Information processing apparatus, control method, and program

Abstract

To provide an information processing apparatus, a control method, and a program which can prevent the occurrence of an unintended print result.SOLUTION: The program causes a computer of the information processing apparatus to perform a notification step of making a prescribed notification on the basis of that a spot color print area which is set to be printed in a spot color being a color different from a process color is included in a prescribed area other than a text area within an area to be printed by printing data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, a control method, and a program for performing desired spot color printing with an image output apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for printing by replacing information (RGB values) of a specific color with a special color specified in advance in printing.

Prior Art Document

Patent Document

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When performing spot color printing, it is desired not to produce an unintended printing result. Therefore, the present invention provides an information processing apparatus, a control method, and a program capable of suppressing the occurrence of an unintended printing result.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] Therefore, the program of the present invention causes a computer of an information processing apparatus to perform an acquisition step of acquiring print data, and a notification step of executing a predetermined notification based on the fact that a spot color printing area, which is a setting for printing with a spot color different from a process color, is included in a predetermined area other than a text area in an area to be printed by the print data. The system is characterized in that, when the setting for printing with a first spot color is enabled and the setting for printing with a second spot color different from the first spot color is disabled, it generates a first image showing the spot color printing area in the area to be printed by the print data, which is set to be printed with the first spot color; it generates a second image showing the area in the text area within the area to be printed by the print data where a color value corresponding to the first spot color is set and an area where a color value corresponding to the second spot color is set; and it performs a comparison step of comparing the first image and the second image, and based on the comparison result in the comparison step, the predetermined notification is performed.

[0006] Further, the program of the present invention causes a computer of an information processing apparatus to perform an acquisition step of acquiring print data, and a color that is different from a process color The system is characterized by the following steps: a notification step in which a notification is performed based on the fact that a spot color printing area, which is set to be printed in spot color, is included in a predetermined area other than the text area in the area to be printed by the print data; a first generation step in which a first image is generated in the area to be printed by the print data, showing the spot color printing area, which is set to be printed in the predetermined spot color, in a state in which the setting for printing in a predetermined spot color is enabled; a second generation step in which a second image is generated in the text area within the area to be printed by the print data, showing the spot color printing area, which is set to be printed in the predetermined spot color; and a comparison step in which the first image and the second image are compared, and the predetermined notification is performed based on the comparison result in the comparison step.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an information processing device, a control method, and a program that can suppress the occurrence of unintended printing results. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the printing system. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of a printing system that performs spot color printing. [Figure 3] This diagram shows an example screen of a poster data creation application. [Figure 4] This diagram shows the print settings dialog and the spot color settings screen. [Figure 5] This table shows the spot color, its corresponding specified RGB value, and the corresponding command. [Figure 6] This is a flowchart illustrating the process of generating print data. [Figure 7] This diagram shows an example of the commands that can be assigned. [Figure 8] This is a flowchart illustrating the print preview process. [Figure 9] This diagram shows an example of the print preview and message dialog screens. [Figure 10] This is an example of the spot color preview screen. [Figure 11] This is a diagram showing the message. [Figure 12] This is a flowchart illustrating the spot color preview process. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0010] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the printing system in this embodiment. The host computer 101 is an example of an information processing device and includes an input interface 110, a CPU 111, a ROM 112, a RAM 113, an external storage device 114, an output interface 115, and an input / output interface 116. Input devices such as a keyboard 118 and a pointing device 117 are connected to the input interface 110, and display devices such as a display unit 119 are connected to the output interface 115.

[0011] The ROM 112 stores the initialization program, and the external storage device 114 stores application programs, the operating system (OS), printer drivers, and various other data. The RAM 113 is used as work memory for executing the various programs stored in the external storage device 114.

[0012] In this embodiment, the CPU 111 executes the functions and flowchart-related processes described later in the host computer 101 by following the procedures of the program stored in the ROM 112. The printing device (image output device) 102 is connected to the host computer 101 via the input / output interface 116. Here, the host computer 101 and the image output device 102 are configured separately, but they may also be configured as a single information processing device. The image output device is described using an inkjet printer as an example, which prints by ejecting ink onto the paper surface, but printing may be performed by other methods (e.g., electrophotography).

[0013] In this embodiment, an inkjet printer equipped with spot color ink will be described as an example. Furthermore, the image output device of this embodiment will be described as a large-format inkjet printer capable of printing on large-sized recording media such as A0 or B0. In addition, the host computer 101 may be a desktop PC, a smartphone, or a notebook computer.

[0014] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a printing system that performs spot color printing. In the present embodiment, the printing apparatus 102 is configured to be capable of spot color printing, which is printing using spot color ink other than normal ink (that is, special color ink, hereinafter also referred to as "spot color ink"). The "normal ink" is ink for performing process color printing, and is ink of colors such as cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K) that form the basis of process color. Note that process color is a color represented by one of CMYK or a combination of two or more of CMYK. In the present embodiment, fluorescent pink ink and fluorescent orange ink are used as spot color ink. A spot color is a color different from process color and cannot be represented only by one of CMYK or a combination of two or more of CMYK. However, the present invention is not limited to this form, and the number and colors of spot color ink may be arbitrary, and non-fluorescent color ink may be used. For example, violet ink, green ink, orange ink, gold ink, silver ink, or the like may be used as spot color ink. Further, other metallic color inks may be used. Furthermore, ink in which spot color ink and other ink (for example, normal ink) are blended may also be treated as spot color ink.

[0015] In printing using spot color, pixels of RGB values corresponding to the spot color are printed with the spot color. Note that the RGB values corresponding to the spot color can also be used as the RGB values corresponding to a color represented only by normal ink (that is, a normal color). In other words, the same RGB values as those corresponding to the spot color may be set for pixels corresponding to a color represented only by normal ink. In that case, whether to use special ink for printing the pixels of the RGB values is controlled by whether spot color printing instruction information is added to the print data.

[0016] Application 202 is software for creating content to be printed. For example, an image editing application for creating poster data corresponds to it. The user specifies specific RGB values for objects (images, graphics, text) for which spot color printing is desired on Application 202. When Application 202 receives a printing request from the user, it issues a printing instruction to OS 201. Upon receiving the printing instruction, OS 201 delegates processing related to subsequent printing to an OS printing system (not shown) that it has. Hereinafter, the description will be made on the assumption that the OS printing system operates in cooperation with printer driver 203 provided by the printer vendor.

