program

Abstract

To provide a technique for allowing a user of an external device to easily use a printer on which sheet information can be designated, when a print job is submitted from the external device to the printer.SOLUTION: According to a printer driver 23, a PC 1 is configured to: acquire, when receiving a print instruction from an editing application 22 and receiving image data and print settings including sheet information, sheet information designated for a label printer 3 from the label printer 3; determine whether or not the acquired sheet information is coincident with the sheet information received from the editing application 22; and transmits, when the coincidence is determined, a print command to perform printing based on the image data received from the editing application 22 to the label printer 3. The sheet information includes multiple items each capable of being set as to whether or not the item is set as a determination object. The PC 1 determines whether or not the items set as the determination object are coincident, and does not determine whether or not the items not set as the determination object are coincident.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The technical field disclosed in this specification relates to a program used for controlling a printer capable of specifying information on paper.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, printers capable of specifying information on paper have been known. For example, in Patent Document 1, the size of the paper fed from the paper feeder is detected, and if the detected paper size matches the paper size specified in the input print job, the matching paper size is set as the paper size of the paper feeder. If they do not match, a configuration is disclosed in which the paper size of the paper feeder is set to "unknown". Further, Patent Document 1 also discloses a configuration for notifying an error when the paper sizes do not match.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Even when using a printer capable of specifying information on paper from an external device, in the external device, it is determined whether the information on the paper specified in the print job, that is, the information on the paper specified in the external device, matches the information on the paper specified in the printer main body, and the print job is passed to the printer on the condition that they match. In this way, in the printer main body, printing based on the specified paper information can be ensured. However, depending on the user, there may be cases where printing on similar paper is allowed even if the information on the paper does not exactly match. If the input of the print job is uniformly restricted in such cases, the usability deteriorates.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The program created to solve the above-mentioned problems is a program used to control a printer that can specify paper information, and the program receives a print command from an application program installed on the information processing device to the computer of the information processing device, which causes the printer to perform printing, and the program receives image data to be printed and print settings including paper information, which includes an acquisition process to obtain first paper information, which is the paper information specified for the printer, from the printer, and checks whether the first paper information obtained in the acquisition process and second paper information, which is the paper information included in the print settings passed from the application program, are consistent. The system is configured to perform a determination process to determine whether or not the first paper information and the second paper information are consistent, and the information on the paper has multiple items, and it is possible to set whether or not each item should be included in the determination process. The determination process determines whether or not the items that are set as targets for determination are consistent, and does not determine whether or not the items that are not set as targets are consistent. Furthermore, if the determination process determines that the first paper information and the second paper information are consistent, the system is configured to perform a print transmission process to send a print command to the printer that causes printing based on the image data passed from the application program.

[0006] According to the program disclosed herein, when a print command is received, the information processing device sends a print command to the printer if it determines that the first paper information specified in the printer and the second paper information included in the print command passed from the application program are consistent. Furthermore, the information processing device can configure the items that are subject to consistency determination between the first and second paper information, and does not perform consistency determination for items that are not subject to determination. This increases the degree of flexibility in paper consistency determination, restricting the submission of print jobs that do not match the paper information specified in the printer to the printer, while avoiding determination of more items than necessary. As a result, for example, even if the paper information specified in the printer and the paper information included in the print command do not match for items that are not subject to determination, the likelihood of submitting that print job to the printer increases.

[0007] The information processing device into which the above program is incorporated, the control method for realizing the functions of the above program, and the storage medium readable by a computer that stores the above program are also novel and useful. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The technology disclosed herein provides a method for making it easier for users of an external device to use a printer when an external device submits a print job to that printer, which is capable of specifying paper information. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of the printing system according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a form registration screen. [Figure 3] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a paper information database. [Figure 4] This is a sequence diagram showing the printing procedure in a printing system. [Figure 5] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a print settings screen. [Figure 6]This is a flowchart showing the procedure for the consistency determination process. [Figure 7] This is an explanatory diagram showing examples of automatically determined criteria. [Figure 8] This is a flowchart showing the procedure for handling inconsistencies. [Figure 9] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a notification message. [Figure 10] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a print settings screen. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The following describes in detail an embodiment of the program with reference to the attached drawings. This specification discloses a program that runs on a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as "PC") that can be connected to a label printer.

[0011] As shown in Figure 1, the printing system 100 in this configuration includes a PC1 and a label printer 3. The PC1 is an example of an information processing device. The label printer 3 is an example of a printer.

[0012] As shown in Figure 1, PC1 includes a CPU 11 and a controller 10 which includes memory 12. The CPU 11 is an example of a computer. PC1 also includes a user interface (hereinafter referred to as "user IF") 13 and a communication interface (hereinafter referred to as "communication IF") 14, which are electrically connected to the controller 10. Note that the controller 10 in Figure 1 is a general term for the hardware and software used to control PC1, and does not necessarily represent a single piece of hardware actually present in PC1.

[0013] CPU 11 executes various processes according to the program read from memory 12 and based on user operations. Memory 12 stores various programs and various data. Memory 12 is also used as a work area when various processes are executed. The buffer included in CPU 11 is also an example of memory. Note that an example of memory 12 is not limited to the ROM, RAM, HDD, etc. built into PC 1, and may be a storage medium that can be read and written by CPU 11, such as a recording medium like a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, etc.

