Support programs and printing systems

Abstract

To reduce the possibility that printing is executed against the intention of a user when printing is executed in accordance with print settings registered on a printer.SOLUTION: A PC 1 with an OS-standard general-purpose print program 41 includes an auxiliary program 42 compatible with a printer 2 and supporting the general-purpose print program 41. When a display instruction is issued to display an advanced setting screen 230 which receives print settings to be used for printing on the printer 2 through a user IF 13, from an editing application 43 to the general-purpose print program 41, the PC acquires registered print settings registered on the printer 2, from the printer 2, and displays the registered print settings through the user IF 13 while displaying the advanced setting screen 230.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

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 printers using a print program that is built into the operating system (OS) as standard, without using a printer driver. With this technology, the OS associates the printer with the OS's standard print program, and after that, when a print command is received for that printer, printing can be performed using the OS's standard print program without using a printer driver.

[0003] Furthermore, a technology is known in which a printer registers predetermined print settings through user operation and uses the registered print settings when printing. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which predetermined print settings can be registered, and if the print job settings differ from the registered print settings, the printer's operation panel asks whether or not to continue printing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-055633 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When accepting print settings in an information processing device, for example, some printer drivers allow for the acceptance of a setting indicating that the print settings registered in the printer should be followed, such as "print using the printer's settings." When the printer receives a print job with such settings, it prints according to the print settings registered in the printer.

[0006] However, when the information processing apparatus receives print settings, the user may not be aware of the specific print settings that are registered in the printer itself. Therefore, even if you select a setting that indicates that the print settings registered in the printer should be followed, there is a possibility that printing will occur in an unintended manner. Furthermore, the OS's standard general-purpose printing program does not allow you to leave the print settings to the printer, such as following the print settings registered in the printer.

[0007] This specification discloses a technology that reduces the possibility of printing unintended by the user when printing according to print settings registered in a printer in an information processing device that has an OS-standard general-purpose printing program built in. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A support program made for the purpose of solving the above-mentioned problems is a support program that can be executed by a computer of an information processing device, corresponds to a printer connected to the information processing device, and supports a general-purpose print program that is pre-installed in the operating system of the information processing device, and causes the computer to execute an acquisition process to acquire registered print settings from the printer, the printer being able to accept registration of specified print settings and store the registered print settings, which are the registered specified print settings, and further causes the computer to execute a display process to display the setting screen using a user interface of the information processing device when a display instruction is output from an editing application program installed in the information processing device, the display instruction being to the general-purpose print program to display a setting screen that accepts print settings to be used for printing on the printer, the options that can be accepted on the setting screen include a setting that indicates that the registered print settings should be followed, and further causes the computer to execute a notification process to notify the registered print settings acquired in the acquisition process using the user interface of the information processing device while the setting screen is displayed.

[0009] An information processing device incorporating the support program having the above configuration acquires registered print settings registered in the printer from the printer and notifies the user of the acquired registered print settings while the settings screen is displayed. This allows the user to understand the contents of the registered print settings on the information processing device when selecting a setting on the settings screen that indicates that the registered print settings should be followed. This reduces the possibility of printing unintended by the user when printing according to the print settings registered in the printer.

[0010] A printing system, a control method, a computer program for realizing the functions of the above-described device, and a computer-readable storage medium storing the computer program are also novel and useful. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] The technology disclosed in this specification realizes a technology that reduces the possibility of printing unintended by the user when printing according to print settings registered in a printer on an information processing device that has an OS-standard general-purpose printing program built in. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an outline of the electrical configuration of a PC. [Figure 2] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a procedure for a printing operation by each program. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a detailed setting screen. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing a control procedure for a screen operation acceptance process. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing a control procedure for a notification process. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a notification screen. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a detailed setting screen. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a notification process. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a notification screen. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing another example of the procedure of the printing operation by each program. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] A personal computer (hereinafter referred to as "PC") that uses the support program of this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. This specification discloses a printing system that includes a printer with a printing function and a support program executed on a PC connected to the printer.

[0014] (First embodiment) First, a first embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, a printing system 100 of this embodiment includes a PC 1 and a printer 2. The PC 1 is an example of an "information processing device." The printer 2 is a device with a printing function. The PC 1 and the printer 2 are connected so that they can communicate with each other. The printer 2 of this embodiment receives print data from the PC 1 or the like, for example, and executes printing based on the received print data.

