruction, and paper information, which is information regarding printing paper used in printing as a result of the printing instruction, when the printing instruction, which is output from an editing application 43 and causes a printer 2 to print the image, is present in a general-use printing program 41 that has been incorporated in advance into an OS 21. The CPU 11 additionally causes a user IF 13 to display a preview image, which indicates a layout of the image to be printed on the printing paper, on the basis of the paper information and the printing data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] As a technique for controlling a printer from an information processing device such as a personal computer, a configuration in which print data is generated by a printer driver and a preview of the print data is displayed before the print data is sent to the printer is widely known (for example, Patent Document 1). The printer driver is provided by the printer manufacturer and corresponds to various functions of the printer, allowing the printer to be used to its full potential. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-111449 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In recent years, a technology has been put into practical use that controls a printer using a print program built into the operating system (OS) as standard, without using the printer driver mentioned above. With this technology, the OS associates the printer with the OS's standard print program, and after that, when a print instruction is received for that printer, printing can be performed using the OS's standard print program, without using a printer driver.

[0005] It is possible to display a preview even when printing using the above-mentioned OS-standard general-purpose printing program. However, while the preview display allows the user to check the image to be printed, it does not allow the user to check the print result taking into account the size of the paper loaded in the printer. As a result, the user may find that the print result is not what they intended, such as the image running off the edge of the paper, after printing.

[0006] This specification discloses a technique for reducing paper-based printing that is not intended by a user in an information processing apparatus in which an OS-standard general-purpose printing program is installed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The support program developed for the purpose of solving the above-mentioned problems is executable by a computer of an information processing device, and is a support program corresponding to a printer connected to the information processing device, and when a print instruction is output from an application program built into the information processing device and causes the printer to print an image using a general-purpose printing program pre-built into the operating system of the information processing device, the support program causes the computer to execute a paper information acquisition process that acquires print paper information, which is information about the print paper to be used for printing according to the print instruction, an image data acquisition process that acquires print image data indicating the image to be printed according to the print instruction, and a preview process that displays, using a user interface of the information processing device, a preview image indicating the arrangement of the image to be printed on the print paper based on the print paper information acquired in the paper information acquisition process and the print image data acquired in the image data acquisition process.

[0008] According to the support program disclosed in this specification, when a print instruction is given to a general-purpose print program, an information processing device obtains print paper information, which is information about the print paper used for printing according to the print instruction, and print image data showing the image to be printed, and displays a preview image showing the arrangement of the image to be printed on the print paper. This makes it easier for the user to notice problems with the arrangement of the paper and the image, and is expected to encourage the user to change the settings for the paper. As a result, it is more likely that printing unintended by the user can be avoided.

[0009] An information processing device incorporating the support program, a computer-readable storage medium storing the support program, and a control method for realizing the functions of the support program are also novel and useful. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the technology disclosed in this specification, a technology is realized that reduces printing on paper that is not intended by a user in an information processing device in which an OS-standard general-purpose printing program is installed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an outline of the electrical configuration of a PC. [Diagram 2] 5 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a procedure of a printing operation by each program. FIG. [Diagram 3] 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure for a paper information determination process. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a preview display screen. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a preview display screen. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] A personal computer (hereinafter, referred to as a "PC") using the support program of the present embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. This specification discloses a support program executed by a PC connected to a printer having a printing function.

[0013] As shown in Fig. 1, the PC1 of this embodiment includes a controller 10 including a CPU 11 and a memory 12. The PC1 is an example of an information processing device. The CPU 11 is an example of a computer. The PC1 also includes a user interface (hereinafter referred to as "user IF") 13 and a communication interface (hereinafter referred to as "communication IF") 14, which are electrically connected to the controller 10. Note that the controller 10 in Fig. 1 is a collective term for hardware and software used to control the PC1, and does not necessarily represent a single piece of hardware actually present in the PC1.

[0014] The CPU 11 executes various processes according to the programs read from the memory 12 and based on the user's operation. The memory 12 stores various programs including various application programs (hereinafter, referred to as "apps") and various data. The memory 12 is also used as a work area when various processes are executed. The buffer provided in the CPU 11 is also an example of a memory. Note that an example of the memory 12 is not limited to a ROM, RAM, HDD, etc. built into the PC 1, but may be a storage medium that can be read and written by the CPU 11, such as a recording medium such as a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM.

[0015] The user IF 13 includes hardware for displaying a screen for notifying the user of information and hardware for accepting operations by the user. The user IF 13 may be a combination of a display capable of displaying information and a mouse or keyboard having an input acceptance function, or may be a touch panel having a display function and an input acceptance function.

[0016] The communication IF 14 includes hardware for communicating with an external device such as the printer 2. The communication standards of the communication IF 14 include Ethernet (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), USB, etc. The PC 1 may be provided with a plurality of communication IFs 14 compatible with a plurality of communication standards.

