Printer Driver Spool Data Reprint Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing printing control systems fail to efficiently manage reprinting after errors, leading to inconsistent output results and incompatibility with Windows systems, as they skip print setting command transmission and cannot rewrite print start information in temporary OS-spooled files.
Innovation Solution
An information processing method that generates and transmits print commands based on spool data, manages job identification information, and skips page configuration processing for printed pages during reprinting, allowing for efficient reprinting and compatibility with Windows systems by maintaining print setting command transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If print setting command transmission processing is skipped during reprinting, then processing efficiency is improved, but output consistency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the print command into two distinct parts: page data (which can be skipped for already-printed pages) and print setting commands (which must be transmitted again). This segmentation allows selective transmission - skipping redundant page data while ensuring print setting commands are retransmitted to maintain output consistency. The print control apparatus identifies and separates these command types, transmitting only the necessary print setting commands during reprinting operations.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the printing control apparatus cannot rewrite print start information in temporary files, then system compatibility is improved, but reprint functionality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism - a mapping table stored in the print control apparatus - that bridges the gap between the OS spooler's temporary files and the reprint functionality. Instead of directly modifying OS-spooled temporary files (which would require system-level access), the apparatus creates and maintains a separate mapping table that records the correspondence between job identification information and print start page numbers. This mapping table serves as an intermediary data structure that enables reprint operations without compromising Windows system compatibility.
3Reliability
If page configuration processing is performed for all pages during reprinting, then output completeness is improved, but processing load deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by recording the print start page number in the mapping table before reprinting begins. This pre-recorded information allows the print control apparatus to immediately determine which pages need processing without performing unnecessary page configuration operations. By having the print start page information prepared in advance in the mapping table, the system avoids the computational overhead of processing already-printed pages while ensuring that only the necessary pages are configured and printed.
Data Source
AI summary
A printer driver generates a print command based on the spool data of a print job to thereby transmit the print command to a printer. The printer driver manages a correspondence between job identification information that identifies a print job for which an error occurred and information about the number of printed pages at the moment when the error occurred in a storage device. When it is determined that the print job to be processed is a data type to be spooled by an intermediate drawing command and the job identification information for the print job to be processed is managed by the storage device, the printer driver skips page configuration processing relating to printed pages and generates a print command based on the information about the number of printed pages, which corresponds to the job identification information and is managed by the storage device.