[0015] As shown in Fig. 1, the PC 1 of this embodiment includes a controller 10 including a CPU 11 and a memory 12. The CPU 11 is an example of a "computer." The PC 1 also includes a user interface (hereinafter referred to as a "user IF") 13 and a communication interface (hereinafter referred to as a "communication IF") 14, which are electrically connected to the controller 10. Note that the controller 10 in Fig. 1 is a collective term for hardware and software used to control the PC 1, and does not necessarily represent a single piece of hardware that actually exists in the PC 1.

[0016] The CPU 11 executes various processes in accordance with programs read from the memory 12 and based on user operations. 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 memory. Note that 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, such as a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM.

[0017] The user IF 13 includes hardware for displaying a screen for notifying the user of information and hardware for accepting user operations. 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.

[0018] 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 multiple communication IFs 14 that are compatible with multiple communication standards.

[0019] As shown in Fig. 1, the memory 12 of the PC 1 stores an operating system (hereinafter referred to as "OS") 21 including a general-purpose print program 41, an auxiliary program 42, and an editing application 43. The auxiliary program 42 is an example of a "support program." The editing application 43 is an example of an "editing application program." The OS 21 is, for example, Windows (registered trademark), macOS (registered trademark), Linux (registered trademark), iOS (registered trademark), or Android (registered trademark).

[0020] The general-purpose printing program 41 is an OS standard program that causes various printers, such as the printer 2, to execute printing based on user instructions. The general-purpose printing program 41 in this embodiment is a program that includes a function for generating intermediate image data based on the image data to be printed.

[0021] The generic printing program 41 supports functions that can be used in common by multiple printer models provided by various printer vendors. The generic printing program 41 does not support all of the functions that are unique to each printer, and the functions it supports are limited to generic ones.

[0022] 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 that supports 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 launched 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).

[0023] 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 multiple programs that each receive an execution command, or may be a single program that can execute different processes depending on the command.

[0024] The auxiliary program may be a program prepared by the printer vendor for each printer type. For example, an auxiliary program for inkjet printers and an auxiliary program for laser printers may be prepared separately. For example, when a new printer is connected to PC 1, OS 21 of PC 1 downloads an appropriate auxiliary program from a server or the like according to the type of the connected printer and installs it in its own device. Then, OS 21 associates the identification information of the installed auxiliary program with the printer information of the newly connected printer and stores it in memory 12. Note that auxiliary programs are not limited to those prepared for each printer type, and there may also be auxiliary programs prepared for each printer model or series of printer models.

[0025] 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 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, via the user IF 13, for example, a print execution instruction to cause the printer 2 to execute printing.

[0026] The printer 2 accepts registration of predetermined print settings via its own operation panel or a management device that manages the printer 2, and stores the registered print settings (hereinafter referred to as "registered print settings") 2a in the printer's non-volatile memory. The registered print settings may be registered or changed from an external device using an embedded web server (EWS) built into the printer 2. The registered print settings 2a are not pre-defined print settings (default print settings) 2b that are stored in advance at the time of shipment from the factory or before delivery to the user, but are print settings that can be registered or changed by user operation after shipment from the factory.

[0027] For example, when the printer 2 displays the print screen on the operation panel, it displays the values ​​of each item according to the registered print settings 2a. Therefore, if frequently used print settings are registered in the printer 2 as the registered print settings 2a, the frequently used print settings will be displayed from the start, eliminating the need to change the print settings to match the frequently used print settings.

[0028] When printing by specifying printer 2, PC 1 accepts its own print settings. Therefore, PC 1 can generate a print job with print settings different from the registered print settings 2a of printer 2, send it to printer 2, and have printer 2 print the job.

[0029] 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 an application that accepts print instructions, such as the editing application 43, accepts a print execution instruction 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 installed in the PC 1.

[0030] Note that the processes and each processing step of the flowchart in this embodiment basically represent processing by the CPU 11 in accordance with instructions written in a program such as the auxiliary program 42. The 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 explained without a detailed description of the OS 21. Also, the term "obtain" is used as a concept that does not necessarily require a request.

[0031] 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 selected text, etc. (A01), it displays a print screen for accepting instructions from the user 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.

[0032] When the editing application 43 receives an instruction to start accepting detailed print settings while printer 2 is selected on the currently displayed print screen (A03), it passes information about the received detailed setting instruction to the OS 21. When the OS 21 receives an instruction for detailed settings related to printing using the general-purpose printing program 41, it executes the general-purpose printing program 41 and passes an instruction to start accepting detailed print settings to the general-purpose printing program 41 (A04). The instruction to start accepting detailed print settings is an example of a "display instruction." When the general-purpose printing program 41 receives the instruction to start accepting detailed print settings, it passes an instruction to execute acceptance of detailed print settings to the auxiliary program 42 corresponding to printer 2, the currently selected printer (A05).