[0017] 1, 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 are stored in the memory 12 of the PC 1. The auxiliary program 42 is an example of a support program. The editing application 43 is an example of an application program. The OS 21 is, for example, Windows (registered trademark), macOS (registered trademark), Linux (registered trademark), iOS (registered trademark), or Android (registered trademark).

[0018] The general-purpose printing program 41 is an OS standard program for causing various printers, such as the printer 2, to execute printing based on a user instruction. The general-purpose printing program 41 in this embodiment is a program that includes a function for generating intermediate image data based on image data to be printed.

[0019] The generic print program 41 supports functions that can be used in common by multiple models of printers provided by various printer vendors. The generic print program 41 does not support all of the unique functions of various printers, and the functions it supports are limited to generic ones.

[0020] The auxiliary program 42 is a program or a group of programs that executes processing based on instructions from the OS 21 in conjunction with the processing of the general-purpose printing program 41, and is an application that supports the control of the target hardware. The auxiliary program 42 in this embodiment corresponds to the model of the printer 2 connected to the PC 1, and is started from the general-purpose printing program 41 when, for example, an instruction to cause the printer 2 to execute printing using the general-purpose printing program 41 is received. The auxiliary program 42 is called, for example, a hardware support application (abbreviated as HSA).

[0021] The auxiliary program 42 can receive a variety of commands from the general-purpose printing program 41 and executes various processes based on the received commands. The auxiliary program 42 may be a combination of a number of programs each of which receives an execution command, or may be a single program that can execute different processes according to commands.

[0022] The auxiliary program may be a program prepared by the printer vendor for each type of printer. For example, an auxiliary program for an inkjet printer and an auxiliary program for a laser printer may be prepared. For example, when a new printer is connected to the PC1, the OS21 of the PC1 downloads an appropriate auxiliary program from a server or the like according to the type of the connected printer and incorporates it into its own device. Then, the OS21 associates the identification information of the incorporated auxiliary program with the identification information of the newly connected printer and stores it in the memory 12. Note that there may be auxiliary programs prepared not only for each type of printer, but also for each model of printer or each series of printer models.

[0023] The editing application 43 is, for example, an application for creating and editing image data and document data. The editing application 43 may be, for example, Microsoft (registered trademark) Word or PowerPoint, or may be an application provided by the vendor of the printer 2. The editing application 43 accepts user operations including instructions to cause the printer 2 to perform a predetermined operation. Specifically, the editing application 43 accepts, for example, a print execution instruction to cause the printer 2 to execute printing via the user IF 13.

[0024] The printer 2 in this embodiment is a device having a printing function. The PC 1 can communicate with the printer 2 via the communication IF 14. The printer 2 receives print data from the PC 1 or the like, for example, and executes printing based on the received print data.

[0025] Next, a printing procedure including the operation of the auxiliary program 42 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the sequence diagram of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 shows the operation when a print execution instruction is received from an application that receives a print instruction, such as the editing application 43, to cause the printer 2 to print using the general-purpose print program 41, and when the auxiliary program 42 corresponding to the printer 2 is incorporated in the PC 1.

[0026] Note that the processes and each processing step of the flowchart in this embodiment basically indicate the processes of the CPU 11 according to the instructions written in a program such as the auxiliary program 42. The processes by the CPU 11 also include hardware control using the API of the OS 21. In this specification, the operation of each program will be explained without a detailed description of the OS 21. Also, "obtain" is used as a concept that does not necessarily require a request.

[0027] The editing application 43 accepts creation and editing of text, charts, etc. based on user instructions. When the editing application 43 accepts an instruction to print the selected text, etc. (A01), it displays a print screen that accepts print settings, etc. on the user IF 13 (A02). On the print screen, the editing application 43 accepts, for example, an instruction to execute printing, an instruction for basic print settings, and an instruction to start accepting detailed print settings.

[0028] When the editing application 43 receives a print execution instruction from the user with the printer 2 selected on the displayed print screen (A03), it passes the received print execution instruction information to the OS 21. When the OS 21 receives a print execution instruction to use the general-purpose printing program 41, it executes the general-purpose printing program 41 and passes the print instruction information to the general-purpose printing program 41 (A04). The general-purpose printing program 41 can acquire, as the print instruction information, information indicating the printer to be used for printing, information indicating the print settings set in the application, and information indicating the image data to be printed. The print settings include paper information. The paper information included in the print settings includes, for example, paper size information and paper type information.

[0029] The general-purpose printing program 41 generates intermediate image data by converting the format of the image data included in the received print instruction information into the format of intermediate image data (A05), and generates a print job including the intermediate image data. Image data passed from the editing application 43 can be of various types, and the general-purpose printing program 41 converts the received image data into intermediate image data suitable for generating print data. Note that if the image data included in the print instruction is suitable for generating print data, the generation of the intermediate image data may be omitted and the image data may be used as is as intermediate image data. The intermediate image data generated by the general-purpose printing program 41 is, for example, XPS data.