[0014] User IF 13 includes hardware for displaying a screen for notifying a user of information and hardware for receiving operations by the user. Note that User IF 13 may be a combination of a display capable of displaying information and a mouse, keyboard, etc. having an input reception function, or may include a touch panel having a display function and an input reception function.

[0015] Communication IF 14 includes hardware for communicating with an external device such as label printer 3. The communication standard of Communication IF 14 is Ethernet (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), USB, etc. PC 1 may be provided with a plurality of Communication IF 14 corresponding to a plurality of communication standards.

[0016] In the memory 12 of PC 1, an operating system (hereinafter referred to as "OS") 21, an editing application program (hereinafter referred to as "editing app") 22, a printer driver 23, a paper information database (hereinafter referred to as "paper information DB") 25, and a registration tool 26 are stored. Editing app 22 is an example of an application program installed in the information processing device, and printer driver 23 is an example of a program. OS 21 is, for example, Windows (registered trademark), macOS (registered trademark), Linux (registered trademark), iOS (registered trademark), Android (registered trademark).

[0017] The editing app 22 is a program that receives instructions such as creation, editing, printing, and saving of images and documents to be printed. The editing app 22 can be, for example, Word or PowerPoint manufactured by Microsoft (registered trademark), or an app provided by the vendor of the label printer 3. The editing app 22 in this embodiment can receive a user's instructions regarding label printing via the user IF 13, such as specification of image data to be printed, an instruction to edit print settings, and an instruction to execute printing.

[0018] The printer driver 23 is a program corresponding to the label printer 3 and has a function of communicating with the label printer 3 and controlling it. When receiving an instruction to execute printing on the label printer 3 in the editing app 22 or the like, for example, the printer driver 23 generates print data based on the image data specified as the printing target. The print instruction passed from the editing app 22 or the like to the printer driver 23 includes image data and print settings, and the print settings include information about the paper to be printed on.

[0019] The paper information DB 25 is a database that stores paper information about various papers used as printing media in the label printer 3. The printing media used in the label printer 3 is a label, and the paper information includes information about label characteristics such as the size and shape of the label. The paper information includes a plurality of items, and the information of these items is stored in the paper information DB 25 as one preset data.

[0020] The registration tool 26 is a program that receives a user's instruction to register preset data and stores the received preset data in the paper information DB 25. The registration tool 26, for example, displays a registration screen 250 as shown in FIG. 2 on the user IF 13 and receives the user's input. The registration screen 250 includes, for example, a paper name field 251, a paper type selection field 252, and a paper size selection field 253. The paper name field 251 is a field that receives input of the paper name.

[0021] The paper type selection field 252 is a field for accepting the selection of paper type. The paper type is information that combines release paper information, which indicates the shape of the release paper, and shape information, which indicates the shape of the label paper. The label printer 3 in this configuration can accommodate roll paper, which is label paper wound in a roll shape, and when roll paper is accommodated, it uses that roll paper as the printing medium. The label printer 3 can also use fanfold paper, which is label paper in a folded state, as the printing medium. Both roll paper and fanfold paper are printing mediums in which label paper is layered on a continuous strip of release paper. The release paper information indicates whether it is roll paper or fanfold paper. The shape information indicates, for example, one of the following: a continuous long label of indefinite length, a die-cut label that has been cut to a predetermined shape in advance, or a marked label that has predetermined marks applied at predetermined intervals in advance. Note that the release paper information and shape information may be individually configurable information.

[0022] The paper size selection field 253 contains information indicating the size of the label to be created, and includes fields for width and length. The width is the size of the label in the direction perpendicular to the paper transport direction in the label printer 3, and the length is the size of the label in the paper transport direction. Note that the width is information indicating the width of the label itself, regardless of the label shape, while the length can be freely selected for labels of any length, and for die-cut labels and mark labels, it is determined according to the shape of the label.

[0023] If die-cut labels are selected in the paper type selection field 252, for example, as shown in Figure 2, an additional selection field for the distance between labels, which indicates the spacing between labels on the release liner, will be displayed in the paper size selection field 253, and user input will be accepted. Also, if mark labels are selected in the paper type selection field 252, additional selection fields for the mark width, which indicates the width of the mark itself, and the offset, which indicates the distance from the leading edge of the paper to the mark, will be displayed in the paper size selection field 253, and user input will be accepted.

[0024] The paper information may include not only the paper type and size, but also other information such as margin information, various correction value information, sensor setting information, and, in the case of roll paper, information indicating the shape of the roll. Label paper comes in various textures and thicknesses, and the registration tool 26 may be able to accept correction value information to obtain good prints according to the paper texture. In addition, the label printer 3 is equipped with multiple sensors to properly transport die-cut labels and mark labels, and the registration tool 26 may be able to accept information regarding the settings of each sensor. When the registration tool 26 receives correction value and sensor information, it can incorporate the received information into the paper information.