[0033] In response to the execution instruction, the auxiliary program 42 causes the user IF 13 to display a detailed setting screen for accepting print settings to be used for printing on the printer 2 (A11). The detailed setting screen is an example of a "setting screen." The processing of A11 is an example of a "display process." An example of the detailed setting screen is shown in FIG. 3.

[0034] Print setting items are displayed on the detailed settings screen 230. These print setting items include print setting items specific to the printer 2 that the general-purpose printing program 41 cannot support. Therefore, the detailed settings screen 230 allows the user to set print settings that the general-purpose printing program 41 cannot support. Note that the print setting items displayed on the detailed settings screen 230 may further include print setting items that the general-purpose printing program 41 can support.

[0035] The print settings include items for processing images (hereinafter referred to as "image processing items") and items for not processing images (hereinafter referred to as "non-image processing items"). Image processing items include, for example, color correction, toner saving, combined printing such as Nin1, composite printing such as watermark, and double-sided printing. Non-image processing items include, for example, paper feed tray, paper output tray, double-sided printing, color printing, eco mode, and accumulated printing.

[0036] Each item has a radio button for selecting a setting that is compatible with the printer 2. For example, the print setting for paper size has a radio button for selecting the standard sizes "A4" or "A3." Even if a setting value that cannot be set in the general-purpose printing program 41 is set for each item, it can be set as long as it is a setting value that is compatible with the printer 2.

[0037] The advanced settings screen 230 is provided with a settings button 232, a back button 233, a follow main body button 234, and a register main body button 235. The settings button 232 is an operator for accepting an instruction to confirm the print settings. The back button 233 is an operator for accepting an instruction to return to the previous screen without confirming the print settings. The follow main body button 234 is an operator for accepting an instruction to follow the print settings of printer 2, which is the printer main body. The follow main body button 234 is an example of an "option". The register main body button 235 is an operator for accepting a registration instruction to register the print settings set on the advanced settings screen 230 in printer 2, which is the printer main body.

[0038] Returning to FIG. 2, the auxiliary program 42 that has displayed the detailed setting screen 230 performs a screen operation acceptance process (A12). In the screen operation acceptance process, an operation on the detailed setting screen 230 is accepted via the user IF 13. The screen operation acceptance process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 4. The image operation acceptance process is executed by the CPU 11 of the PC 1.

[0039] The CPU 11 determines whether or not the detailed setting screen 230 has been operated (S1). If the operator displayed on the detailed setting screen 230 has not been operated, the CPU 11 waits (S1: NO).

[0040] 3 (S3: YES), the CPU 11 changes the setting for that item in accordance with the input operation (S11), and returns to S1. For example, the CPU 11 changes the display of the print setting for paper size from "A4" to "A3" in accordance with the operation of the user IF 13.

[0041] When the "Follow Main Unit" button 234 displayed on the advanced settings screen 230 in FIG. 3 is operated via the user IF 13, the CPU 11 determines that the print settings of the printer main unit should be followed (S1: YES, S3: NO, S5: YES). In this case, the CPU 11 outputs a notification instruction to execute a notification process (S13) and returns to the processing of S1. The notification process is a process of displaying a notification screen that displays the registered print settings acquired from the printer 2 on the user IF 13 separately from the advanced settings screen 230 and accepting operations on the notification screen. The notification process will be described later.

[0042] When the main body registration button 235 displayed on the detailed setting screen 230 is operated via the user IF 13 (S1: YES, S3: NO, S5: NO, S6: YES), the CPU 11 receives a registration instruction to register the setting contents displayed on the detailed setting screen 230 in the printer 2, which is the printer main body, and confirms with the user whether or not registration is required (S21). For example, the CPU 11 causes the user IF 13 to display a dialog box for confirming whether or not registration is required. The dialog box may have, for example, an OK button for permitting registration and a Cancel button for disallowing registration.

[0043] For example, when the CPU 11 accepts operation of the OK button in the dialog via the user IF 13 (S23: YES), it sends a registration command to the printer 2 via the communication IF 14 (S25) and returns to the processing of S1. The registration command is a command that instructs the printer 2 to register the print settings set on the detailed settings screen 230, and includes print setting information related to the print settings displayed on the detailed settings screen 230. Note that before sending the registration command to the printer 2, the CPU 11 may request entry of a password to authenticate whether or not the user has the authority to change the registered print settings, and may send the registration command to the printer 2 if the authentication is successful.