[0017] When the OS printing system receives a request to display a printing settings screen from Application 202, it requests printer driver 203 to display the printing settings screen, and printer driver 203 displays the printing settings screen using user interface section 204. Although the printing settings screen will be described later, it is possible to specify the paper size, paper type, etc., and the spot color printing.

[0018] The printer driver 203 provides the SDK (Software Development Kit) I / F 206. The application 202 can use the SDK I / F 206 to configure print settings on the application itself without opening the printer driver 203's print settings screen. Furthermore, the printer driver 203 can acquire information from the printing device 102 via the information acquisition unit 207. Based on the information acquired from the printing device 102, the printer driver 203 can display settings tailored to the functionality of the printing device 102 in the user interface unit 204, or support them through the SDK I / F 206. The printer driver 203 can also display an area that accepts whether or not to enable spot color printing, and switches whether or not to enable spot color printing based on the operation in that area. Specifically, for example, the printer driver 203 can display the fluorescent pink spot color printing setting. The fluorescent pink spot color printing setting is an area that accepts the selection whether or not to enable spot color printing (fluorescent pink spot color printing) for printing pixels with RGB values ​​corresponding to fluorescent pink in fluorescent pink. If fluorescent pink spot color printing is not enabled, pixels with RGB values ​​corresponding to fluorescent pink will be printed in a color other than fluorescent pink. Therefore, this area can be considered an area for accepting settings regarding whether pixels with specific RGB values ​​should be printed in fluorescent pink or a color other than fluorescent pink. Alternatively, it can be considered an area for accepting settings such as whether to print using spot color ink or using regular ink without spot color ink.

[0019] If the checkbox is checked and fluorescent pink spot color printing is set (enabled), instruction information is added to the print data generated by the printer driver 203 to instruct the printing device 102 to print using fluorescent pink. If there are pixels in the print data to which this instruction information has been added that have RGB values ​​corresponding to fluorescent pink, the printing device 102 will perform printing using fluorescent pink spot color ink based on that print data.

[0020] If the checkbox is unchecked and fluorescent pink spot color printing is not set, the print data generated by the printer driver 203 will not include instruction information to tell the printer 102 to print using fluorescent pink. Furthermore, even if there are pixels with RGB values ​​corresponding to fluorescent pink in the print data that does not include this instruction information, the fluorescent pink spot color ink will not be used for printing those pixels, and only regular ink will be used. Note that, similar to the fluorescent pink spot color printing setting, other spot color printing settings may be displayed.

[0021] Upon receiving a print command from application 202, the print data and print settings from application 202 are transmitted to the graphics processing unit 205 of the printer driver 203 via the OS printing system. The graphics processing unit 205 converts this data into a data format that the printer 102 can interpret and sends it to the printer 102. Subsequently, ink is ejected from the recording head of the printer 102 onto the recording medium fed into the printer 102, forming an image. If spot color printing is set, spot color ink is ejected to the pixels of the specified RGB values ​​in the print data for which spot color printing is specified.

[0022] Furthermore, the graphics processing unit 205 works in conjunction with the print preview unit 208 to perform a print preview using the print data and print settings received via the OS printing system. A print preview displays an image of the print result from the printer 102 on the display unit 119, allowing the user to check the print result before printing from the printer 102 and cancel printing if it is not what was intended. The user can also change the print settings from the print settings screen provided by the print preview unit 208 and reflect these changes in the print data. The print settings screen provided by the print preview unit 208 will be described later, but it is positioned as a way to make changes to print settings such as spot color printing that have been specified in advance using the print settings screen of the user interface unit 204.

[0023] This section describes an example of a printer 102 that, when spot color printing is set in the printer driver 203, uses spot color ink to print in one of six predetermined special colors. When spot color printing is set in the printer driver 203, pixels in the print data that have specific RGB values ​​corresponding to the set spot color are printed using spot color ink. In this embodiment, specific RGB values ​​are assigned to each of the six predetermined colors. In this embodiment, for example, the specific RGB values ​​are R=255 (0xFF), G=0 (0x00), B=255 (0xFF), and pixels with these RGB values ​​are printed in fluorescent pink, one of the special colors, by using fluorescent pink ink.

[0024] Furthermore, specific RGB values ​​are, for example, R=255 (0xFF), G=85 (0x55), and B=0 (0x00). Pixels with these RGB values ​​are printed in orange, one of the special colors, by mixing fluorescent pink ink with M and Y inks. Alternatively, if orange ink is available as a spot color ink, printing in orange can be achieved using only orange ink. In other words, pixels with specific RGB values ​​corresponding to a spot color only need to be printed using at least spot color ink; they do not need to be mixed with regular ink. As mentioned above, even in spot color printing, pixels that do not have specific RGB values ​​corresponding to a spot color are printed using only regular ink. Spot color printing is only performed when enabled by user operation. That is, if the spot color printing setting is not enabled, pixels with specific RGB values ​​corresponding to a spot color are printed using only regular ink, as the RGB values ​​are referenced as usual.

[0025] Specifically, if the printer driver 203 enables the fluorescent pink spot color printing setting, and the RGB values ​​of the pixels included in the transmitted print data are R=255, G=0, B=255, then the printer 102 can perform spot color printing using fluorescent pink ink. The same applies to other spot colors. In other words, if the printer driver 203 enables the printing setting for each spot color, and the RGB values ​​of the pixels included in the transmitted print data correspond to the RGB values ​​of each spot color, then the printer 102 can perform the corresponding spot color printing. On the other hand, if the printer driver 103 enables the spot color printing setting, but the print data does not contain pixels with the specific RGB values ​​corresponding to spot color printing, then spot color printing is not possible.

[0026] Figure 3 shows an example screen of the poster data creation application 314. In this embodiment, the poster data creation application 314 allows editing of an image generated by overlapping multiple objects. The poster data creation application 314 can also perform editing processes such as adding (overlaying), deleting, and changing the color, size, and position of objects based on editing operations received from the user. When such editing operations are performed, the edited objects are overlapped to generate a new single image.

[0027] When performing spot color printing, the user first selects the spot color to be used in the print settings of the printer driver 203, as described above. Then, they create the content in application 202 and specify the RGB values ​​corresponding to the spot color ink for specific areas of the text or graphics print data that they want to print using the spot color ink.