[0025] Correction values ​​related to paper quality include, for example, a transport adjustment amount to correct transport errors, a dot scraping amount to correct ink bleeding, a guaranteed print speed based on how quickly the ink dispensed onto the label paper dries, and a print density adjustment value to obtain appropriate print density. Information regarding sensor settings includes, for example, the selection of the sensor to be used and correction values ​​related to the detection level of each sensor.

[0026] The registration tool 26 may also have a set of correction values ​​that combine correction value information for multiple items, associated with the paper quality information. In this case, the registration tool 26 may, for example, accept the selection of paper quality and incorporate the set of correction values ​​corresponding to the selected paper quality into the information of the paper, as shown in Figure 2.

[0027] When the registration tool 26 receives a registration instruction, such as by clicking the OK button on the registration screen 250, it stores the information of the currently displayed paper in the paper information DB 25. For example, by receiving a registration instruction for the information of "Paper A" shown in Figure 2, the paper information associated with the paper name "Paper A" is stored in the paper information DB 25 as a single preset data, as shown in Figure 3.

[0028] Each preset data stored in the paper information DB25 includes information on multiple items, such as the paper name, paper type, width, and length, as shown in Figure 3, for example. The paper name is an example of identification information that identifies each preset data stored in the paper information DB25.

[0029] The label printer 3 in this embodiment has at least a printing function and a communication function, and is a printer capable of printing on label paper, for example, by monochrome printing using an inkjet method. As shown in Figure 1, the label printer 3 includes a paper information table 31, an operation panel 32, and specified paper information 33. The operation panel 32 includes, for example, a touch panel, hardware that displays a screen for informing the user of information, and hardware that accepts user operations.

[0030] The paper information table 31 is a table that stores information about paper that can be used as a printing medium by the label printer 3. For example, PC1 can send preset data registered in the paper information DB 25 to the label printer 3 and instruct it to store it in the paper information table 31. This allows the label printer 3 to register preset data that is the same as that in the paper information DB 25 in the paper information table 31. The label printer 3 may also accept input of paper information via the operation panel 32 and store it in the paper information table 31. Furthermore, the paper information stored in the paper information table 31 may be the same as the preset data in the paper information DB 25, or it may be a part of the preset data in the paper information DB 25.

[0031] The specified paper information 33 is information about one type of paper specified for the label printer 3, and is an example of paper information specified for the printer itself. In this configuration, the label printer 3 accepts user specifications regarding the loaded paper information via the operation panel 32 when paper is loaded and the cover is closed. The user can, for example, select and specify the paper name that indicates the loaded paper from among the information of multiple papers stored in the paper information table 31. The label printer 3 stores the paper information specified by the user as the specified paper information 33. Note that the label printer 3 can also accept paper specifications at any time other than when the cover is closed, based on user instructions.

[0032] The label printer 3 is equipped with multiple sensors, and when a new sheet of paper is loaded, it can transport the loaded paper to the location of a sensor and detect it, thereby identifying some of the information about the loaded paper. In this configuration, the label printer 3 compares the paper information received via the operation panel 32 with the paper information based on the sensor detection values, and if it determines that they do not match, it reports an error and does not store the received information in the designated paper information 33. In other words, the designated paper information 33 is the paper information that the label printer 3 has determined to be consistent with the sensor detection results.

[0033] Next, the printing procedure in the printing system 100 will be explained with reference to the sequence diagram in Figure 4. The procedures and processing steps of each program described below basically represent the processing of the CPU 11 according to the instructions written in each program. That is, processes such as "judgment," "extraction," "selection," "decision," "acquisition," and "reception" in the following explanation represent the processing of the CPU 11. The processing by the CPU 11 also includes hardware control using the OS API. In this specification, the description of the OS is omitted when explaining the operation of each program. Also, "acquisition" is used as a concept that does not necessarily require a request.

[0034] In this form of printing system 100, when a user creates a label, they use the editing application 22 on the PC 1. In other words, the editing application 22 is launched by the user's operation (A01). The editing application 22 displays an editing screen for editing the image to be printed on the user IF 13 (A02) and accepts various instructions from the user. For example, the user can edit the image to be printed on the editing screen (A03).

[0035] The editing application 22 can receive print setting instructions and print execution instructions on the editing screen displayed in A02. When the editing application 22 receives print setting instructions from the user (A11), it starts the printer driver 23 (A12). The printer driver 23 displays the print settings screen on the user interface 13 (A13) and accepts setting instructions from the user. The print settings screen is an example of a settings screen, and A13 is an example of manual setting processing. The printer driver 23 can receive print setting instructions, including the specification of the print paper, on the displayed print settings screen.

[0036] For example, as shown in Figure 5, the print settings screen 50 includes a paper name selection field 51, a width selection field 52, a length selection field 53, a label distance selection field 54, a number of copies selection field 55, and a paper mismatch check item field 56. When the printer driver 23 receives a paper name selection instruction in the paper name selection field 51, for example, it reads the paper information DB 25, obtains a list of paper names for each registered preset data, and displays the obtained list to the user interface 13.