[0044] When the printer 2 receives the registration command sent from the PC 1, it updates the registered print settings stored in the non-volatile memory of the printer 2 with the print setting information included in the registration command. This makes it possible to store the registered print settings from the PC 1 in the printer 2, eliminating the need for the user to go to the printer 2 and register or change the registered print settings via the operation panel.

[0045] Note that the CPU 11 determines that the registration instruction has not been accepted (S23: NO) if, for example, an operation of the cancel button is accepted via the user IF 13. In this case, the CPU 11 returns to the processing of S1 without transmitting the registration command to the printer 2 via the communication IF 14.

[0046] When the setting button 232 is operated via the user IF 13 (S1: YES, S3: NO, S5: NO, S6: NO, S7: YES), the CPU 11 confirms the print settings set on the detailed setting screen 230 (S15). That is, the CPU 11 updates the existing print settings stored in the non-volatile area of ​​the memory 12 that can be used by the auxiliary program 42 with the print settings set on the detailed setting screen 230. After confirming the print settings, the CPU 11 ends the screen operation acceptance process.

[0047] In response to this, if the back button 233 is operated via the user IF 13 (S1: YES, S3: NO, S5: NO, S6: NO, S7: NO, S9: YES), the CPU 11 ends the screen operation acceptance process without changing the existing print settings stored in the non-volatile area of ​​the memory 12 that can be used by the auxiliary program 42. Note that if an operation other than the operation to change the print settings and the operation of buttons 232 to 235 is performed via the user IF 13 (S1: YES, S3: NO, S5: NO, S6: NO, S7: NO, S9: NO), the CPU 11 performs other processing (S17) and ends the screen operation acceptance process.

[0048] 2, when the auxiliary program 42 finishes the screen operation reception process, it closes the detailed setting screen and passes a completion notification to the general-purpose printing program 41. At this time, the auxiliary program 42 passes the print settings received via the detailed setting screen 230 to the general-purpose printing program 41. The general-purpose printing program 41 passes the completion notification and the print settings received from the auxiliary program 42 to the editing application 43.

[0049] The above-mentioned notification process will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 5. The notification process is performed by the auxiliary program 42, and is executed by the CPU 11 of the PC 1 when a notification instruction is output in S13 of Fig. 4.

[0050] The CPU 11 uses the communication IF 14 to request the printer 2 to send the registered print settings (S31). In response to the request from the PC 1, the printer 2 acquires the registered print settings stored in its own non-volatile memory. The printer 2 then responds to the PC 1 that sent the request with the acquired registered print settings. The CPU 11 waits until the registered print settings sent from the printer 2 are received via the communication IF 14 (S33: NO).

[0051] The communication between the PC 1 (auxiliary program 42) and the printer 2 may be performed by the auxiliary program 42 directly communicating with the printer 2 using, for example, an 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 in accordance with a communication protocol of the OS 21, such as IPP (short for Internet Printing Protocol).

[0052] When the CPU 11 receives the registered print settings sent from the printer 2 via the communication IF 14 (S33: YES), it causes the user IF 13 to display a notification screen 300 based on all the items (S35). That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the CPU 11 causes the user IF 13 to display a notification screen 300 that displays all of the registered print settings received from the printer 2 in S33. Thereafter, the CPU 11 proceeds to the processing of S37 shown in FIG. 5. The registered print settings may be displayed on the same screen as the detailed settings screen 230. The notification screen 300 may also be displayed as a pop-up as a separate process from the detailed settings screen 230.

[0053] In this way, when the Follow Main Unit button 234 is operated on the advanced settings screen 230, that is, when an option to follow the main unit is selected, the PC 1 acquires and notifies the registered print settings from the printer 2 while the advanced settings screen 230 is displayed. Therefore, when the user wants to know the contents of the registered print settings, the PC 1 allows the user to grasp the contents of the registered print settings, thereby reducing the possibility of printing that the user does not intend.

[0054] 6, notification screen 300 further includes an end button 321 and an apply button 323. End button 321 is an operator for accepting an instruction to end notification of the registered print settings. Apply button 323 is an operator for accepting an instruction to apply the print settings accepted via notification screen 300 to the print settings displayed on advanced settings screen 230.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 5, the CPU 11 waits with the notification screen 300 displayed until an operation is received via the user IF 13 (S37: NO). When the CPU 11 receives an operation of the Apply button 323 on the notification screen 300 via the user IF 13 (S37: YES, S41: YES), the CPU 11 applies the registered print settings displayed on the notification screen 300 to the print settings on the detailed setting screen 230 (S47) and returns to the processing of S37. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, before the Apply button 323 is operated, the detailed setting screen 230 has the combined printing set to "No." However, as shown in FIG. 6, if the Apply button 323 is operated with the combined printing set to "2 in 1" on the notification screen 300, the CPU 11 changes the combined printing setting on the detailed setting screen 230 from "No" to "2 in 1." This causes the registered print settings to be collectively reflected in the print settings on the detailed setting screen 230. Therefore, when the user wants to use the registered print settings of printer 2, the user does not need to set each item individually to match the registered print settings, which reduces the user's time and effort in setting print settings.