[0030] Since the device selected in the print instruction is the printer 2 and the auxiliary program 42 corresponding to the printer 2 is stored in the memory 12, the general-purpose printing program 41 outputs an execution instruction to the auxiliary program 42 (A06). The general-purpose printing program 41 operates the auxiliary program 42 in response to the execution instruction and passes the generated intermediate image data to the auxiliary program 42. In addition, in A06, print setting information is also passed to the auxiliary program 42 together with the intermediate image data. The paper information included in the print setting information that the auxiliary program 42 receives from the general-purpose printing program 41 is an example of first paper information. The paper information passed to the auxiliary program in A06 includes paper size information and paper type information. In addition, the general-purpose printing program 41 may pass this paper information to the auxiliary program 42 by including a part or all of it in the intermediate image data.

[0031] Based on the execution instruction received from the general-purpose printing program 41 in A06, the auxiliary program 42 temporarily stores the intermediate image data in an available area in the memory 12 that the auxiliary program 42 can use (A07). Furthermore, the auxiliary program 42 performs rasterization based on the intermediate image data, and generates print data indicating the image to be printed (A08). The print data generated in A08 is data in a format that can be used for printing by the printer 2, for example, PDL data dedicated to the model of the printer 2. The print data is an example of a raster image. The print data generated in A08 is an example of print image data, and A08 is an example of image data acquisition processing.

[0032] Rasterizing with the auxiliary program 42 corresponding to the printer 2 provides greater freedom than rasterizing with the general-purpose print program 41, and there is a high possibility that print data suitable for printing on the printer 2 will be generated. Note that the print data generated in A08 may be data in a format that can also be used for printing on printers other than the printer 2 model.

[0033] The auxiliary program 42 also acquires information from the printer 2 via the communication IF 14. Specifically, the auxiliary program 42 sends an acquisition request to the printer 2 requesting capability information (A11). When the printer 2 receives an acquisition request requesting capability information from the PC 1 or the like, it acquires capability information indicating the capabilities of its own device (A12) and responds with the acquired capability information to the device that sent the request (A13). The capability information sent from the printer 2 includes, for example, status information, remaining amount information of consumables, information on the installed trays, paper information of the paper set for each tray, and information on the available print resolution.

[0034] The printer 2 receives, for example, via an operation panel, paper information about the paper contained in a paper feed tray of the printer 2, and stores the received information in the memory of the printer 2. At A12, the printer 2 reads the paper information from the memory of the printer 2. The paper information read from the memory of the printer 2 includes, for example, paper size information and paper type information.

[0035] The printer 2 may be capable of mounting multiple paper feed trays. When the printer 2 is equipped with multiple paper feed trays, paper information is stored for each tray in association with information indicating the tray. The printer 2 then responds with the paper information for each tray for all of the mounted trays as capability information. When the printer 2 has a sensor or the like that detects the paper size of the paper stored in the tray, the printer 2 may obtain the paper size information based on the output signal of the sensor or the like.

[0036] The printer 2 may also have a function of performing image processing based on a received print job and printing based on the data after the image processing, for example, a function of performing aggregate printing such as Nin1, composite printing such as a watermark, and economical printing that saves on coloring agents. If the printer 2 has an image processing function that can be executed by the printer 2, the printer 2 may pass information about the function to the auxiliary program 42 as capability information.

[0037] Through A13, the auxiliary program 42 acquires information on the trays and printing paper provided in the printer 2 as the capability information of the printer 2. A13 is an example of a printer information acquisition process, and the capability information of the printer 2 is an example of printer information. The capability information of the printer 2 includes paper information that is information on the paper used for printing by the printer 2. The paper information included in the capability information of the printer 2 includes, by way of example, information on the paper size and information on the paper type. The paper information included in the capability information of the printer 2 is an example of second paper information.

[0038] The communication between the auxiliary program 42 and the printer 2 may be performed by the auxiliary program 42 directly communicating with the printer 2 using, for example, MIB (short for Management Information Base), or may be performed via the OS 21. When performing communication via the OS 21, the auxiliary program 42 and the printer 2 communicate according to a communication protocol of the OS 21, such as IPP (short for internet printing protocol).

[0039] Based on the capability information received from the printer 2, the auxiliary program 42 stores printer paper information, which is information about the paper accommodated in the printer 2, in an available area in the memory 12 that the auxiliary program 42 can use (A14). If the paper size information included in the capability information acquired from the printer 2 indicates a standard size such as A4, the auxiliary program 42 may convert it into numerical values ​​indicating the paper length and paper width and store the information.