[0037] The print settings screen 50 shown in Figure 5 is an example of the information when "Paper A" is selected in the paper name selection field 51. The information for "Paper A" is the paper information registered as "Paper A" in the registration screen 250 shown in Figure 2, and is preset data stored in the paper information DB 25 shown in Figure 3, associated with the paper name "Paper A". The printer driver 23 reads the preset data associated with the paper name selected in the paper name selection field 51 from the paper information DB 25, and displays the print settings screen 50 with the read information as the initial value.

[0038] The items displayed on the print settings screen 50 vary depending on the type of paper. Paper type "Paper A" is die-cut labels, as shown in Figures 3 and 2, and the print settings screen 50 shown in Figure 5 includes a selection field 54 that accepts the selection of "distance between labels". The printer driver 23 may also accept instructions to register new paper types on the print settings screen 50. Furthermore, the printer driver 23 may clear the paper name if it has changed from the information read from the paper information DB 25.

[0039] The paper mismatch check item field 56 accepts the selection of items to be judged in the consistency judgment process described later. In A13, the printer driver 23 displays the print settings screen 50, which includes the paper mismatch check item field 56, where, for example, paper type, width, and length are selected as items to be judged. By accepting the selection of items to be judged on the print settings screen 50, it is possible to choose whether or not to judge each print job.

[0040] The user sets the print settings, including paper information, number of copies, and items to be judged, on the print settings screen 50 that is currently displayed, and confirms the print settings by pressing the OK button (A14). The printer driver 23 passes the confirmed print settings information to the editing application 22 (A15). The editing application 22 reflects the received print settings information on the editing screen displayed in A02 and displays it. For example, the editing application 22 changes the shape of the editing area of ​​the image to be printed according to the paper information included in the print settings.

[0041] When the editing application 22 receives a print command from the user on the currently displayed editing screen (A17), it passes print command information, including the image data to be printed and print setting information, to the printer driver 23 (A18). The print setting information passed from the editing application 22 includes paper information. The paper information included in the information received in A18 is an example of second-page paper information.

[0042] When the printer driver 23 receives print command information, it obtains paper information from the label printer 3 (A21). A21 is an example of the acquisition process. Specifically, the printer driver 23 requests the specified paper information 33 specified by the label printer 3, and the label printer 3 sends the specified paper information 33 in response to the request from the printer driver 23. The paper information obtained in A21 is an example of the first paper information. As mentioned above, the specified paper information 33 is information that is consistent with the paper detection result by the sensor.

[0043] Next, the printer driver 23 performs a consistency check (A22). The consistency check is a process that determines whether the paper information included in the print settings received from the editing application 22 in A18 matches the paper information received from the label printer 3 in A21. The consistency check is performed by the CPU 11 of the PC1 based on the description in the printer driver 23. The procedure for the consistency check is explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 6.

[0044] The CPU 11 first determines whether the paper type specified in the print settings matches the paper type obtained from the label printer 3 (S101). The paper type is information that combines release liner information and shape information, and is an essential determination item. If the CPU 11 determines that the paper types do not match (S101: NO), it determines that there is a mismatch (S102) and terminates the consistency determination process. If the paper type specified in the printer driver 23 is not loaded in the label printer 3, there is a high possibility that printing will not produce an appropriate print result if printing is performed as is.

[0045] Furthermore, CPU 11 may also check for width consistency in addition to paper type as a required judgment item. For example, if the paper width in the print settings is greater than the paper width obtained from label printer 3, CPU 11 may determine that there is a mismatch.

[0046] If the CPU determines that the paper types match (S101: YES), it determines the items to be used for determining consistency (S111). Paper information includes information on multiple items in addition to the paper type, and some of these items can be printed even if they do not perfectly match. Increasing the number of items to be judged allows for more detailed judgment, but it may also judge items that the user can tolerate as differences, resulting in a judgment of inconsistency. On the other hand, reducing the number of items to be judged allows for minor differences to be tolerated, but it may result in printing that is not optimal for that paper.

[0047] In this configuration, the printer driver 23 not only accepts the selection of items to be judged on the print settings screen 50 described above, but also automatically sets predetermined items corresponding to predetermined conditions as judgment items if those conditions are met. The printer driver 23 has multiple predetermined conditions for determining the judgment items, as shown in Figure 7, for example.

[0048] For example, if the printer driver 23 receives information about the number of copies to print from the editing application 22 and the number of copies is greater than a predetermined threshold, it automatically includes all items that can be included in the evaluation in S111. For example, if the number of copies is set to 100 or more, the printer driver 23 includes all items in the evaluation, even if they are not selected as items to be included in the evaluation on the print settings screen 50. In this case, all items are just one example of specific items. S111, which automatically sets specific items to be included in the evaluation when the number of copies is large, is an example of the first automatic setting process.

[0049] If a large number of copies are printed with inappropriate print settings, there is a high possibility that a large quantity of low-quality printouts will be created, potentially resulting in significant damage. The printer driver 23 automatically increases the number of items to be checked when printing a large number of copies, even if those items are not selected as items to be checked on the print settings screen 50, thereby reducing the possibility of many inappropriate printouts.