[0056] Furthermore, if the CPU 11 receives an operation of the end button 321 on the notification screen 300 via the user IF 13 (S37: YES, S41: NO, S43: YES), it closes the notification screen 300 (S45) and ends the notification process.

[0057] 2, when the editing application 43 receives a print instruction from the user on the print screen (A61), it passes the print instruction to the general-purpose printing program 41 (A62). The general-purpose printing program 41 obtains, in the print instruction, information indicating the image data to be printed and information indicating the print settings. The print settings include the print settings received via the detailed settings screen 230.

[0058] The general-purpose printing program 41 generates intermediate image data by converting the format of the image data included in the received print instruction into the format of intermediate image data (A63), and generates a print job including the intermediate image data. The image data included in 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 intermediate image data may be omitted and the image data may be used as is as intermediate image data. The intermediate image data may be, for example, XPS data.

[0059] The general-purpose printing program 41 further outputs an execution instruction to the auxiliary program 42 (A64), causing the auxiliary program 42 to operate. In the execution instruction, the generated intermediate image data and print setting information are passed to the auxiliary program 42. The print settings include the print settings received via the detailed setting screen 230.

[0060] The auxiliary program 42 generates print data based on the execution instruction received from the general-purpose print program 41 (A71). The print data is generated by performing rasterization based on the intermediate image data. The print data 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." When generating print data from the intermediate image data, the auxiliary program 42 processes the print image in accordance with the settings of the items to be processed on the image. The processing of A71 is an example of an "image processing."

[0061] For example, if combined printing is set to "2 in 1," the auxiliary program 42 processes the intermediate image data so that two images are combined into one. Alternatively, if double-sided printing is set to "Yes," the auxiliary program 42 processes the intermediate image data so that one image is inverted relative to the other. Alternatively, if composite printing is set to "Yes" and an image labeled "Confidential" is selected as the composite image, the auxiliary program 42 processes the intermediate image data so that the "Confidential" image is combined with the intermediate image data. The auxiliary program 42 then rasterizes the processed intermediate image data to generate print data.

[0062] For example, the auxiliary program 42 is also provided with a conversion table for converting RGB values ​​into CMYK values. Furthermore, the auxiliary program 42 accepts settings for preferred hues (brightness, RGB values, etc.) for specific colors. The auxiliary program 42 can accept color correction settings via the detailed settings screen 230. Color correction is a setting for correcting the conversion table for a specific color (e.g., red) based on the preferred hues. The specific color is not limited to red, but may also be blue or green. When color correction is set to "Yes," the auxiliary program 42 corrects the conversion table according to the setting. Then, when rasterizing the intermediate image data to generate print data, the auxiliary program 42 converts the RGB values ​​of the specific color specified in the print image into CMYK values ​​based on the corrected conversion table.

[0063] For example, when color correction is set to "Yes" and color tone settings such as brightness and RGB values ​​are accepted, the auxiliary program 42 corrects the RGB values ​​of the color specified in the print image according to the set color tone when rasterizing the intermediate image data to generate print data. Furthermore, for example, if toner saving is set to "on," the auxiliary program 42 reduces the density of the print image when rasterizing the intermediate image data to generate print data.

[0064] Furthermore, for example, if the print settings include settings for non-image processing items such as paper feed tray, paper output tray, double-sided printing, color printing, eco mode, and accumulated printing, the auxiliary program 42 generates print data to which commands are added to cause the printer 2 to perform printing operations based on those settings. Eco mode is a mode that slows the paper transport speed during printing to reduce noise generated during printing. Accumulated printing is a printing method in which the printer 2 does not immediately print print data received from an external device such as the PC 1, but instead accumulates it in its own memory and prints the accumulated print data when a print execution instruction is received via the operation panel. Accumulated printing may also be secure printing, in which user information such as a user ID and password is required, and the printer accepts a print execution instruction and prints the data if user authentication is successful.

[0065] In this way, rasterizing with the auxiliary program 42 corresponding to the printer 2 allows for greater flexibility 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 by the auxiliary program 42 may be in a format that can also be used for printing on printers other than the printer 2 model.