[0040] The general-purpose printing program 41 may execute the auxiliary program 42 before generating the intermediate image data. For example, the general-purpose printing program 41 may execute the auxiliary program 42 when the editing application 43 or the like receives an instruction to edit detailed print settings from the user on the print screen displayed in A02. The auxiliary program 42 may request capability information from the printer 2 when executed in response to an instruction to edit print settings. The auxiliary program 42 may also request capability information from the printer 2 after receiving the intermediate image data and before generating print data. In either case, the auxiliary program 42 stores printer paper information in the memory 12 based on the capability information acquired from the printer 2.

[0041] Then, the auxiliary program 42 executes a paper information determination process (A21). The paper information determination process is a process that compares the paper information included in the print settings for the print instruction with the paper information acquired from the printer 2, or with information on the image size of the print image that is the print result when printing is performed based on the print data, and determines whether the paper is suitable. The procedure for the paper information determination process will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 3. The paper information determination process is a process performed by the auxiliary program 42, and is executed by the CPU 11 of the PC 1.

[0042] In the paper information determination process, CPU 11 acquires paper information, which is information about paper used for printing (S101). Paper information includes, for example, information about paper size and paper type. S101 is an example of paper information acquisition process, and the paper information acquired in S101 is an example of print paper information. In S101, CPU 11 reads out the printer paper information stored in A14 of FIG. 2, for example, and acquires paper information based on the printer paper information. In this case, the paper information acquired by CPU 11 is information about the paper set in printer 2.

[0043] If the CPU 11 is unable to acquire the paper information from the printer 2, in S101, the CPU 11 may acquire the paper information included in the print settings based on the print settings received from the general-purpose print program 41 in A06 of Fig. 2. In this case, the paper information included in the print settings is an example of print paper information.

[0044] Then, the CPU 11 judges whether the acquired paper information is a target for judgment (S102). For example, if the paper to be printed is a regular paper or recycled paper and a standard size such as A4, even if the paper is wasted due to printing of an incompatible size, the loss to the user is likely to be small. If the paper is assumed to be inexpensive, it is preferable to complete printing early and output the print result, since overflow of the image and reprinting are likely to be tolerated.

[0045] If it is determined that the current printing is not a target for execution of the judgment (S102: NO), the CPU 11 judges it as "printing" (S121) and ends the paper information judgment process. If the paper type is plain paper or recycled paper and the paper size is a standard size such as A4 or B5, the CPU 11 judges it as NO in S102. In the case of inexpensive paper, image overflow and reprinting are likely to be tolerated, so it is determined that it is not a target for judgment, and by judging it as "printing" without performing the processes from S103 onwards, the print result can be output early.

[0046] On the other hand, when a paper that is likely to be expensive is specified as the paper for printing, since it is undesirable to waste the paper, for example, if the paper information is inappropriate, it is undesirable to print as is. For example, when the paper type is thick paper, postcard, sticker paper, OHP paper, cloth, etc., or when the paper size is postcard, envelope, etc., the paper is likely to be expensive compared to regular paper or standard size recycled paper. The paper size indicating postcard or envelope is an example of a predetermined size indicating high value. Also, the paper types indicating thick paper, postcard, sticker paper, OHP paper, and cloth are examples of predetermined types indicating high value. Based on the paper information acquired in S101, when the paper type is neither regular paper nor recycled paper, or the paper size is neither A4, A5, B4, nor B5, the CPU 11 judges YES in S102.

[0047] When it is determined that the paper information is the subject of the judgment (S102: YES), the CPU 11 calculates the image size of the print image, which is the print result when printing is performed based on the print data generated in A08 of FIG. 2 (S103). Specifically, the CPU 11 calculates the horizontal and vertical sizes of the print image by dividing the number of dots and the number of lines in one line of the print data by the print resolution (for example, a value expressed in dots / inch) specified in the print settings. The information on the image size of the print image calculated in S103 is an example of image size information. S103 is an example of image information acquisition processing.

[0048] Then, the CPU 11 compares the paper size included in the paper information acquired in S101 with the image size of the print image calculated in S103, and judges whether the image size of the print image is larger than the paper size (S106). S106 is an example of a judgment process. For example, when a standard size such as A4 is specified as the paper size for printing, the CPU 11 compares the horizontal and vertical sizes of the paper size with the horizontal and vertical sizes of the print image calculated in S103. Note that the CPU 11 may compare the size of the printable range of the paper size with the image size of the print image based on the margin setting. By comparing the image size of the print data with the paper size for printing and judging suitability, it is possible to judge whether the image fits on the paper, and as a result, to judge suitability for printing.