[0050] Furthermore, the printer driver 23 may accept user instructions to change the criteria after the number of copies in the print settings has been large and all items have been set as criteria. For example, after receiving a print instruction but before sending the print command to the label printer 3, the printer driver 23 may display a list of items that can be judged to the user IF 13 and accept the user's selection. However, this increases the risk of inappropriate printing if the user makes incorrect settings, so this risk can be mitigated by automatically setting all items as criteria when a print instruction with a large number of copies is received.

[0051] Furthermore, if a specific paper type is set as the paper type in the print settings screen 50, the printer driver 23 automatically determines the corresponding item as a determination item. S111, which determines the corresponding item as a determination item when a specific paper type is set as the paper type, is an example of the second automatic setting process. For example, if die-cut labels are selected as the paper type, the printer driver 23 automatically determines the distance between labels as a determination item. In this case, die-cut labels are an example of a specific paper type, and the distance between labels is an example of a corresponding item. Also, for example, if mark labels are selected as the paper type, the printer driver 23 automatically determines the offset and mark width as determination items. In this case, mark labels are an example of a specific paper type, and the offset and mark width are examples of corresponding items.

[0052] For items that only support specific paper types, it is preferable to include them in the evaluation only when that specific paper type is set. The printer driver 23 automatically determines the items that support the selected paper type as evaluation items, even if they are not selected as evaluation items on the print settings screen 50, thus saving the user the trouble of specifying them individually.

[0053] Furthermore, if the paper information obtained from the label printer 3 in A21 of Figure 4 indicates a specific type of paper, the printer driver 23 automatically determines the items corresponding to that specific type of paper in S111. S111 in this case is an example of the third automatic setting process. For example, if the paper information set in the label printer 3 indicates an expensive type of paper, such as weather-resistant paper or paper with strong adhesive properties, the printer driver 23 determines all items. In this example, the condition of being expensive paper is an example of a specific condition, and all items are an example of items corresponding to that specific condition.

[0054] Furthermore, for example, if the paper information set in the label printer 3 indicates a special paper quality, the printer driver 23 will use a correction value related to the paper quality as a determination item. For example, if the paper information set in the label printer 3 indicates paper with a special surface material or paper with a surface treatment, the printer driver 23 will use a correction value related to the paper quality as a determination item. In this example, the condition of having a special paper quality is an example of a specific condition, and each item of the correction value related to the paper quality is an example of an item corresponding to a specific condition. Furthermore, for example, if the paper information set in the label printer 3 indicates paper with a thickness outside a predetermined range, the printer driver 23 may also use a setting value related to the sensor as a determination item. In this example, the condition of paper thickness being outside a predetermined range is an example of a specific condition, and each item of the setting value related to the sensor is an example of an item corresponding to a specific condition.

[0055] If the information of the paper specified for the label printer 3 meets certain conditions, then considering the items corresponding to those conditions as the basis for evaluation is likely to result in good print quality. In this configuration, the printer driver 23 automatically sets such items as the basis for evaluation, thus increasing the likelihood of avoiding unnecessary printing. The information regarding the specific conditions of the paper, and the information regarding the evaluation items corresponding to that paper, may be stored in the printer driver 23, stored in the paper information DB 25 or paper information table 31, stored separately from these, or obtained by querying a server or the like based on information acquired from the label printer 3.

[0056] The printer driver 23 may automatically set the judgment items for all the conditions shown in Figure 7, or it may accept user settings regarding which conditions to adopt.

[0057] Returning to the explanation of the consistency determination process, after determining the determination items in S111, the CPU 11 determines the consistency between the paper information included in the print settings and the paper information received from the label printer 3 for each item to be determined (S112). S112 is an example of the determination process. Then, the CPU 11 determines whether or not these pieces of information are consistent (S113). The consistency determination may be an exact match or may have an acceptable range.

[0058] If the CPU determines that the data is inconsistent (S113: NO), it proceeds to S102, determines that the data is inconsistent, and terminates the consistency determination process. In other words, even if there are other items to be determined, the CPU does not perform determinations on the remaining items. If even one of the determination items is inconsistent, it is undesirable to print on the specified paper size, so no further determination processing is necessary.

[0059] If it determines that the data is consistent (S113: YES), the CPU 11 determines whether there are any other criteria to be determined (S114). If it determines that there are other criteria to be determined (S114: YES), the CPU 11 returns to S112 and determines consistency for the other criteria. If it determines that there are no other criteria to be determined (S114: NO), that is, if it determines that all the determined criteria are consistent, the CPU 11 determines that the information on this form is consistent (S115) and terminates the consistency determination process.

[0060] Returning to the explanation of the printing procedure in Figure 4, if the printer driver 23 determines that the data is compatible in the compatibility check process at A22 (alt:[Compatible]), it generates print data at A18 based on the image data and print settings received from the editing application 22 (A31). Furthermore, the printer driver 23 sends the generated print data to the label printer 3 along with a print command to instruct printing (A32). A32 is an example of the print transmission process.

[0061] When label printer 3 receives a print command from PC1, it executes printing based on the print data (A33). This creates the labels. At least for the judgment items, the paper information in the print settings and the paper information specified for label printer 3 are consistent, so the possibility of creating labels with unexpected print quality is small.