[0028] Figure 3(a) is a diagram showing an example of application 202 in this embodiment, and is a diagram showing an example screen of poster data creation application 314. Poster data creation application 314 includes toolbar buttons 300, a print data display area 301, a print data editing area 302, an object selection frame 303, an object color editing tab menu 304, and an object size change tab menu 305. Furthermore, poster data creation application 314 includes object display color 306, an R value change control 307, a G value change control 308, and a B value change control 309 for changing the RGB values ​​of objects. Furthermore, poster data creation application 314 includes a control 310, a print button 311, a print settings button 312, and an exit button 313.

[0029] The poster data creation application 314 displays print data in an editable format. The toolbar buttons 300 allow the user to select functions such as undo and redo editing operations, create text objects, create graphics objects, create print data objects, change the display magnification, display application help, and select objects. The print data display area 301 is the area where the print data created by the user is displayed. The print data editing area (image editing screen) 302 is the area where the user can use the pointing device 117 to select any object, move the selected object, and edit the print data. The object selection frame 303 is a dashed line display frame that indicates to the user that a given object has been selected.

[0030] Figure 3(a) shows that the text object (text image) labeled "SALE" is selected. When the Object Color Edit tab menu 304 is selected, controls are displayed to change the color of the currently selected object. When the Object Resizing tab menu 305 is selected, controls are displayed to change the size of the currently selected object.

[0031] In Figure 3(a), the object color editing tab menu 304 is selected, and the display color of the object 306, the R value change control 307 for changing the object's RGB values, the G value change control 308, and the B value change control 309 are displayed. Each of the R, G, and B value controls can be set to a value from 0 to 255 by directly entering the value using the keyboard 118 or by selecting the button to the right of the control using the pointing device 117. When the RGB values ​​are changed, the display color 306 also changes according to those RGB values. In the example in Figure 3(a), the first specific color value, R=255, G=0, B=255, is set as the RGB value for specifying the color of the text object "SALE" enclosed in the object selection frame 303. In this embodiment, the specific color value is the RGB value corresponding to the spot color.

[0032] Figure 3(b) shows an example of the poster data generation application 314 display, indicating that the text object "UP TO 50% OFF" is selected. The object selection frame 315 is indicated by a dashed line to show that the object is selected. In the example in Figure 3(b), the RGB values ​​for specifying the color of the "UP TO 50% OFF" text object enclosed in the object selection frame 315 are set to R=255, G=0, B=170, which are second specific color values.

[0033] In this embodiment, the data generation color space of application 202 and the color space of the print data generated by the rendering engine of the printer driver 203 are both the standard RGB color space, the sRGB color space. Also, for the sake of simplicity, the influence of color matching processing is assumed to be negligible. Furthermore, the data generation color space of application 202 and the color space of the print data generated by the rendering engine of the OS printing system are both the standard RGB color space, the sRGB color space, and for the sake of simplicity, the influence of color matching processing is assumed to be negligible.

[0034] In other words, the RGB values ​​expressed in application 202 are assumed to match the RGB values ​​of pixels included in the print data generated by the printer driver 203 or the rendering engine of the OS printing system. Therefore, if the printer driver 203 is set to print R=255, G=0, B=255 as a spot color, the print data for those RGB values ​​will be printed as a fluorescent pink spot color. Furthermore, the following explanation assumes that the RGB values ​​of other image objects displayed in the print data editing area 302 are different from these values.

[0035] The control 310 of the poster data creation application 314 allows the user to select a print queue for the printer 102 that is pre-registered in the OS printing system from a list. The print button 311 is selected by the user when printing the print data displayed in the print data editing area 302 to the print queue selected by the control 310. The print settings button 312 opens the print settings details screen, which opens the print settings screen for the print queue specified by the control 310. The exit button 313 is selected by the user when exiting the poster data creation application 314.

[0036] Returning to the explanation of Figure 2, when application 202 (poster data creation application 314) receives a print request from the user, it issues a print command to OS 201. Upon receiving the print command, OS 201 entrusts the subsequent printing process to its own OS printing system (not shown). Here, the OS printing system operates in cooperation with the printer driver 203.

[0037] Figure 4 shows the print settings dialog 400 and the spot color settings screen 402. Figure 4(a) shows the print settings dialog 400, which is the settings screen for the printer driver 203, and Figure 4(b) shows the spot color settings screen 402.

[0038] When the printer driver 203 (see Figure 2) receives a command from application 202 to launch the print settings screen via the OS printing system, the user interface unit 204 controls the display to show the print settings dialog 400. The user can obtain the desired printout from the printer device 102 by making various print settings on the print settings dialog 400. Button 401 is a button that opens the spot color detailed settings screen. When button 401 is selected and clicked (hereinafter also referred to as pressing), the spot color settings screen 402 shown in Figure 4(b) opens.

[0039] The spot color setting screen 402 displays RGB values ​​corresponding to a predetermined number of spot colors, the display color 404 based on those RGB values, and a checkbox 403 for setting whether or not to print those RGB values ​​as spot colors. In other words, the checkbox 403 is an area that accepts the selection of whether or not to enable spot color printing for printing pixels having RGB values ​​corresponding to spot colors. Here, at least an area is displayed that accepts the selection of whether or not to enable spot color printing for printing pixels having a first specific color value, and an area that accepts the selection of whether or not to enable spot color printing for printing pixels having a second specific color value. In the following explanation, "a certain spot color being enabled" means "spot color printing for printing pixels with RGB values ​​corresponding to that certain spot color using that spot color is enabled."

[0040] Note that if spot color printing is not enabled, that is, if checkbox 403 is not checked, pixels with RGB values ​​corresponding to spot colors will be printed in a color other than the spot color. Therefore, this area can be said to be an area for accepting settings regarding whether to print pixels with specific RGB values ​​in spot colors or in a color other than the spot color. Alternatively, it can be said to be an area for accepting settings such as whether to print using spot color ink or not, and instead print using regular ink.

[0041] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since a checkbox 403 is provided for each of the multiple spot colors, it is possible to set the enable / disable status of multiple spot color printings individually. For example, checkbox 403 includes an area that accepts the selection of whether or not to enable spot color printing (fluorescent pink spot color printing) for printing pixels having RGB values ​​corresponding to fluorescent pink in fluorescent pink. It also includes an area that accepts the selection of whether or not to enable spot color printing (orange spot color printing) for printing pixels having RGB values ​​corresponding to orange in orange.

