161 results about "Virtual printer" patented technology

A computer-based printing system, comprised a client computing device, optionally one or more server computing devices, a virtual printer driver, one or more printer drivers, a print processor, print spooler, and one or more printers, means for initiating a print job(s), all or in part, or one or more copies of a document(s), in a local, network or remote, single or multi-user, printing environment, and a means to select the best fit printer based on printer capabilities, print quality and printer availability, without manually enumeration of each printer driver and printer status monitor.

A virtual printer driver or proxy printer driver executed by a virtual machine communicates with a real printer driver executed by a host computer to enable application programs executed by the virtual machine to print data on printers that are accessible by the host computer.

In order to manage management information of virtual printers and real printers in an easy-to-understand manner in a printing system which employs a plurality of printers, the present invention includes a recognition step of recognizing a virtual printer selected from a plurality of virtual printers; an identification step of identifying member printers associated with the virtual printer recognized in the recognition step; and a display control step of displaying information about the member printers associated with the virtual printer and identified in the identification step.

A technique for carrying out distributed printing from a general-purpose application program. An application program generates print data and issues a print command. A virtual printer driver receives the print command and returns performance information with regard to performances of a virtual printer to the application program. The application program converts print data into data suitable for the virtual printer based on the performance information and transmits the converted print data to the virtual printer driver. The virtual printer driver stores the input print data in the form of an intermediate print file into an HDD. A distributed printing utility reads the intermediate print file, allocates intermediate print data in the intermediate print file to respective printers according to a distributed form set in a dialog box, and outputs the print data in a distributive manner to real printer drivers provided for the respective printers based on the allocation.

A printed target model is formed by 3D printing by inputting target model data, and based on target model data, identifying surface portions requiring support. The surface portions are projected onto a virtual printer table, and one or more virtual support structures having a V-shaped cap portion and optionally a generally planar web are created therefore. The virtual model is then used to control a 3D printer to integrally print-form the target model and support structures.

A print server which communicates with an information processing apparatus including a virtual printer driver that generates a print job of an intermediate format independent of a printing apparatus, and a printing apparatus, comprises: a storage unit configured to store the print job of the intermediate format received from the information processing apparatus; a conversion unit configured to convert the print job of the intermediate format stored in the storage unit into a first PDL print job printable by the printing apparatus by using a printer driver of the printing apparatus; and a transmission unit configured to transmit the first PDL print job to save the first PDL print job converted by the conversion unit in the printing apparatus.

Creating a locally managed instance of a printer on a workstation which communicates to the printer over a peer-to-peer network by selecting an option to create a locally managed instance of the printer, inputting an identifier of the printer, in response to the input identifier, automatically obtaining printer configuration information and print driver information based at least in part on the input identifier, automatically configuring the printer and installing a print driver based on the obtained printer configuration information and print driver information, and creating the locally managed instance of the printer. The printer configuration information and the print driver information may be automatically obtained from a remote device on the network, such as an FTP server, and a port for communication with the printer may be automatically created. The unique identifier may be a network address of the printer, such as an IP address, a printer name, a DNS name or a NetBios name, and the printer may be a virtual printer, rather than an actual printer installed on the network.

Client / server negotiation of virtual display and / or printer device selection to control session attributes, job routing to customized subsystems, user access control, and so forth. Within the Telnet Protocol, sanctioned and used with the "DO, DONT, WILL, WONT" structure, during subnegotiation a client requests and a server agrees to a specific virtual device name for the session display and / or printer.

An information processing apparatus which makes it possible to improve user operability in selecting a desired one from a plurality of image processing apparatuses by selecting functions of the image processing apparatuses. A virtual printer driver acquires function information on a plurality of printers existing on a network. One printer is selected as a default printer from the printers. Configuration items associated with functions of the default printer, and configuration items associated with functions of the other printers are displayed on a configuration screen in a manner selectable by a user. The configuration items associated with the functions of the printers except the default printer are displayed such that a printer equipped with a function associated with each of the configuration items can be identified by the user. Print data is transmitted to one of the printers, based on a configuration item selected by the user.

Disclosed is a data processing apparatus including an application execution unit that transmits job data; a print-request-source notification unit invoked by the application execution unit to report print-request-source information specifying a print request source; a virtual printer driver that is invoked upon receiving the job data, extracts job information specifying print settings from the job data, generates a work space for image conversion, and generates drawing data of a higher image format from the job data in the work space; and a transmission processing unit that is generated as a private instance for the job data, selects a printer driver corresponding to output-destination printer information associated with a client or a user of the client, instructs the selected printer driver to print the drawing data, and displays transmission destination information and / or print information determined for the job data on the print request source.

