Support Program for OS Printing Delay Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional printer control systems using OS-standard general-purpose printing programs experience delays in printing due to waiting for notification screens to terminate before transmitting print data, especially when issuing user notifications based on printer status.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a support program that acquires printer status information and processes print data transmission independently of notification screen display, allowing the system to continue processing without waiting for the notification screen to finish, thereby reducing delays in printing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If the auxiliary program waits for the notification screen to terminate before returning control to the general-purpose printing program, then the user can view printer status information, but the start of printing is delayed
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into separate processes: the auxiliary program acquires and displays notification information in one process, while the general-purpose printing program transmits print data in another process. This segmentation allows both operations to proceed independently without blocking each other, resolving the contradiction between displaying status information and maintaining printing speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The notification screen acts as an intermediary that displays printer status information to the user without interfering with the print data transmission process. The auxiliary program communicates status through this intermediary while the printing program continues its operation independently, allowing both functions to coexist without mutual interference.
2Ease of operation
If the system displays a notification screen to inform users of printer status, then user awareness of printer conditions is improved, but the printing process efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The notification display function is segmented into a separate auxiliary program that runs independently from the printing program. This allows the notification screen to be displayed for user awareness without blocking or slowing down the printing process, maintaining both ease of operation and productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The printing program continues its useful action of transmitting print data without interruption while the notification screen is displayed. The separate process architecture ensures that the printing operation proceeds continuously without waiting for the notification display to complete, maintaining high productivity while keeping users informed.
Data Source
AI summary
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium stores a support program for an information processing device connectable to a printer. In an operating system of the information processing device, a general-purpose printing program corresponding to the printer is embedded. The support program, when executed by a computer of the information processing device, causes the information processing device to perform: acquiring; requesting; and processing. The acquiring acquires, in response to a print instruction being issued from an editing application program, status information from the printer. The requesting requests a displaying application program to display a notification screen by transferring a parameter based on the status information to the displaying application program. In response to the print instruction being issued from the editing application program, the processing processes for transmitting print data based on the print instruction to the printer without waiting for the displaying application program to terminate displaying the notification screen.