[0062] On the other hand, if the consistency check process in A22 determines that there is a mismatch (alt:[Not Consistent]), the printer driver 23 executes the mismatch process (A35). The mismatch process is a process that prompts the user to replace the paper loaded in the label printer 3 when the paper information in the print settings and the settings in the label printer 3 do not match. The procedure for the mismatch process will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 8.

[0063] In the inconsistency processing, CPU 11 notifies the user via IF 13 that the paper information is inconsistent (S201). CPU 11 may, for example, display the paper name specified in label printer 3, the name of the inconsistent item, and the value of that item on user IF 13. By notifying PC 1 when the paper information set in label printer 3 does not match the paper information in the print settings, the user of PC 1 can immediately understand that printing on label printer 3 is not possible.

[0064] Next, the CPU 11 creates a notification message to be sent to the label printer 3 (S202). The CPU 11 creates a message to notify users near the label printer 3 in a manner that can be displayed on the label printer 3's control panel 32. By creating the content to be notified to the label printer 3 in the printer driver 23, there is no need to prepare various messages for the label printer 3, and the flexibility of the notification content is increased. The printer driver 23 may also be able to accept user instructions regarding the notification content.

[0065] The CPU 11 creates a notification message 60, for example, as shown in Figure 9, which includes a message 61 prompting the user to change the paper loaded in the label printer 3, information 62 indicating the replacement paper, and instructions 63 to set the information for the replacement paper.

[0066] The CPU 11 may have a pre-existing guidance message as information 62 indicating the replacement paper, which includes a message describing the characteristics of the paper, such as the color and pattern of the package, the roll diameter and core diameter of the roll paper. In this case, the CPU 11 creates a notification message 60 incorporating the pre-existing message as information 62. Furthermore, when the CPU 11 creates a notification message for paper for which it does not have a guidance message, it creates a notification message that includes some of the paper information included in the print settings. The CPU 11 should create a message that includes information that can be seen from the appearance of the label paper, such as the paper type, width, and length.

[0067] Furthermore, the CPU 11 creates a message 63 as a setting instruction for the paper information after replacement, which includes the name of the preset data corresponding to the paper information included in the print settings, from among the preset data stored in the paper information table 31. By sending the preset data paper name to the label printer 3 for notification, a user near the label printer 3 can easily set the paper information using that paper name after loading the paper.

[0068] The CPU 11 sends a notification command to the label printer 3 (S203) that includes the information of the notification message 60 created in S202 and an instruction to display the notification message 60 on the control panel 32. Upon receiving the notification command, the label printer 3 displays the notification message 60 on the control panel 32. This allows users near the label printer 3 to be prompted to change to the appropriate paper.

[0069] Furthermore, if the label printer 3 has an audio output function, the CPU 11 may also send a command in S203 to the label printer 3 to provide an audio notification. In that case, the CPU 11 also creates audio information in S202, and in S203 sends the created audio information along with the notification command to the label printer 3.

[0070] Furthermore, the label printer 3 may have various display information for display on the control panel 32. In that case, instead of creating and sending a notification message 60, the printer driver 23 may send specific information to the label printer 3 to identify the display information, and the label printer 3 may read the display information corresponding to the received specific information from its stored display information and display it on the control panel 32.

[0071] After sending the notification command, the CPU 11 decides whether or not to retry the paper information consistency check (S205). The information on whether or not to retry may be set in the printer driver 23 in advance by user instruction. Alternatively, the CPU 11 may, for example, display a button to receive instructions on whether or not to retry when notifying in S201, and accept user instructions.

[0072] If it is determined to retry (S205: YES), the CPU 11 determines whether it is time to execute a retry (S211). Since changing the paper loaded in the label printer 3 takes some time, the CPU 11 performs retries to periodically check the consistency of the paper information, for example, at predetermined time intervals. The retry time interval may be a fixed time, or it may be a variable time that differs depending on the information of the paper to be replaced.

[0073] If it is determined that it is not time to retry (S211: NO), CPU 11 determines whether it is a timeout or not (S212). The timeout period can be a fixed time, for example, 3 minutes, or a variable time that can be set by the user. If it is determined that it is not a timeout (S212: NO), CPU 11 returns to S211 and determines whether it is time to retry or not.

[0074] If the CPU determines that it is time to retry (S211: YES), it retrieves the paper information set in the label printer 3 from the label printer 3 again (S213). Then, in order to determine the consistency between the newly retrieved paper information and the paper information in the print settings, the CPU 11 executes the consistency determination process shown in Figure 6 again (S214). Specifically, the CPU 11 determines the items to be judged and determines the consistency for each item. Then, the CPU 11 determines whether or not consistency has been determined (S215).

[0075] Furthermore, the printer driver 23 may accept user-specified judgment items again during retries, or it may store the items determined to be judged when an inconsistency was found in the first consistency judgment process, and use the stored judgment items instead of S111 from the second time onward. In other words, the judgment items during retries may be the same as those used in the initial judgment, or they may be different.

[0076] Alternatively, if the paper information obtained in S213 is the same as the paper information obtained in the initial acquisition process (A21 in Figure 4), the printer driver 23 may skip S214 and proceed to S215 to determine that there is a mismatch, without performing the consistency check.