[0042] This spot color setting screen 402 allows the user to view multiple selectable spot colors and choose the color to use as the spot color. The presence of separate checkboxes allows for settings such as enabling fluorescent pink spot color printing while disabling orange spot color printing. Figure 4(b) shows a setting to print RGB values ​​R=255, G=0, B=170 as the spot color, with the R=255, G=0, B=170 checkbox 403 checked to enable spot color printing.

[0043] Subsequently, when the user presses the OK button 405 on the spot color setting screen 402, closing the settings screen of the printer driver 203, the print settings are transmitted to the application 202 (see Figure 2). When the application 202 issues a print command, if the print data generated by the printer driver 203 contains RGB values ​​(R=255, G=0, B=170), the printer 102 uses spot color ink to print.

[0044] If checkbox 403 is unchecked on the spot color settings screen 402, spot color ink will not be used by the printer 102, even if the print data generated by the printer driver 203 contains the corresponding RGB values ​​(R=255, G=0, B=170). In this case, the printer 102 will use regular ink to form the image in the portion corresponding to the RGB values.

[0045] Figure 5 is a table showing the RGB values ​​and corresponding commands for each spot color. This information about the RGB values ​​and corresponding commands for each spot color is stored in the printer driver 203.

[0046] In this embodiment, we demonstrate an example of printing the corresponding RGB values ​​as fluorescent spot colors using fluorescent pink ink. However, spot colors using other special color inks such as silver or gold may be assigned to any RGB value.

[0047] By the way, in this embodiment, if the user wants to perform spot color printing, they need to set the RGB values ​​corresponding to the spot color for the object they want to print with spot color ink in the editing screen of the poster data creation application 314. Then, they need to enable spot color printing corresponding to the RGB values ​​set for the object in the settings screen of the printer driver 203.

[0048] However, at this time, for example, a user may set the RGB values ​​corresponding to the spot color for an object they want to print with spot color ink in the editing screen of the poster data creation application 314, but forget to enable spot color printing corresponding to those RGB values ​​in the settings screen of the printer driver 203. In this case, although the user wants the object to be printed in spot color, problem 1 occurs where it is printed in process color.

[0049] Furthermore, for example, the RGB values ​​corresponding to spot colors may be unintentionally set for objects that the user does not want printed using spot colors. This is because, for example, photographic images contain many colors, and as a result, they may include normal colors that have the same RGB values ​​as the RGB values ​​corresponding to spot colors. In this case, a problem arises (problem 2) where the object is printed using spot colors even though the user wants it not to be printed using spot colors (and instead printed using process colors).

[0050] Therefore, in this embodiment, control is performed to solve the above-mentioned problems. Alternatively, only one of the control methods—the one to solve problem 1 and the one to solve problem 2—may be performed, thus solving only one of the problems.

[0051] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating the print data generation process in this embodiment. When the print button 311 is pressed from the poster data creation application 314, the print settings are transmitted to the graphics processing unit 205 (see Figure 2) via the OS printing system, depending on the state of each control in the print settings dialog 400 (see Figure 4(a)). Then, the print data generation process is executed based on those print settings.

[0052] The print data generation process in this embodiment will now be described with reference to the flowchart in Figure 6. The series of processes shown in Figure 6 are performed by the CPU 111 of the host computer 101 loading the program code stored in the ROM 112 into the external storage device 114 and executing it. Alternatively, some or all of the functions of the steps in Figure 6 may be implemented by hardware such as an ASIC or electronic circuit. The symbol "S" in the description of each process indicates a step in the flowchart.

[0053] When the print button 311 is pressed and the print data generation process begins, in S601, under the control of the CPU 111, the graphics processing unit 205 refers to the print settings transmitted via the OS printing system and checks whether the setting to display a print preview is enabled. Depending on the state of the checkbox 406 in the print settings dialog 400, if it is checked, the process proceeds to S602, and if it is unchecked, the process proceeds to S603. The processing in the S602 subroutine will be described later.

[0054] Next, in S603, under the control of the CPU 111, the graphics processing unit 205 generates a command (a command corresponding to the aforementioned instruction information) to print pixels with the selected RGB values ​​as spot colors, according to the spot color setting 402. Then, in S604, under the control of the CPU 111, the print data, which is the image to be printed converted into a format that the printing device 102 can recognize, is given a command to specify it as a spot color and sent to the printing device 102. In other words, the CPU 111 sends special color information to the printing device 102.

[0055] Furthermore, information that at least associates which command enables which spot color printing, as shown in Figure 5, is managed not only by the printer driver 203 but also by the printing device 102. Therefore, the printing device 102 can identify the RGB values ​​to be targeted for spot color printing based on the received commands. Print data is generated through this series of processes. If no spot color printing is enabled in the spot color setting 402, the above commands are not generated or added, and print data is generated.

[0056] Figures 7(a) to (c) show examples of commands to be added. For example, if R=255, G=0, B=255 is specified as a spot color, the command shown in Figure 7(a) is added to the print data. If R=255, G=0, B=170 is specified as a spot color, the command shown in Figure 7(b) is added to the print data. If both R=255, G=0, B=255 and R=255, G=0, B=170 are specified as spot colors, the command that is the logical OR of the bit flags in both Figures 7(a) and (b) is added to the print data, as shown in Figure 7(c). This allows multiple spot colors to be specified with a single command. As shown in Figure 5, at least as many commands as there are spot colors are provided, and additional commands that can specify multiple spot colors, such as those shown in Figure 7(c), may be provided as appropriate depending on the combination of spot colors and the number specified in a single command.

[0057] Figure 8 is a flowchart showing the print preview processing in subroutine S602, which is part of the print data generation process in Figure 6. S602 is the process performed when the graphics processing unit 205 checks the print settings in the determination process in S601 and the setting to display the print preview (Print Preview: ON) is selected.

[0058] In addition, the print preview process in S602 may be performed by pressing the preview button (not shown) that displays the print preview.

[0059] The print preview process in this embodiment will now be described with reference to the flowchart in Figure 8. The series of processes shown in Figure 8 are performed by the CPU 111 of the host computer 101 loading the program code stored in the ROM 112 into the external storage device 114 and executing it. Alternatively, some or all of the functions of the steps in Figure 8 may be implemented by hardware such as an ASIC or electronic circuit. The symbol "S" in the description of each process indicates a step in the flowchart.