[0066] Instead of the auxiliary program 42 generating the print data, the general-purpose printing program 41 may generate the print data. In other words, when the auxiliary program 42 determines that printing is to be executed, it may pass information on the execution of printing to the general-purpose printing program 41. In this case, the general-purpose printing program 41 rasterizes the intermediate image data generated by A63 to generate print data. The general-purpose printing program 41 then passes the generated print data to the auxiliary program 42.

[0067] The print data generated by the general-purpose print 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 print data is rasterized by the general-purpose print program 41, the processing of the auxiliary program 42 is reduced, which is expected to prevent an increase in processing time and reduce the program size of the auxiliary program 42.

[0068] The auxiliary program 42 sends the print data generated in A71 to the printer 2 together with a print command that instructs the printer to print (A72). Furthermore, when the auxiliary program 42 receives print data from the general-purpose print program 41, it sends the print data received from the general-purpose print program 41 to the printer 2 together with the print command that instructs the printer to print. Upon receiving the print data and the print command, the printer 2 prints the image of the print data based on the received print command (A73). This results in the creation of a printed matter. The auxiliary program 42 further notifies the general-purpose printing program 41 that the transmission of the print data has been completed.

[0069] The general-purpose printing program 41 may transmit the print data to the printer 2. In other words, the auxiliary program 42 may pass the generated print data to the general-purpose printing program 41 so that the data is transmitted from the PC 1 to the printer 2 as the destination. The general-purpose printing program 41 transmits the print data received from the auxiliary program 42 to the printer 2.

[0070] As described above in detail, the auxiliary program 42 of this embodiment acquires the registered print settings registered in the printer 2 from the printer 2, and notifies the user of the registered print settings acquired from the printer 2 while the detailed settings screen 230 is displayed. This allows the user to understand the contents of the registered print settings on the PC 1 when selecting a setting on the detailed settings screen 230 that indicates that the registered print settings should be followed. This reduces the possibility of printing unintended by the user when printing according to the print settings registered in the printer 2.

[0071] (Second embodiment) Next, a second embodiment will be described. The printing system of this embodiment differs from the printing system of the first embodiment in the display of the detailed setting screen and the method of notifying registered print settings. Here, the differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment will be used in the drawings for configurations and processes that are common to the first embodiment, and descriptions will be omitted as appropriate.

[0072] 7, for each item on the advanced settings screen 1230, in addition to options for settings that the printer 2 can support, an option for selecting settings that conform to the printer's registered print settings is provided. For example, the print setting for paper size has radio buttons for selecting "A4" or "A3," and also a "Follow printer" radio button for instructing the printer to follow the registered print setting paper size. Therefore, it is possible to set for each item whether to follow the print settings registered in the printer 2.

[0073] 3, the detailed setting screen 1230 is provided with a Confirm Main Unit button 1234. The Confirm Main Unit button 1234 is an operator for receiving an instruction to display the registered print settings of the printer 2 on the user IF 13. The Confirm Main Unit button 1234 is an example of a "predetermined operator."

[0074] In this embodiment, the process of S5 in the screen operation reception process (see FIG. 4) in the first embodiment is a process of determining whether or not the main body check button 1234 has been operated, and if the main body check button 1234 has been operated, a notification instruction is output in S13. In this embodiment, the notification process executed when a notification instruction is received differs from that in the first embodiment. The notification process of this embodiment will be described based on the flowchart in FIG.

[0075] 8, after acquiring registered print settings from printer 2 (S31, S33), CPU 11 accepts selection of a notification method (S111). For example, CPU 11 allows the user to select either a first notification method in which all registered print settings acquired from printer 2 are displayed on user IF 13, or a second notification method in which only print settings for which "Follow device settings" is set are displayed on user IF 13 from among the print settings displayed on the detailed settings screen.

[0076] When the first notification method is selected via the user IF 13, the CPU 11 determines to display all (S113: YES). In this case, for example, as shown in Fig. 6, the CPU 11 causes the user IF 13 to display a notification screen 300 based on all items (S35), and proceeds to the processing of S41.

[0077] In this way, by notifying all of the setting items of the registered print settings, the user can grasp all of the setting items of the registered print settings, including the items that are set to follow the registered print settings. That is, for example, the user can grasp the print settings registered in the printer 2 not only for the items (output tray, double-sided printing, eco mode) that are set to "Follow the printer" on the detailed setting screen 1230 shown in Fig. 7 (e.g., paper size, number of copies, paper input tray, combined printing, toner mode, accumulated printing, etc.) but also for the items that are not set to "Follow the printer" and for the items that are not displayed on the detailed setting screen 230 (e.g., paper type, print quality, color correction, etc.).