[0049] If it is determined that the image size of the print image is not larger (S106: NO), the CPU 11 determines whether the difference between the image size and the paper size is outside a predetermined range (S107). S107 is an example of a determination process. If it is determined that the image size of the print image is larger (S106: YES), or if it is determined that the image size is smaller than the paper size but the difference exceeds a predetermined range (S107: YES), the CPU 11 generates a preview image showing the arrangement of the paper for printing and the image, and causes the user IF 13 to display the preview (S111). S111 is an example of a preview process.

[0050] An example of the preview display is shown in Fig. 4. The preview display screen 50 shown in Fig. 4 includes a preview image 51 showing a print image, a button 52 for receiving an instruction to change the print settings, an OK button 53, a cancel button 54, and a message 55 indicating that the paper size is inappropriate. The CPU 11 accepts user operations on each displayed button. The message 55 is information indicating the results of the determinations made in S106 and S107.

[0051] Preview image 51 is an image indicating that the paper information included in the print settings is not suitable for printing based on the print instructions, and corresponds to, for example, an image showing the relative relationship between the entire paper and the image, or an image showing the paper size or image size together with the print image. In the example of preview image 51 in Fig. 4, for example, a frame 511 indicating the paper size of the print settings and a print image 512 of the image size are displayed overlapping, and the non-printed range of print image 512 is displayed with diagonal lines. Note that the non-printed range may not be displayed.

[0052] If the image size of the print image is larger than the paper size, the image will not fit on the paper, and the image will run off the paper when printed, which is likely to be unintended by the user. Also, even if the image size is smaller than the paper size, if the difference is outside a specified range, the margins will be too large, and there is a high possibility that a lot of paper will be wasted. In these cases, the CPU 11 determines that the paper information is unsuitable for printing.

[0053] Note that even if the image size is larger than the paper size, if the difference is small, the impact is likely to be small even if some parts are not printed. Alternatively, for example, the entire image may be printed by reducing the margins. Therefore, even if the image size is larger than the paper size, if the difference in size is small in both the vertical and horizontal sizes, the CPU 11 may determine that the image size is appropriate.

[0054] Also, for example, if the paper type included in the print settings indicates roll paper, the auxiliary program 42 does not need to compare the vertical size (the length in the unwinding direction of the roll paper, also called the paper length) of the paper size. In this case, the auxiliary program 42 needs to compare only the horizontal size (the length in the axial direction of the roll paper, also called the paper width) in S106 and S107.

[0055] If the printer 2 has multiple paper feed trays and a paper feed tray is explicitly specified in the print settings, the CPU 11 compares the image size with the paper information stored in association with the specified paper feed tray in S106 and S107. If an automatic tray is specified as the paper feed tray in the print settings, the CPU 11 may determine in S106 and S107 whether or not there is a paper feed tray of the printer 2 for which paper information matching the image size is set.

[0056] On the other hand, if it is determined that the image size of the print image is appropriate for the paper size (S107: NO), the CPU 11 generates a preview image showing the print image and causes the user IF 13 to display the preview (S112). S112 is an example of a preview process.

[0057] An example of the preview display in this case is shown in Fig. 5. Preview display screen 60 shown in Fig. 5 includes preview image 51 showing the print image, button 52 for receiving an instruction to change the print settings, OK button 53, and Cancel button 54. Preview image 51 in Fig. 5 is an image indicating that the paper size and image size are compatible, and preview display screen 60 does not include a message indicating that the paper size is inappropriate.

[0058] In the preview display screens 50 and 60, the CPU 11 can accept a plurality of kinds of instructions as the button 52. In this embodiment, the CPU 11 accepts, for example, an instruction for enlargement / reduction and an instruction for divided printing, as shown in FIG. 4. The print settings include, for example, a reduction parameter for reducing an image, and an instruction for reducing an image by an instruction for enlargement / reduction is a change instruction for enabling the reduction parameter. The reduction parameter includes, for example, a setting of a reduction ratio of an image. If the image size is larger than the paper size and the image does not fit on the paper, for example, if the image size is reduced by accepting an instruction for reduction, the possibility that the image will fit on the paper size for printing increases. Also, if the image size is smaller than the paper size but the difference is large, for example, if the image size is enlarged by accepting an instruction for enlargement, the possibility that the margins will be reduced increases.

[0059] The print settings include split parameters for splitting an image into multiple pieces, and split printing instructions are change instructions for enabling the split parameters. If an image is split by accepting a split instruction, each split image has a smaller image size than the original image, so there is a high possibility that it will fit on the paper size for printing. The split parameters include, for example, settings for poster printing.

[0060] The CPU 11 determines whether or not operation of the OK button 53 has been accepted (S113). If it is determined that operation of the OK button 53 has not been accepted (S113: NO), the CPU 11 determines whether or not an instruction to cancel printing has been accepted by operation of the cancel button 54 (S114). If it is determined that an instruction to cancel has also not been accepted (S114: NO), the CPU 11 waits until any instruction is accepted.