[0060] When the print preview process begins, in S801, under the control of the CPU 111, the graphics processing unit 205 generates a print preview image (preview image) (hereinafter referred to as Image A) from the print data and print settings transmitted via the OS printing system. Specifically, Image A is an image in which the areas where RGB values ​​corresponding to the spot colors enabled in the spot color setting screen 402 are set are represented in spot colors. Also, Image A is an image in which the areas where RGB values ​​corresponding to spot colors disabled in the spot color setting screen 402 are set are represented in process colors. Also, Image A is an image in which areas where RGB values ​​not corresponding to spot colors are set are represented in process colors. In other words, Image A is an image that shows the print result output by the printing device 102 based on the print data if the print data is sent to the printing device 102 with the current print settings. Next, in S802, under the control of the CPU 111, the graphics processing unit 205 generates an image (hereinafter referred to as Image B) in which only the areas to be printed with spot colors are extracted from the spot color settings and print data included in the print settings transmitted via the OS printing system. Here, only the areas printed with the spot color enabled by the spot color settings are extracted from the multiple spot colors that can be enabled / disabled on the spot color settings screen 402. Areas printed with spot colors that are not enabled by the spot color settings are not extracted. The extraction target includes the text data area and the background area. The text data area (text area) is the area where text arbitrarily entered by the user in application 202 is printed, and it is set on the background area. The background area is the area where the background image arbitrarily selected by the user in application 202 is printed. For example, if the spot color settings are as shown in Figure 4(b), the area extracted as image B will be the area where the RGB values ​​of the pixels on the content are R=255, G=0, B=170.

[0061] Next, in S803, the graphics processing unit 205, under the control of the CPU 111, extracts areas from the print data transmitted via the OS printing system that are text data areas and have RGB values ​​(see Figure 5) corresponding to spot colors. Here, areas with RGB values ​​corresponding to the enabled spot colors among the multiple spot colors that can be enabled / disabled in the spot color setting screen 402 are extracted. Furthermore, areas with RGB values ​​corresponding to the disabled (not enabled) spot colors are also extracted. Note that the extraction target is not limited to text data areas, but may also be graphics data areas. Note that text data areas and graphics data areas correspond to areas that are not background areas. It is assumed that which areas are background areas and which areas are text data areas can be determined from the information contained in the print data. The graphics processing unit 205 generates the extracted image (hereinafter referred to as Image C). In other words, the areas extracted as Image C are the areas of characters (text) in the content created by the poster data creation application 314 that are specified by one of the six types of specified RGB values ​​shown in Figure 5. Therefore, in the case of content like that shown in Figure 3, for example, the areas of the text "SALE" specified with R=255, G=0, B=255 and "UP TO 50% OFF" specified with R=255, G=0, B=170 are relevant. Furthermore, the RGB values ​​extracted as image C are identified as color values ​​for which spot color printing is recommended in this printing system, and the spot color setting corresponding to these RGB values ​​is stored as the recommended spot color setting (recommended setting derivation means).

[0062] Note that the order of processing from S801 to S803 is not limited to that shown in Figure 8.

[0063] Here, we will explain using specific examples for Image B and Image C. For example, if text is formed using a spot color and its corresponding RGB value, but the user forgets to check the spot color setting (Figure 4(b)) and therefore no spot color is specified, then nothing will be displayed in Image B because nothing is specified in the spot color setting. However, in Image C, the text will be displayed because it is formed using a spot color and its corresponding RGB value. In other words, if the user intended to print using spot color and formed text using a spot color and its corresponding RGB value, but forgot to specify the spot color in the spot color setting, or if there is a possibility that the settings are incorrect, then a difference will appear between Image B and Image C.

[0064] Returning to the flowchart in Figure 8, in S804, the graphics processing unit 205, under the control of the CPU 111, compares image B and image C and determines whether image B and image C match. If image B and image C match (Yes in the S804 determination), the process proceeds to S805. In S805, the print preview unit 208 is instructed to start the print preview. Note that no notification like the one executed in S806 is performed here. If, as a result of the comparison between image B and image C in S804 (in the comparison result), image B and image C do not match (No in the S804 determination), the process proceeds to S806. In S806, the print preview unit 208 is instructed to start the print preview, including information that there may be a problem with the spot color settings. This can be achieved, for example, by assigning a specific value as a startup parameter when instructing the start of the print preview, but the means of information transmission are not necessarily limited to this.

[0065] The above process makes it possible to detect, for example, whether an area printed with a spot color enabled by the spot color settings is included in the background area. Furthermore, it makes it possible to detect, for example, whether an area with RGB values ​​corresponding to a spot color that is not enabled by the spot color settings is included in the text data area.

[0066] Figure 9 shows an example screen of the print preview 900 and the message dialog 905. Figure 9(a) is an example of the print preview 900 displayed by the print preview unit 208, which includes a print preview display area 901, a spot color preview button 902, a print button 903, and a print cancel button 904.

[0067] The print preview unit 208 displays the print preview 900 on the display unit 119 based on the print preview activation instruction S805 or S806 in the flowchart of Figure 8. Here, the print preview display area 901 displays image A generated in S801. In image A, even if a spot color is specified in the spot color setting, the color is displayed using RGB values. By confirming the display of image A on the print preview 900, the user can recognize the image of the print result and select the print button 903 if they wish to proceed with printing from the printer 102 with this content. If they do not wish to proceed with printing, they can select the print cancel button 904. If the print button 903 is selected, the process moves to S603 in the flowchart of Figure 6, and the processing from S603 onwards is performed as described above.

[0068] Furthermore, if the print preview unit 208 receives information via S806 that there may be a problem with the spot color settings, it displays a message dialog 905 along with the print preview 900. The display of the message dialog 905 (see Figure 9(b)) corresponds to a notification process to the user. The message dialog 905 displays that there may be a problem with the spot color settings (the spot color settings may be incorrect) and recommends checking the spot color preview, which will be described later. This allows for notification to be executed, for example, if the area to be printed by a spot color enabled by the spot color settings (spot color printing area) is included in the background area. In addition, it allows for notification to be executed, for example, if the area with RGB values ​​corresponding to a spot color that is not enabled by the spot color settings is included in the text data area. In other words, notification is executed based on the fact that the spot color printing area is included in a predetermined area other than the text area.