[0078] Furthermore, when the second notification method is selected via the user IF 13, the CPU 11 determines that only the items according to the main body are to be displayed (S113: NO, S115: YES). In this case, the CPU 11 extracts items whose setting value is set to "follow the main body" from among the items displayed on the detailed setting screen 230 (S121). Then, the CPU 11 causes the user IF 13 to display a notification screen based on the items extracted in S121 (S123), and proceeds to the processing of S41.

[0079] 7, assume that before the main unit check button 324 is operated, the "output tray," "double-sided printing," and "eco mode" are set to "follow main unit settings" on the detailed setting screen 230. In this case, as shown in FIG. 9, the CPU 11 causes the user IF 13 to display a notification screen 600 that displays the settings of "output tray," "double-sided printing," and "eco mode" from the registered print settings received in S33.

[0080] In this way, notification screen 600, which displays only the items set according to the main body, has fewer display items than notification screen 300 (see FIG. 6), which notifies all registered print settings. Also, it is possible to display only the items that the user wants to print according to the print settings registered in printer 2. This makes it easier for the user to understand the items that are the subject of notification, and reduces the possibility of printing that the user does not intend when printing according to the print settings registered in printer 2.

[0081] Furthermore, the user can select whether to display all or only the items according to the main body, so that the user IF 13 can display a notification screen that meets the user's intention.

[0082] (Third embodiment) Next, a third embodiment will be described. The printing system of this embodiment differs from the printing system of the first embodiment in the timing of acquiring registered print settings and displaying a notification screen. Therefore, this embodiment will mainly describe the differences from the first embodiment, and the same components and processes as the first embodiment will be designated by the same reference numerals in the drawings and will not be described as necessary.

[0083] 10, when the general-purpose printing program 41 receives an execution instruction output in response to a start acceptance instruction from the editing application 43 (A05), the auxiliary program 42 requests the printer 2 to transmit the registered print settings via the communication IF 14 (A201). In response to the request, the printer 2 reads and acquires the registered print settings from the non-volatile memory (A202) and responds to the PC 1. After receiving the registered print settings transmitted from the printer 2 via the communication IF 14 (A203), the auxiliary program 42 displays the detailed settings screen 230 and the notification screen 300 (S204). The auxiliary program 42 then receives the detailed settings via the detailed settings screen 230 (S211).

[0084] In this manner, in this embodiment, the registered print settings are acquired from the printer 2 before displaying the detailed settings screen 230, and when the detailed settings screen 230 is displayed, the registered print settings are notified from the beginning via the notification screen 300. As with the first and second embodiments, this allows the user to understand the contents of the registered print settings when configuring print settings on the PC 1 and then select whether or not to configure settings that indicate that the registered print settings should be followed, thereby reducing the possibility of printing unintended by the user when printing according to the print settings registered in the printer 2.

[0085] The embodiments disclosed in this specification are merely examples and do not limit the present invention in any way. Therefore, the technology disclosed in this specification can naturally be improved and modified in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the device connected to PC1 is not limited to a printer, but may be any device with a printing function, such as a multifunction device, copier, or fax machine. Furthermore, the number of printers connected to PC1 is not limited to the illustrated example, and may be two or more.

[0086] For example, in the above embodiment, the auxiliary program 42 acquires all registered print settings registered in the printer 2. In contrast, as shown in FIG. 7, when setting each item to conform to the main body settings, the auxiliary program 42 may acquire registered print settings from the printer 2 only for items that conform to the main body settings, and display the acquired registered print settings on the notification screen. Furthermore, the auxiliary program 42 may acquire the corresponding registered print settings individually from the printer 2, for example, each time the "Follow the main body" radio button is selected. However, by acquiring the registered print settings all at once in response to the operation of the main body confirmation button 1234, as in the above embodiment, the communication time with the printer 2 can be shortened.

[0087] For example, in the second embodiment, the notification method can be selected by the user, but the notification method may always be the same.

[0088] For example, it may be possible to prevent the print settings set on the advanced settings screen 230 from being registered in the printer 2 from the PC 1. In other words, it may be possible to prevent the registered print settings of the printer 2 from being changed from the PC 1. However, by being able to update the registered print settings of the printer 2 from the PC 1, it is possible to eliminate the need to operate the printer 2 to register the print settings.

[0089] The image processing for processing an image in accordance with the print settings may be performed by the general-purpose print program 41 or the printer 2, rather than by the auxiliary program 42. However, by including at least the print setting items for which the auxiliary program 42 processes images as targets of the registered print settings, the possibility of printing unintended by the user can be reduced.