[0077] If the re-evaluation still determines that there is an inconsistency (S215: NO), the CPU 11 sends a warning command to the label printer 3, which includes an instruction to generate a warning sound (S217). Then, the CPU 11 returns to S211, waits for the retry timing, and retrieves the paper information from the label printer 3 again.

[0078] After sending a notification command in S203, if the paper information obtained again does not match the paper information in the print settings, the printer driver 23 will cause the label printer 3 to emit a warning sound. This makes it easier for users near the label printer 3 to notice the notification, increasing the likelihood that the paper will be replaced. The printer driver 23 may also proceed to S217 if it is determined that the information does not match after repeating S213 to S215 a predetermined number of times. In addition to emitting a warning sound, the printer driver 23 may also illuminate or blink a warning lamp in S217.

[0079] On the other hand, if the retry is determined to be successful (S215: YES), the CPU 11 notifies the user IF 13 that the paper has been changed at the label printer 3 (S221). By notifying the user that the paper has been changed, the user of PC 1 can immediately understand that printing on the desired paper is now possible.

[0080] Then, CPU 11 generates print data based on the image data and print settings received from the editing application 22 at A18 in Figure 4 (S222). Furthermore, CPU 11 sends the generated print data and a print command instructing the label printer 3 to execute the print (S223). As a result, the label printer 3 prints the image on the loaded paper based on the received print data.

[0081] In this configuration, the printer driver 23, when set to retry, does not discard image data in the event of inconsistent paper information. Instead, it automatically sends a print command when the correct paper information is subsequently set in the label printer 3. This eliminates the need for the user to re-enter the same print command.

[0082] If the CPU 11 determines that it will not retry (S205: NO) or that a timeout has occurred (S212: YES), it discards the image data received from the editing application 22 at A18 in Figure 4 (S231). S231 is an example of the discard process. In the case of a timeout, the CPU 11 may also notify the user via the user interface 13.

[0083] Even if a paper change instruction is sent, it is not guaranteed that the paper will be changed immediately. Also, since keeping image data in memory increases the memory load, the printer driver 23 discards the image data from memory and terminates processing if there is no retry or a timeout occurs. This reduces the memory load.

[0084] After S223 or S231, the CPU 11 terminates the inconsistency processing and returns to the printing procedure in Figure 4, ending A35. This causes the printer driver 23 to terminate processing. With the processing of the print instruction passed to the printer driver 23 in A18 complete, the editing application 22 becomes able to accept user instructions.

[0085] As explained in detail above, the printer driver 23 in this configuration is a program capable of sending print commands to the label printer 3, and allows the user to set the criteria for comparison between the paper information specified for the label printer 3 and the paper information passed from the editing application 22, item by item. This allows the printer driver 23 to restrict the submission of print commands that do not match the paper information specified for the label printer 3, while avoiding judgment on more items than necessary, thereby increasing the likelihood that a print job can be submitted even if similar paper information is set for the print job.

[0086] This embodiment is merely illustrative and does not limit the present invention in any way. Therefore, the present invention can naturally be improved and modified in various ways without departing from its essence. For example, instead of PC1, a smartphone or tablet computer can be used. Also, the printing method of the label printer 3 is not limited to inkjet, but may be, for example, thermal transfer, electrophotography, or thermal printing, or it may be a device capable of color printing. Furthermore, the paper used as the printing medium is not limited to label paper, but may be, for example, plain paper rolls or fanfold paper, or cut sheets.

[0087] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the paper type is a required item, and if the paper type does not match, it is determined to be an inconsistency in S101 of the consistency determination process, but this is not limited to this. In other words, the printer driver 23 may also accept specification as to whether or not the paper type information is an item to be determined. In that case, release liner information indicating whether it is roll paper or fanfold paper, and shape information indicating whether it is a non-standard length label, die-cut label or mark label may be specified as separate items.

[0088] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the printer driver 23 determines that an item is inconsistent in S113 of the consistency determination process, and does not perform the determination on the remaining items. However, it is also possible to determine all items. The printer driver 23 may, for example, display a list of items that have been determined to be inconsistent, or it may display the determination result for each item for all items.

[0089] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the printer driver 23 retains image data when retrying, and if the retry determines that the data is consistent in S215, it executes S222 to S223 and automatically resends the print command. However, resending is not required. The printer driver 23 may discard the image data regardless of whether a retry is performed, and if the retry determines that the data is consistent, it may simply notify that the paper has been changed.

[0090] Furthermore, although this embodiment allows the user to choose whether or not to retry, this is not required. For example, the printer driver 23 may, if the paper information is inconsistent, execute the inconsistency processing steps S201-S203, then proceed to S231 to discard the image data and terminate the process. Alternatively, the printer driver 23 may be configured to retry if the paper information is inconsistent.

[0091] Furthermore, the display screens shown in each figure are all examples, and the wording, arrangement of information, button shapes, etc., shown in the figures are not limited to the examples. Instead of providing a paper mismatch check item field 56 in the print settings screen 50, a checkbox may be provided to accept whether or not to include each item in the judgment, as shown in Figure 10, for example. Also, if the printer driver 23 accepts a setting for a large number of copies in the print settings screen 50, it may automatically include all configurable items as judgment items.