[0069] Figure 10(a) shows an example screen of the Spot Color Preview 1000, which is displayed when the Spot Color Preview button 902 in Figure 9(a) is pressed. The Spot Color Preview 1000 includes a Spot Color Preview display area 1001, a Recommended Spot Color Preview display area 1002, and a Preview Message 1003. Furthermore, the Spot Color Preview 1000 includes RGB values ​​corresponding to a predetermined number of spot colors, a display color 1004 based on those RGB values, and a checkbox 1005 for setting whether or not to print those RGB values ​​as spot colors. In addition, the Spot Color Preview 1000 includes a Recommended Settings Apply button 1006, a Settings Complete button 1007, and a Cancel button 1008. Here, "SALE" is formed with RGB=255, 0, 255, and "UP TO 50% OFF" is formed with RGB=255, 0, 170.

[0070] When the spot color preview button 902 is pressed and the spot color preview 1000 is displayed, the spot color preview display area 1001 displays image B generated by S802. In addition, checkbox 1005 displays the spot color settings used when image B was generated by S802. In this case, checkbox 1005 for RGB=255, 0, 170 is checked. By checking the display content of the spot color preview display area 1001 and the state of checkbox 1005, the user can understand which areas of the created image will be printed in spot color according to the current spot color settings.

[0071] When the spot color preview 1000 is displayed, the recommended spot color preview display area 1002 displays image C generated by S803. The user can compare the display in the recommended spot color preview display area 1002 with the display in the spot color preview display area 1001 side by side. By comparing them, if there is a difference between the area printed with spot color using the current spot color settings and the area printed with spot color using the recommended spot color settings of this printing system, the user can recognize that the settings may be incorrect. Furthermore, if the user selects the recommended settings apply button 1006, the spot color settings will be changed to match the recommended spot color settings used when image C was generated in S803.

[0072] In the spot color preview 1000 in Figure 10(a), the user did not check checkbox 403 for RGB=255, 0, 255 in the spot color settings (see Figure 4(b)), so "SALE" is not set as a spot color. As a result, "SALE" is not displayed in image B.

[0073] Figure 10(b) shows the display screen of the spot color preview 1000 that appears when the recommended settings apply button 1006 is pressed. The contents of the recommended spot color settings are reflected in the checkbox 1005 and displayed as spot color settings, and the same image that is displayed in the recommended spot color preview display area 1002 is displayed in the spot color preview display area 1001.

[0074] The preview message 1003 switches depending on whether the image displayed in the spot color preview display area 1001 matches the image displayed in the recommended spot color preview display area 1002. If the images do not match, a message indicating that they do not match, as shown in preview message 1003 of Figure 10(a), is displayed. If the images do match, a message indicating that they match, as shown in preview message 1003 of Figure 10(b), is displayed.

[0075] In Figure 10(a), the cursor 1009 of the pointing device 117 points to the text area "UP TO 50% OFF" on the spot color display area 1001. Also, in Figure 10(a), the cursor 1010 of the pointing device 117 points to the text area "SALE" on the recommended spot color display area 1002. Note that in Figure 10(a), cursors 1009 and 1010 are displayed simultaneously for clarity, but they are not displayed at the same time; only one of them is displayed.

[0076] Figures 11(a) and (b) show the messages displayed when a click operation is performed on the display screen of the spot color preview 1000. When the cursor 1009 is moved to the area to be printed with spot color on the spot color preview display area 1001, and the cursor 1009 is aligned with the letter "F" using the pointing device 117 and clicked, the message 1101 shown in Figure 11(a) is displayed. The OK button 1102 of message 1101 is configured to allow the user to change the corresponding spot color setting when pressed. When the user presses the OK button 1102 in message 1101, the spot color setting is changed so that spot color printing is not performed on the RGB values ​​of RGB=255, RGB=0, and RGB=170 in the area clicked by the cursor 1009.

[0077] Furthermore, if the cursor 1010 is positioned over the area to be spot-color printed on the recommended spot color preview display area 1001, and the cursor 1010 is positioned over the letter "L" and clicked, the message 1103 shown in Figure 11(b) will be displayed. Then, when the user presses the OK button 1104, the corresponding spot color settings will be changed to perform spot color printing on the RGB values ​​of the clicked area, namely RGB=255, RGB=0, and RGB=255.

[0078] When the "Settings Complete" button 1007 is pressed, the spot color settings are confirmed with the selection of checkbox 1005 displayed in the spot color preview 1000, and the spot color preview 1000 screen is closed. Then, the display returns to the print preview 900 (see Figure 9), and when the print button 903 is pressed (a print command is issued), spot color printing is performed with the spot color settings selected in the spot color preview 1000. On the other hand, if the cancel button 1008 is pressed, the changes made to the selection of checkbox 1005 after the spot color preview 1000 was launched are discarded, and the display returns to the print preview 900.

[0079] Figure 12 is a flowchart showing the spot color preview process. When the spot color preview button 902 is pressed in the print preview 900 (see Figure 9(a)), the print preview unit 208 starts the spot color preview process. When the spot color preview button 902 is pressed, the screen display shows the spot color preview 1000. The spot color preview process in this embodiment will be described below with reference to the flowchart in Figure 12. The series of processes shown in Figure 12 are performed by the CPU 111 of the host computer 101 loading the program code stored in the ROM 112 into the external storage device 114 and executing it. Alternatively, some or all of the functions of the steps in Figure 12 may be implemented in hardware such as an ASIC or electronic circuit. The symbol "S" in the description of each process means that it is a step in the flowchart.

[0080] When the spot color preview process starts, in S1201, the print preview unit 208, under the control of the CPU 111, displays images B and C. This means that on the spot color preview 1000, image B is displayed in the spot color preview display area 1001, and image C is displayed in the recommended spot color preview 1002. Then, in S1202, under the control of the CPU 111, the print preview unit 208 checks whether the setting completion button 1007 has been pressed by the user. If it has been pressed, the process in the flowchart of Figure 12 is terminated. If it has not been pressed, the process proceeds to S1203.