[0061] When it is determined that the operation of the OK button 53 has been accepted (S113: YES), the CPU 11 determines whether or not a change instruction by operation of the button 52 has been accepted (S115). The process of accepting a change instruction by operation of the button 52 in S115 is an example of a change process.

[0062] By making it possible to accept an instruction to change the print settings during preview display, it is easy for the user to make changes. Also, by accepting an instruction to cancel printing on the preview display screen 50, 60 while the preview display screen 50, 60 is being displayed, the user can choose not to print, which increases the user's freedom of choice.

[0063] If it is determined that a change instruction has been received (S115: YES), the CPU 11 changes the print settings based on the received instruction, and generates print data again based on the changed print settings (S116). The CPU 11 reads out the intermediate image data stored in A07 of Fig. 2, and generates new print data based on the changed print settings. The CPU 11 may delete the original print data.

[0064] Then, CPU 11 returns to S103, calculates the image size of the print image based on the newly generated print data, and compares it again with the paper size in the print settings. If the newly generated print data is determined to be inappropriate, CPU 11 displays preview display screen 50 again. On the other hand, if the data is determined to be suitable, CPU 11 displays preview display screen 60. CPU 11 accepts change instructions in either display. By making a judgment based on the changed print settings again, and accepting changes to the print settings until they are determined to be suitable, printing unintended by the user can be reliably avoided.

[0065] When the operation of the OK button 53 is accepted, if it is determined that an instruction to change by the operation of the button 52 has not been accepted (S115: NO), the CPU 11 determines that printing is to be performed (S121) and ends the paper information determination process. Since the print data is sent to the printer based on the user's instruction after the print image is confirmed by the preview display, it is more likely that printing unintended by the user can be avoided.

[0066] On the other hand, if it is determined that a cancel instruction has been received using the cancel button 54 on the preview display screen 50 shown in FIG. 4 or the preview display screen 60 shown in FIG. 5 (S114: YES), the CPU 11 determines that the instruction has been cancelled (S122) and terminates the paper information determination process.

[0067] Returning to the explanation of FIG. 2, if the auxiliary program 42 determines in the paper information determination process of A21 that printing is to be performed (alt: [print]), it sends the print data and a command to instruct printing to the printer 2 (A23). The printer 2, which has received the print data and the command to instruct printing, prints an image of the print data based on the received command (A24). This generates a printed matter. The auxiliary program 42 further notifies the general-purpose printing program 41 that it has finished sending the print data.

[0068] On the other hand, if the paper information determination process in A21 determines that the print job should be cancelled (alt: [cancel]), the auxiliary program 42 passes information to cancel the print job to the general-purpose printing program 41 (A25). A25 is an example of a cancellation process. This causes the general-purpose printing program 41 to cancel the print job based on the print instruction received in A04, and terminate the print processing. The auxiliary program 42 may delete the generated print data. By accepting a cancellation instruction in the preview display, printing unintended by the user can be reliably avoided.

[0069] After A23 or A25, the auxiliary program 42 deletes the intermediate image data stored in A07 (A31). After completing the paper information determination process, the auxiliary program 42 may delete the intermediate image data before A23 or A25.

[0070] As described above in detail, according to the auxiliary program 42 of this embodiment, when a print instruction is given to the general-purpose print program 41, the CPU 11 of the PC 1 judges whether the paper information included in the print settings is suitable for printing based on the print instruction. If it is judged to be unsuitable, the CPU 11 displays on the user IF 13 a preview image showing a print image indicating that the paper information of the current print settings is unsuitable for printing based on the print instruction. This makes it easier for the user to notice a mismatch in the paper information, and it is expected that the user will change the paper settings. As a result, it is more likely that printing unintended by the user can be avoided.

[0071] It should be noted that 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 be naturally improved and modified in various ways without departing from the gist of the technology. For example, the device connected to PC1 is not limited to a printer, but may be any device having 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.

[0072] Also, for example, the examples of the display screens shown in the drawings are merely examples and are not limited thereto. For example, buttons for accepting printing or cancellation may not be provided. For example, the auxiliary program 42 may accept only a change instruction for a preview image that is determined to be inappropriate and displayed. Alternatively, if the printer 2 has a function for canceling received printing, the auxiliary program 42 may determine that the data is appropriate regardless of the comparison result, and transmit the print data to the printer 2 after displaying the preview image. Even in this case, the user can cancel the printing on the printer 2 by checking the preview image.

[0073] Also, for example, instead of the auxiliary program 42 generating the print data, the general-purpose printing program 41 may generate the print data. The auxiliary program 42 may store the intermediate image data in A07, and then pass the intermediate image data to the general-purpose printing program 41 to generate the print data. The print data generated by the general-purpose printing program 41 is print data in a format that can be used for printing on various printers, such as PWGRaster data or PDF data. If the general-purpose printing program 41 rasterizes the data, the processing by the auxiliary program 42 is small, which is expected to prevent an increase in processing time, and the program size of the auxiliary program 42 is suppressed.