[0090] The detailed setting screens 230, 1230 shown in Figures 3 and 7 and the notification screens 300, 600 shown in Figures 6 and 9 are merely examples and are not limited to these. For example, the items displayed on the detailed setting screens 230, 1230 and the notification screens 300, 600 are not limited to those shown in the figures.

[0091] In the above 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. Furthermore, the program that executes the processing of this 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 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.

[0092] Furthermore, the execution timing of the auxiliary program 42 is not limited to that of the embodiment. For example, the auxiliary program 42 may be executed in response to a direct execution instruction from the OS 21, or may be a resident auxiliary program 42. If the auxiliary program 42 is resident, it may simply receive an execution command and perform the above-described operation.

[0093] Furthermore, in any flowchart disclosed in the embodiments, the execution order of multiple processes in any multiple steps can be arbitrarily changed or can be executed in parallel, as long as no contradiction occurs in the processing content.

[0094] 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]

[0095] 1 PC 2. Printer 11 CPU 13 User Interface 100 Printing Systems

Claims

1. A support program that can be executed by a computer of an information processing device and supports a general-purpose printing program that is pre-installed in an operating system of the information processing device, The computer, When an editing application program installed in the information processing device receives an operation and receives an execution instruction from the general-purpose printing program, an acquisition process for acquiring registered print settings including each setting value for a plurality of setting items from a printing device connected to the information processing device, the acquisition process being capable of accepting registration of each setting value for the plurality of setting items and storing print settings including each registered setting value as the registered print settings; a reflection process for reflecting each setting value of the registered print setting acquired in the acquisition process in the plurality of setting items on a setting screen that accepts print settings used for printing on the printing device; an acceptance process for accepting changes to setting values ​​for some of the setting items on the setting screen after the reflection process has been executed; Execute When a print instruction is output from the editing application program to the general-purpose print program, the print instruction instructing the printing device to print an image is received. an image processing process that receives image data to be printed in response to the print instruction from the general-purpose print program, and processes the image of the received image data in accordance with print settings in which some of the setting items of the registered print settings are changed to settings accepted in the acceptance process, and the setting items include items to which the image is processed in the image processing; executes a print data transmission process that controls to transmit print data to the printing device for printing in accordance with print settings in which some of the setting items of the registered print settings have been changed to the setting values ​​accepted in the acceptance process, among the plurality of setting items of the registered print settings; Support program.

2. A support program that can be executed by a computer of an information processing device and supports a general-purpose printing program that is pre-installed in an operating system of the information processing device, The computer, When an editing application program installed in the information processing device receives an operation and receives an execution instruction from the general-purpose printing program, an acquisition process for acquiring registered print settings including each setting value for a plurality of setting items from a printing device connected to the information processing device, the acquisition process being capable of accepting registration of each setting value for the plurality of setting items and storing print settings including each registered setting value as the registered print settings; a reflection process for reflecting each setting value of the registered print setting acquired in the acquisition process in the plurality of setting items on a setting screen that accepts print settings used for printing on the printing device; an acceptance process for accepting changes to setting values ​​for some of the setting items on the setting screen after the reflection process has been executed; Execute When a print instruction is output from the editing application program to the general-purpose print program, the print instruction instructing the printing device to print an image is received. execute a print data transmission process that controls the printing device to transmit print data to which a command for causing the printing device to perform printing in accordance with print settings in which some of the setting items of the registered print settings have been changed to setting values ​​accepted in the acceptance process is added, among the plurality of setting items of the registered print settings; Support program.

3. 3. The support program according to claim 1 or 2, the setting screen includes an operator indicating that the registered print setting is to be followed; The computer, When the operator is operated while the setting screen is displayed, the acquisition process and the reflection process are executed. Support program.

4. 3. The support program according to claim 1 or 2, The computer, When the execution instruction is a display instruction output from the editing application program to the general-purpose printing program to display the setting screen, the acquisition process and the reflection process are executed. Support program.

5. A support program according to any one of claims 1 to 4, In the reflection process, all of the setting values ​​of the registered print settings acquired in the acquisition process are reflected in the plurality of setting items on the setting screen; Support program.

6. A support program according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The computer, While the setting screen is displayed, a registration instruction for the currently set print settings is accepted using a user interface, and when the registration instruction is accepted, a registration process is executed to output to the printing device a registration command instructing the printing device to register the print settings set on the setting screen, the registration command including information indicating the print settings set on the setting screen, and when the printing device receives the registration command, the printing device updates the stored registered print settings with the print settings indicated by the information included in the registration command. Support program.

Images