[0081] In S1203, the CPU 111 controls the print preview unit 208 to check whether a click operation was performed by the pointing device 117 on image B displayed in the spot color preview display area 1001. If a click operation was performed, in S1204, the RGB values ​​of the corresponding pixels in image B are extracted from the coordinates where the cursor 1009 was placed at the time of the click operation, and the spot color settings are changed so that spot color printing is not performed for these RGB values. After that, the process proceeds to S1209. If no click operation was performed in S1203, the process proceeds to S1205.

[0082] In S1205, under the control of the CPU 111, the print preview unit 208 checks whether a click operation was performed by the pointing device 117 on image C displayed in the recommended spot color preview display area 1002. If a click operation was performed, in S1206, the RGB values ​​of the corresponding pixels in image C are extracted from the coordinates where the cursor 1010 was placed when the click operation was performed by the pointing device 117. Then, the spot color settings are changed to perform spot color printing on these RGB values. After that, the process proceeds to S1209. If no click operation was performed in S1205, the process proceeds to S1207.

[0083] In S1207, under the control of CPU 111, the print preview unit 208 checks whether the recommended settings application button 1006 has been pressed by the user. If it has been pressed, S1208 changes the spot color settings to the recommended spot color settings. After that, the process proceeds to S1209. If the recommended settings application button 1006 has not been pressed by the user in S1207, the process proceeds to S1209.

[0084] In S1209, the print preview unit 208, under the control of the CPU 111, checks whether a change has been made to the spot color settings. This checks whether a change has been made to the spot color settings by any of the processes described in S1204, S1206, or S1208. If a change has been made, in S1210, under the control of the CPU 111, the print preview unit 208, via the graphics processing unit 205, regenerates an image (image B) that extracts only the area on the print data that will be printed with spot color based on the changed spot color settings. Then, the process returns to S1201, and the display content of the spot color preview display area 1101 is updated with the regenerated image B.

[0085] If no changes have been made to the spot color settings in S1209, the process returns to S1202 and checks again whether the settings are complete. If the settings are not complete, the process is repeated from S1203, and if the settings are complete, the process is terminated.

[0086] In this embodiment, recommended spot color settings are derived according to the content prepared by the user. If a different spot color setting is set than the derived setting, the user is notified of the discrepancy in the print preview screen before printing is performed. Furthermore, the spot color preview allows the user to compare the area printed with spot color using the current spot color setting with the area printed with spot color using the recommended spot color setting, and also allows the user to change the spot color setting while checking the display. Through these actions, an information processing device, control method, and program can be realized that can suppress the occurrence of unintended printing results.

[0087] In this embodiment, the process proceeds to S602 only if checkbox 406 in the print settings dialog 400 is checked. However, this is not the only possible outcome. In other words, the print preview process may be performed even if checkbox 406 is unchecked. Furthermore, if image B and image C do not match, a notification of incorrect settings may be issued.

[0088] (Other embodiments) The details of Figure 8 are not limited to the form described above. For example, in S804, instead of the above, the following determination may be made. For example, in the flowchart of Figure 8, an image (hereinafter referred to as Image D) may be generated by extracting the area that is printed with a spot color that is enabled by the spot color setting, from among multiple spot colors that are text data areas and can be enabled / disabled in the spot color setting screen 402, from the print data. Then, instead of the determination in S804 described above, as determination process A, Image B and Image D may be compared and it may be determined whether Image B and Image D match. This makes it possible to detect, for example, whether the area printed with a spot color enabled by the spot color setting is included in the background area. In determination process A, for example, it may be determined by a method other than comparing Image B and Image D whether the area printed with a spot color enabled by the spot color setting is included in the background area. For example, determination process A may be executed by identifying the background area and determining whether the area printed with a spot color enabled by the spot color setting is included in the identified area.

[0089] Furthermore, for example, in the flowchart of Figure 8, as judgment process B, images C and D may be compared to determine whether or not they match. This makes it possible to detect, for example, whether an area with RGB values ​​corresponding to a spot color that is not enabled by the spot color settings is included in the text data area. In other words, it makes it possible to detect whether there is a spot color that may have been forgotten to be enabled by the spot color settings. Note that in judgment process B, for example, it is possible to determine whether an area with RGB values ​​corresponding to a spot color that is not enabled by the spot color settings is included in the text data area by a method other than comparing images C and D. For example, judgment process B may be executed by identifying the text data area and determining whether or not an area with RGB values ​​corresponding to a spot color that is not enabled by the spot color settings is included in the identified area.

[0090] If judgment process A is NO, S806 is executed. In this case, notification A may be a message dialog 905, or other notifications may be displayed. For example, a message may be displayed informing the user that the area to be printed by the spot color is included in the background image. If judgment process B is NO, S806 is executed. In this case, notification B may be a message dialog 905, or other notifications may be displayed. For example, a different notification from notification A may be executed, and a message may be displayed informing the user that there is a spot color that may have been forgotten to be enabled in the spot color settings. Alternatively, a message may be displayed informing the user that the text data area contains an area where RGB values ​​corresponding to a spot color that has not been enabled in the spot color settings are set. If both judgment processes A and B are YES, notifications A and B are not executed, and S805 is executed.

[0091] Alternatively, only one of the judgment processes A and B described above may be executed. In that case, if either judgment process A or B is YES, notifications A and B are not executed, and S805 is executed.

[0092] The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that implements one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and by having one or more processors in the computer of that system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., an ASIC) that implements one or more functions. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0093] 101 Host computer 102 Image output device 202 Applications 208 Print Preview Section 314 Poster Data Creation Application 900 Print Preview 1000 Spot Color Preview 1003 Preview Message

Claims

1. In the computer of the information processing device, The acquisition step for obtaining print data, A notification step in which a spot color printing area, which is set to be printed with a spot color that is a different color from the process color, is included in a predetermined area other than the text area in the area to be printed by the print data, and a notification step in which a predetermined notification is performed. A first generation step of generating a first image that shows the spot color printing area in the area to be printed by the print data, where the setting for printing with a first spot color is enabled and the setting for printing with a second spot color different from the first spot color is not enabled, A second generation step of generating a second image that shows a region in the text region within the area to be printed by the print data, in which a color value corresponding to the first spot color is set and a region in which a color value corresponding to the second spot color is set. A comparison step is performed to compare the first image with the second image, A program characterized in that the predetermined notification is executed based on the comparison results in the comparison step.

