Support Program for Collate Printing Without Printer Memory Load
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Solution Overview
Problem
Collate printing is not supported by OS standard general-purpose print programs, leading to user inconvenience and increased load on printers when using OS standard printing programs, which do not allow for setting items that can be selected during printing parameter selection.
Innovation Solution
A support program executed by an information processing device acquires and transmits print data one copy at a time to a connected printer, enabling collate printing without overloading the printer, even if the general-purpose print program does not support it.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If collate printing is performed by the printer itself, then collate printing functionality is achieved, but the printer's memory capacity and processing load increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the collate printing processing function from the printer and relocates it to the information processing device. The support program on the information processing device generates separate print data for each copy and transmits them sequentially to the printer, which only executes simple printing operations without performing collate processing internally. This resolves the contradiction by achieving collate printing functionality while preventing the printer's memory capacity from increasing.
2Ease of manufacture
If OS standard general-purpose print program is used, then printing can be performed without printer driver, but collate printing is not supported and user convenience deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a support program as an intermediary between the OS standard general-purpose print program and the printer. The support program intercepts print instructions from the general-purpose program, processes collate printing requirements by generating separate print data for each copy, and transmits them sequentially to the printer. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining the simplicity of using OS standard printing while adding collate printing support through the intermediary support program.
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is technology by which an information processing device having an OS standard printing program installed therein causes a printer to perform collate printing without applying a load to the printer. In a case where a print instruction that causes a printer 2 to execute printing of an image is output from an editing application 43 to a general-purpose print program 41 installed in an OS 21 to cause the printer 2 to execute collate printing, the collate printing being processing of sequentially printing N copies one copy by one copy in which printing of the one copy is printing of the image having a plurality of pages that is a range of a print target, in a job based on the print instruction, an auxiliary program 42 causes a CPU 11 of a PC 1 to acquire print data of one copy rasterized based on the image having the plurality of pages, and to cause the PC 1 to transmit the acquired print data of the one copy to the printer 2 as a transmission destination one copy by one copy over the N copies.