[0092] Furthermore, for example, PC1 may be able to accept specification of whether or not to include an item in the judgment target via the registration tool 26. In that case, the registration tool 26 should store the information of the items to be judged in the preset data, and the printer driver 23 should display the paper mismatch check item column 56 on the print settings screen 50 based on the information contained in the read preset data.

[0093] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a notification command is sent to the label printer 3 when an inconsistency is detected, but this is not required. For example, in S201 of the inconsistency processing, the printer driver 23 may, after notifying the user via IF13 of the inconsistency, accept an option to whether or not to notify the label printer 3. If notification is not given, the printer driver 23 may proceed to S231 and discard the image data. Also, for example, the user can change the judgment items used for the inconsistency determination based on the notified information.

[0094] Furthermore, although this embodiment describes the process as being handled by the printer driver 23, it is not limited to this. For example, PC1 may have a so-called driverless configuration in which the OS already provides a general-purpose program for printing and does not use a printer driver. In addition, PC1 may have an application program for a specific printer installed, separate from the general-purpose program provided by the OS. In that case, PC1 may determine the consistency of the paper information based on that application program.

[0095] Furthermore, in any flowchart disclosed in the embodiments, the execution order of any multiple processes in any multiple steps can be arbitrarily changed or executed in parallel, as long as no inconsistencies arise in the processing content.

[0096] Furthermore, the processes disclosed in the embodiments may be executed by a single CPU, multiple CPUs, hardware such as an ASIC, or a combination thereof. Also, the processes disclosed in the embodiments can be implemented in various forms, such as a recording medium or method that stores a program for executing the process. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0097] 1 PC 3. Label printer 11 CPU 13 User Interface

Claims

1. A program used to control a printer that allows specifying paper information, The aforementioned program is programmed into the computer of the information processing device. When an application program installed on the information processing device issues a print command to the printer, and the image data to be printed and print settings including paper information are passed to it, An acquisition process to obtain first paper information, which is information about the paper type specified for the printer, from the printer, A determination process is performed to determine whether the first paper information obtained in the acquisition process and the second paper information, which is the paper information included in the print settings passed from the application program, are consistent. The paper information has multiple items, and it is possible to set whether each item should be included in the determination process. In the determination process, the items set as targets for determination are determined to be consistent, and the items not set as targets for determination are not determined to be consistent. Furthermore, the computer of the information processing device, If the determination process determines that the first paper information and the second paper information are consistent, The application program executes a print transmission process that sends a print command to the printer, which sends a print command based on the image data passed from the application program to the printer. A program configured in such a way.

2. In the program described in claim 1, The computer of the information processing device, If the determination process determines that the first paper information and the second paper information are inconsistent, The print transmission process is not executed, and a discard process is executed to discard the image data passed from the application program. A program configured in such a way.

3. In the program described in claim 1, The computer of the information processing device, If the number of copies included in the print settings exceeds a threshold, a first automatic setting process is executed to set a specific item among the multiple items as the target of the determination process. A program configured in such a way.

4. In the program described in claim 3, The computer of the information processing device, When the application program installed on the information processing device issues a print command to the printer, and the image data to be printed and the print settings including paper information are passed to the printer, Before executing the aforementioned determination process, execute the first automatic setting process. A program configured in such a way.

5. In the program described in claim 1, One of the items of information on the aforementioned form is the type of paper. The computer of the information processing device, If a specific paper type is set in the aforementioned paper type, a second automatic setting process is executed to set the corresponding item, which is one of the multiple items that corresponds to the specific paper type, as the target of the determination process. A program configured in such a way.

6. In the program described in claim 5, The computer of the information processing device, The manual setting process is performed to display a settings screen on the user interface of the information processing device that accepts changes to the print settings, including the information on the aforementioned paper size. The system accepts changes to the print settings via the settings screen, and when the paper type is set to the specific paper type, it executes the second automatic setting process. A program configured in such a way.

7. In the program described in claim 1, The computer of the information processing device, When the application program installed on the information processing device issues a print command to the printer, and the image data to be printed and the print settings including paper information are passed to the printer, After executing the acquisition process, and before executing the determination process, execute the third automatic setting process. In the third automatic setting process, if the first paper information acquired in the acquisition process satisfies specific conditions, the items corresponding to the specific conditions are set as targets for determination in the determination process. A program configured in such a way.

8. In the program described in claim 1, The information processing device may store preset data in which the multiple items associated with the information on the paper may be set for each item as to whether or not it is subject to judgment in the judgment process, and the print settings passed from the application program may include the preset data. In the determination process, when the preset data is passed from the application program, a determination is made as to whether each item is consistent based on the settings attached to the preset data. A program configured in such a way.

9. In a program according to any one of claims 1 to 8, The aforementioned printer is a label printer, The information on the aforementioned paper includes information regarding the characteristics of the label. In the aforementioned determination process, It is determined whether the information regarding the characteristics of the label included in the first paper information and the information regarding the characteristics of the label included in the second paper information are consistent. A program configured in such a way.

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