2. The computer of the information processing device, The acquisition step for obtaining print data, A notification step in which a spot color printing area, which is set to be printed with a spot color that is a different color from the process color, is included in a predetermined area other than the text area in the area to be printed by the print data, and a notification step in which a predetermined notification is performed. A first generation step of generating a first image that shows the spot color printing area in the area to be printed by the print data, where the setting for printing with a predetermined spot color is enabled, and the setting for printing with a predetermined spot color is enabled. A second generation step of generating a second image showing the spot color printing area in the text area within the area to be printed by the print data, which is set to be printed with the predetermined spot color, A comparison step is performed to compare the first image with the second image, A program characterized in that the predetermined notification is executed based on the comparison results in the comparison step.

3. The program according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a predetermined notification is executed based on the fact that the first image and the second image do not match, and the predetermined notification is not executed based on the fact that the first image and the second image match.

4. The program according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the predetermined notification is at least one of the following: a notification indicating that the settings for the print data may be incorrect; a notification indicating that the spot color printing area is included in the predetermined area; and a notification recommending that the preview of the area to be printed by the print data be checked.

5. The program according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, even though the setting for printing with a predetermined spot color is not enabled, the predetermined notification is executed based on the fact that a print area for which a color value for printing with the predetermined spot color is set is included in the text area in the area to be printed by the print data.

6. The program according to claim 5, characterized in that the content of the predetermined notification executed based on the fact that the spot color printing area is included in the predetermined area is different from the content of the predetermined notification executed based on the fact that a print area in which a color value for printing with the predetermined spot color is set, even though the setting for printing with the predetermined spot color is not enabled, is included in the text area.

7. A first generation step of generating an image that shows the spot color printing area in the area to be printed by the print data, where the setting for printing with a spot color other than the predetermined spot color is enabled, and the setting for printing with the predetermined spot color is not enabled, A second generation step of generating a second image that shows the area in the text area within the area to be printed by the print data, where a color value corresponding to the other spot color is set and where a color value corresponding to the predetermined spot color is set. A comparison step of comparing the first image and the second image is further performed, The program according to claim 5, characterized in that the predetermined notification is executed based on the comparison results in the comparison step.

8. A first generation step of generating a first image that shows the spot color printing area in the text area within the area to be printed by the print data, where the setting for printing with a spot color other than the predetermined spot color is enabled, and the setting for printing with the predetermined spot color is not enabled, A second generation step of generating a second image that shows the area in the text area within the area to be printed by the print data, where a color value corresponding to the other spot color is set and where a color value corresponding to the predetermined spot color is set. A comparison step of comparing the first image and the second image is further performed, The program according to claim 6, characterized in that the predetermined notification is executed based on the comparison results in the comparison step.

9. The program according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that a predetermined notification is executed based on the fact that the first image and the second image do not match, and the predetermined notification is not executed based on the fact that the first image and the second image match.

10. The program according to any one of claims 5 to 9, wherein the predetermined notification is at least one of the following: a notification indicating that the settings for the print data may be incorrect; a notification indicating that a print area in which a color value for printing with the predetermined spot color is set is included in the text area, even though the setting for printing with the predetermined spot color is not enabled; a notification indicating that the setting for printing with the predetermined spot color may have been forgotten to be enabled; and a notification recommending that the preview of the area to be printed by the print data be checked.

11. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising a display step of displaying a preview image of the area to be printed by the print data.

12. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the print data is obtained from another application program different from the program.

13. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that it is a printer driver.

14. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 13, further characterized by performing an execution step of enabling a setting for printing with any of multiple spot colors and disabling the setting for printing with any of the spot colors based on user operation.

15. A method for controlling an information processing device, The acquisition step for obtaining print data, A notification step in which a spot color printing area, which is set to be printed with a spot color that is a different color from the process color, is included in a predetermined area other than the text area in the area to be printed by the print data, and a notification step in which a predetermined notification is performed. A first generation step of generating a first image that shows the spot color printing area in the area to be printed by the print data, where the setting for printing with a first spot color is enabled and the setting for printing with a second spot color different from the first spot color is not enabled, A second generation step of generating a second image that shows a region in the text region within the area to be printed by the print data, in which a color value corresponding to the first spot color is set and a region in which a color value corresponding to the second spot color is set. The method includes a comparison step of comparing the first image with the second image, A control method characterized in that the predetermined notification is executed based on the comparison results in the comparison step.

16. The computer of the information processing device, The acquisition step for obtaining print data, A notification step in which a spot color printing area, which is set to be printed with a spot color that is a different color from the process color, is included in a predetermined area other than the text area in the area to be printed by the print data, and a notification step in which a predetermined notification is performed. A first generation step of generating a first image that shows the spot color printing area in the area to be printed by the print data, where the setting for printing with a predetermined spot color is enabled, and the setting for printing with a predetermined spot color is enabled. A second generation step of generating a second image showing the spot color printing area in the text area within the area to be printed by the print data, which is set to be printed with the predetermined spot color, The method includes a comparison step of comparing the first image with the second image, A control method characterized in that the predetermined notification is executed based on the comparison results in the comparison step.

17. An information processing device, A means of acquiring print data, A notification means that performs a predetermined notification based on the fact that a spot color printing area, which is set to be printed with a spot color that is a different color from the process color, is included in a predetermined area other than the text area in the area to be printed by the print data, A first generation means generates a first image showing the spot color printing area in the area to be printed by the print data, where the setting for printing with a first spot color is enabled and the setting for printing with a second spot color different from the first spot color is not enabled, A second generation means for generating a second image that shows a region in the text region within the area to be printed by the print data, where a color value corresponding to the first spot color is set and a region where a color value corresponding to the second spot color is set. It includes a comparison means for comparing the first image and the second image, The notification means is characterized by making the predetermined notification based on the comparison result in the comparison means.

18. An information processing device, A means of acquiring print data, A notification means that performs a predetermined notification based on the fact that a spot color printing area, which is set to be printed with a spot color that is a different color from the process color, is included in a predetermined area other than the text area in the area to be printed by the print data, A first generation means generates a first image showing the spot color printing area in the area to be printed by the print data, where the setting for printing with a predetermined spot color is enabled, and the setting for printing with a predetermined spot color is enabled. A second generation means for generating a second image showing the spot color printing area in the text area within the area to be printed by the print data, which is set to be printed with the predetermined spot color, It includes a comparison means for comparing the first image and the second image, The notification means is characterized by making the predetermined notification based on the comparison result in the comparison means.

Images