A data processing apparatus is disclosed, including: a virtual printer driver and a plurality of remote drivers. The virtual printer driver receives a print request through the network, creates an intermediate file as a page image from print data corresponding to the print request, has a remote driver corresponding to output destination printer information corresponding to the client computer or a user of the client computer create output data for a remote printer, and has the remote printer output the output data. The remote driver is called by the virtual printer driver, creates the output data including RAW data from the intermediate file, and has the remote printer selected through the network print out the output data.

A distributed capture system is disclosed which enables digital content to be captured in various formats and interfaced with a plurality ECM) platforms which enables the distributed capture system to be seamlessly integrated with a customer's legacy ECM system. The system is configured to receive various financial records that are normally created at a financial institution, such as loan applications and customer signature cards, in various formats, such as Microsoft Word, PDF, and Printer Control Language (PCL). The financial records are directed to a virtual printer and converted to a TIFF format. The print stream associated with the text embedded in the TIFF image of the financial record is captured and compared with document classification template. The document classification template allows the document to be automatically classified and indexed. Documents are then sent to the ECM interface. The ECM interface allows financial records that are normally created at the financial institution to be converted to electronic form and stored in the financial institution's legacy ECM. By eliminating the need to purchase a new ECM, the need to convert existing data to the format of the legacy ECM is obviated.

A grid computing system is disclosed. The grid computing system includes one or more printer nodes representing distributed print resources, an information repository, and a grid distributed resource manager. Continuing, the information repository includes printer attributes associated with the printer nodes. Further, the grid distributed resource manager provides a virtual printer to a user based on the distributed print resources. Also, the grid distributed resource manager accepts and assigns print jobs submitted to the virtual printer by the user.

Computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions provide support for the printing of documents containing embedded interactive code information in conjunction with different applications that include Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint®, and Microsoft InfoPath™. With a Microsoft Word document, the contents and the associated portion of the EIC pattern are printed page by page. A virtual printer intercepts a spooled printed job and saves the associated enhanced metafile. Subsequently, the EMF and the associated EIC pattern for each page are printed. With a Microsoft PowerPoint® document, each page is printed with a selected number of slides and with an associated portion of the EIC pattern. A note-taking section and play control buttons may be printed. For a Microsoft InfoPath™ document, an HTML document is obtained from the InfoPath XML document before printing. Microsoft InfoPath prints the image of one page with the associated EIC pattern.

Remotely installing a new printer in a printers folder on a client workstation that communicates via a network with a control point terminal by, in the control point terminal, performing an operation to add the new printer in the printers folder of the client workstation, and in response to the operation being performed, the control point terminal transmitting identification information of the new printer being added to an agent in the client workstation, and in the client workstation, the agent receiving the identification information from the control point terminal, in response to receiving the identification information of the new printer, the agent automatically obtaining printer configuration information and print driver information based at least in part on the received identification information, the agent automatically configuring the printer and installing a print driver based on the obtained printer configuration information and print driver information, and the agent creating a locally managed instance of the printer. The operation may be simply selecting the new printer and the workstation that the printer is to be added to. The printer configuration information and the print driver information may be automatically obtained from a remote device on the network, such as an FTP server, and a port for communication with the printer may be automatically created. The unique identifier may be a network address of the printer, such as an IP address, a printer name, a DNS name or a NetBios name, and the printer may be a virtual printer, rather than an actual printer installed on the network.

A data processing apparatus includes a virtual printer driver unit configured to receive job data of a job from an application executing unit, generate image data based on the job data, and generate print setting data by describing a print setting extracted from the job data; an output condition control unit configured to rewrite the image data and the print setting data generated by the virtual printer driver unit and determine an output destination from which the image data is to be printed out, in accordance with a rule including conditions for selecting the output destination and making a change in output contents of the job; and a transmission unit configured to select a printer driver corresponding to the determined output destination and transmit, to the selected printer driver, a print command relevant to a changed job corresponding to the image data and the print setting data that have been rewritten.

A sheet feeder assembly (1) includes a bottom-feed sheet feeder (3) and a delivery table (5) positioned to receive sheets from the sheet feeder and deliver the sheets one at a time to a top-feed mechanism (205) designed to feed the top sheet of a stack of sheets in a manual feed tray of a printer (7) or the like. The top-feed mechanism includes a lifting support (204) for a stack of sheets. An exit end of the delivery table rests on and moves with the lifting support and delivers sheets one at a time to the top-feed mechanism. A balance mechanism (75) reduces the effective weight of the delivery table.

To solve such a problem that it takes time to display a print setting display screen of a virtual printer to which functions of member printer drivers having different characteristics have been reflected, in an information processing apparatus for making job control of the virtual printer constructed by a plurality of member printers, a conflicting process based on each function of the plurality of member printers is executed, a construction of the member printers is examined in association with display control for reflecting a conflict result to a setting display screen of the virtual printer, and control is made to as to visualize an advance situation of the conflicting process on the basis of an examination result.