[0074] In addition, in this embodiment, the paper information includes information on the paper size and information on the paper type, but it may be either one of them. Also, the paper information may include information other than the paper size information and the paper type information. In addition, in this embodiment, it is determined that the paper is appropriate if both the paper information in the print settings are compared with the paper information of the printer 2 and the image size of the print data are compared with the paper size in the print settings, but it may be determined that the paper is appropriate based on only one of the comparison results.

[0075] Also, for example, in this embodiment, in S102 of the paper information determination process, it is determined whether or not to determine whether or not to determine whether or not the paper is a target for determination based on the paper size and paper type, but this determination does not have to be made. In other words, all print instructions may be determined as targets for determination, regardless of the paper size and paper type.

[0076] Also, for example, in this embodiment, the image size of the print image is calculated based on the generated print data, but the image size of the raster image assumed from the intermediate image data before rasterization may be obtained. In that case, the auxiliary program 42 may generate print data when printing is determined in the paper information determination process. In that case, only a frame indicating the image size and paper size may be displayed in the preview instead of a print image including the image. Even if only a frame is displayed, the relationship of sizes can be understood, and the possibility of avoiding printing unintended by the user is increased.

[0077] 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. The program that executes the process of the present embodiment is not limited to the auxiliary program 42, but may be any program that receives instructions from the OS 21 or the general-purpose print program 41 when printing is performed 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.

[0078] Furthermore, the execution timing of the auxiliary program 42 is not limited to that of the embodiment. For example, the auxiliary program 42 may receive an execution instruction directly from the OS 21, or may be a resident auxiliary program 42. If the auxiliary program 42 is resident, it is sufficient that the auxiliary program 42 performs the above-mentioned operation upon receiving an execution command.

[0079] In addition, in any of the flowcharts disclosed in the embodiments, the order of execution of multiple processes in any of the steps can be arbitrarily changed or the processes can be executed in parallel as long as no contradiction occurs in the process content.

[0080] The processes disclosed in the embodiments may be executed by a single CPU, multiple CPUs, hardware such as ASIC, or a combination of these. The processes disclosed in the embodiments may be realized in various forms, such as a recording medium having a program for executing the processes recorded thereon, or a method. [Explanation of symbols]

[0081] 1 PC 2. Printer 11 CPU 13 User Interface

Claims

1. A support program executable by a computer of an information processing device and corresponding to a printer connected to the information processing device, The computer includes: When a print instruction is output from an application program installed in the information processing device, the print instruction is for causing the printer to print an image to a general-purpose print program installed in advance in an operating system of the information processing device, a paper information acquisition process for acquiring, from the printer, print paper information including a paper size of the print paper that is used for printing according to the print instruction and that is set in the printer; an image data acquisition process for acquiring print image data indicating an image to be printed in accordance with the print instruction from the general-purpose print program; a preview process for displaying a preview image showing the arrangement of the image to be printed on the printing paper, using a user interface of the information processing device, based on the paper size included in the printing paper information acquired in the paper information acquisition process and the printing image data acquired in the image data acquisition process; Run the command, If the paper size included in the print paper information acquired in the paper information acquisition process is a predetermined size indicating high value, the computer is caused to execute the preview process; If the paper size included in the print paper information acquired in the paper information acquisition process is not the predetermined size, the computer is not caused to execute the preview process. A support program characterized by:

2. 2. A support program as claimed in claim 1, In the paper information acquisition process, If the printing paper information cannot be acquired from the printer, the printing paper information included in the printing settings for the printing instruction is acquired. A support program characterized by:

3. A support program executable by a computer of an information processing device and corresponding to a printer connected to the information processing device, The computer includes: When a print instruction is output from an application program installed in the information processing device, the print instruction is for causing the printer to print an image to a general-purpose print program installed in advance in an operating system of the information processing device, a paper information acquisition process for acquiring, from the printer, print paper information including a paper size of the print paper that is used for printing according to the print instruction and that is set in the printer; an image data acquisition process for acquiring print image data indicating an image to be printed in accordance with the print instruction from the general-purpose print program; a preview process for displaying a preview image showing the arrangement of the image to be printed on the printing paper, using a user interface of the information processing device, based on the paper size included in the printing paper information acquired in the paper information acquisition process and the printing image data acquired in the image data acquisition process; Run the command, The computer includes: When the print instruction is given, an image information acquisition process for acquiring image size information, which is information on the image size of a raster image indicating an image to be printed in accordance with the print instruction, based on the number of dots in the vertical direction, the number of dots in the horizontal direction, and a resolution of the raster image; a determination process for determining whether the paper size included in the print paper information acquired in the paper information acquisition process is appropriate for an image size of an image to be printed according to the print instruction; Run the command, After the determination process is performed, the preview process is performed; In the determination process, determining whether or not the image size indicated in the image size information acquired in the image information acquisition process is suitable for printing based on the print instruction by comparing the image size indicated in the image size information acquired in the image information acquisition process with the paper size included in the print paper information acquired in the paper information acquisition process; If the image size indicated in the image size information acquired in the image information acquisition process does not fit within the paper size included in the print paper information acquired in the paper information acquisition process, the image size is determined to be inappropriate. Even if the image size indicated in the image size information acquired in the image information acquisition process falls within the paper size included in the print paper information acquired in the paper information acquisition process, if the difference between the paper size included in the print paper information acquired in the paper information acquisition process and the image size indicated in the image size information acquired in the image information acquisition process is outside a predetermined range, the image size is determined to be inappropriate; In the preview process, If the paper size is determined to be inappropriate in the determination process, the preview image and information indicating that the paper size is inappropriate are displayed; If the paper size is determined to be appropriate in the determination process, the preview image is displayed, and the information indicating that the paper size is inappropriate is not displayed. A support program characterized by:

4. A support program as recited in claim 3, The computer includes: accepting, via the user interface, a selection of whether or not to cancel a print job based on the print instruction during a period in which the preview image is being displayed in the preview process, and, when a selection of cancellation is accepted, executing a cancellation process for canceling the print job. A support program characterized by:

5. A support program as recited in claim 3 or claim 4, The computer includes: executing a change process for accepting a change of a print setting for the print instruction using the user interface during a period in which the preview image is displayed in the preview process; A support program characterized by:

6. A support program as recited in claim 5, the print settings include a reduction parameter for reducing the image to be printed in accordance with the print instruction, In the change process, A change to enable the reduction parameter included in the print settings is also accepted. A support program characterized by:

7. A support program as recited in claim 5 or claim 6, the print settings include a division parameter for dividing the image to be printed in accordance with the print instruction, In the change process, and accepting a change to enable the division parameters included in the print settings. A support program characterized by:

8. A support program executable by a computer of an information processing device and corresponding to a printer connected to the information processing device, The computer includes: When a print instruction is output from an application program installed in the information processing device, the print instruction is for causing the printer to print an image to a general-purpose print program installed in advance in an operating system of the information processing device, a paper information acquisition process for acquiring, from the printer, print paper information including a paper size of the print paper that is used for printing according to the print instruction and that is set in the printer; an image data acquisition process for acquiring print image data indicating an image to be printed in accordance with the print instruction from the general-purpose print program; a preview process for displaying a preview image showing the arrangement of the image to be printed on the printing paper, using a user interface of the information processing device, based on the paper size included in the printing paper information acquired in the paper information acquisition process and the printing image data acquired in the image data acquisition process; Run the command, The printing paper information acquired in the paper information acquisition process includes a paper type, If the paper type included in the print paper information acquired in the paper information acquisition process is a predetermined type indicating high value, the computer is caused to execute the preview process; If the paper type included in the print paper information acquired in the paper information acquisition process is not the predetermined type, the computer is not caused to execute the preview process. A support program characterized by:

9. A support program as recited in claim 8, In the paper information acquisition process, If the printing paper information cannot be acquired from the printer, the printing paper information included in the printing settings for the printing instruction is acquired. A support program characterized by:

10. A support program as recited in claim 8 or claim 9, The computer includes: When the print instruction is given, execute a determination process for determining whether the paper size included in the print paper information acquired in the paper information acquisition process is appropriate for the image size of the image to be printed in accordance with the print instruction; After the determination process is performed, the preview process is performed; In the preview process, If the paper size is determined to be inappropriate in the determination process, the preview image and information indicating that the paper size is inappropriate are displayed; If the paper size is determined to be appropriate in the determination process, the preview image is displayed, and the information indicating that the paper size is inappropriate is not displayed. A support program characterized by:

11. A support program as recited in claim 10, The computer includes: When the print instruction is given, execute an image information acquisition process for acquiring image size information, which is information on the image size of a raster image indicating an image to be printed in accordance with the print instruction, based on the number of dots in the vertical direction, the number of dots in the horizontal direction, and a resolution of the raster image; In the determination process, determining whether or not the printing based on the print instruction is appropriate by comparing the image size indicated in the image size information acquired in the image information acquisition process with the paper size included in the print paper information acquired in the paper information acquisition process; A support program characterized by:

12. A support program as recited in claim 11, In the determination process, If the image size indicated in the image size information acquired in the image information acquisition process does not fit within the paper size included in the print paper information acquired in the paper information acquisition process, the image size is determined to be inappropriate. A support program characterized by:

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