Printer Settings Management Without Driver
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current printing technologies, especially those used by high-performance mobile devices, often cannot utilize advanced settings of printing apparatuses due to the absence of a printer driver, limiting the functionality of print settings to basic options like copy number, color/monochrome, duplex printing, page range, and sheet size.
Innovation Solution
A printing apparatus with a setting management unit that transmits and receives print settings via a client device, using JavaScript or WebRTC to manage and store settings, allowing advanced settings even without a printer driver, enabling synchronization of print settings with print data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a standard printing function provided by an operating system is used to generate print data from a mobile device, then printing can be executed without installing a printer driver, but only standard print settings (number of copies, color/monochrome, duplex printing, page range, sheet size) can be configured and advanced settings that utilize the functional characteristics of the printing apparatus cannot be performed
Solution Approach 1:
A settings management unit is introduced as an intermediary component within the printing apparatus that receives, stores, and manages print settings information from mobile devices. This intermediary enables the device to capture advanced print settings without requiring a printer driver on the mobile device, thereby resolving the contradiction between versatility and system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The printing apparatus performs preliminary actions by pre-configuring and storing advanced print settings information in its internal storage unit before the actual printing operation. This allows the mobile device to access and utilize these pre-prepared settings without needing to install additional software or configure complex parameters, thus achieving advanced functionality while maintaining system simplicity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a printer driver is installed on a mobile device to access advanced print settings, then advanced settings that utilize functional characteristics of the printing apparatus can be performed, but the mobile device requires additional software installation and configuration
Solution Approach 1:
The settings management unit acts as an intermediary that bridges the mobile device and the printing apparatus, enabling the device to access advanced settings through the standard printing function without requiring a printer driver. This intermediary transfers and manages print settings information, making advanced functionality accessible while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The printing apparatus creates and stores copies of print settings information in its internal storage unit. These stored settings can be retrieved and applied during printing operations, allowing the system to provide advanced settings functionality without requiring the mobile device to install or manage printer driver software, thus preserving operational convenience.
3Adaptability or versatility
If print settings information is not stored and managed by the printing apparatus, then the system remains simple, but advanced settings cannot be applied to print data received from mobile devices without a printer driver
Solution Approach 1:
A settings management unit is introduced as an intermediary component that handles the storage and retrieval of print settings information. This intermediary manages the complexity of settings storage and retrieval, enabling the printing apparatus to provide advanced settings functionality while keeping the overall system architecture relatively simple and modular.
Solution Approach 2:
The printing apparatus performs preliminary actions by pre-storing print settings information in its internal storage unit before printing operations occur. This preliminary storage of settings data enables the system to provide advanced functionality without requiring complex real-time configuration mechanisms, thus achieving versatility while maintaining manageable system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
In order to enable print setting that depends on functional characteristics of a printing apparatus also in printing processing that depends on an instruction from a client device that has not installed a printer driver of the printing apparatus, an information processing device includes setting management unit configured to transmit information on a print settings screen of the printing apparatus and display the print settings screen on a display of the information processing device, a reception unit configured to receive information on print settings of the printing apparatus, which is input on the print settings screen, from the information processing device, a storage unit configured to store the print settings into a memory unit in association with the information processing device, and a printing control unit configured to execute printing processing based on the print settings when print data is received from the information processing device.