A distributed capture system is disclosed which enables digital content to be captured in various formats and interfaced with a plurality ECM) platforms which enables the distributed capture system to be seamlessly integrated with a customer's legacy ECM system. The system is configured to receive various financial records that are normally created at a financial institution, such as loan applications and customer signature cards, in various formats, such as Microsoft Word, PDF, and Printer Control Language (PCL). The financial records are directed to a virtual printer and converted to a TIFF format. The print stream associated with the text embedded in the TIFF image of the financial record is captured and compared with document classification template. The document classification template allows the document to be automatically classified and indexed. Documents are then sent to the ECM interface. The ECM interface allows financial records that are normally created at the financial institution to be converted to electronic form and stored in the financial institution's legacy ECM. By eliminating the need to purchase a new ECM, the need to convert existing data to the format of the legacy ECM is obviated.

An object is, by connecting a network interface card to a network, to achieve marked increases in functions, as compared to usage without the connection.A client network interface card 40a performs a capability information inquiry 110 to other devices on the network. Virtual device information 114, which has increased functions over the original capabilities of its own device, is disclosed to a PC 14, based on capability information 112 obtained from other devices. The PC 14 transmits printing data to the client network interface card 40a and commissions printing, based on the virtual printer information 114. The client network interface card which has received a printing commission exceeding the original capabilities of its own device determines a server device 20a to commission the processing to, based on the capability information 112. Then, processing is commissioned to the server device 20a, and printing data following processing is received and printing output is performed.

The invention discloses a printing management and control method based on a CUPS framework. The printing management and control method includes the steps of firstly, designing and installing a virtual printer drive based on the CUPS framework; secondly, controlling the access to a virtual printer and a physical printer through a CUPS; thirdly, configuring the physical printer capable of being used by different users; fourthly, monitoring user printing operation; fifthly, selecting the physical printer by a user; sixthly, generating printing records; seventhly, storing printing content and embedding user information; eighthly, outputting the printing content through the physical printer; ninthly, completing the printing records. The method is suitable for all operation systems using the CUPS framework including the Unix system, the Linux operation system, the domestic operation system and the Mac system. By controlling the access to the physical printer, printing management is achieved, and basic data are provided for subsequent file source tracking and auditing by processing and storing the printing content.

A print relay server includes an interface (proxy) for relaying a printing service and an image forming apparatus and for communicating with each printing service on a printing service basis and on a user basis, and registers a virtual printer substituting for the image forming apparatus.

In a printer system in which a plurality of virtual printers can be set, virtual printer names are properly used to select ordinary printing and security printing whose contents should be kept confidential. When print data whose contents should be kept confidential is printed, a virtual printer name for security printing, e.g., "sp2351", is set upon directing printing. A printer identifies the virtual printer name for security printing by a part "sp", and temporarily stores the contents to be printed in a memory. Subsequently, when the user inputs "2351" directly to the printer, printing is done.

A document may be sent to a virtual printer which may be a software module configured as a print driver to receive the printer file, retrieve further information from a data repository, and produce a file including both the document image and additional information. The software module may further transmit the document to a central hub, from which it may be further processed and / or transmitted to an intended recipient.

The invention relates to a self-service diagnosis report printing method and a system. According to the method, diagnosis reports are converted into XPS or PDF files by utilizing a virtual printer, the files are stored in a report server, an identity verification module is utilized to verify patient information, when verification succeeds, corresponding diagnoses are printed through a printer, self-service printing of the diagnosis reports is realized, a management and output mode of the traditional diagnosis reports is greatly improved, the medical environment in hospitals can be effectively improved, distribution efficiency of the diagnosis reports can be improved, problems of distribution errors and distribution missing faults can be prevented, medical disputes can be effectively reduced, and treatment experience of patients can be improved.

This invention provides a color print control method of acquiring an optimum profile by a simple profile acquisition process in consideration of the clustering configuration. According to the color print control method of this invention, a printer manager (15) manages a combination of color printers as a virtual printer. A color setting manager (17) manages a color profile used for color matching in association with the virtual printer and output paper. A job controller (11) controls to accept a print job, whose destination is the managed virtual printer and which contains color matching settings, cause a rendering unit (18) to render the print job, acquire a profile for each virtual printer, and cause a color management processor (16) to perform color matching.

A system is provided in which printer driver update work is not required, and in addition, print queue creation work can be hidden. When a virtual printer driver is installed, a generic printer driver is installed in the system without creating a print queue. Then, for execution of printing, the installed generic printer driver is used to create the print queue, and a print job is input to the print queue.