Virtual Printer Program Bridging Standard Drivers and Print Servers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing general-purpose printer drivers do not support cloud or on-premises printing, requiring specific vendor drivers for print server communication.
Innovation Solution
A virtual printer program that pretends a printer for the general-purpose driver, enabling communication with a print server and transmitting print jobs to connected printers via a network.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a general-purpose printer driver is used, then ease of operation is improved, but printing via print server (cloud printing or on-premises printing) cannot be performed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a virtual printer as an intermediary component between the general-purpose printer driver and the print server. The virtual printer receives print jobs from the general-purpose driver and forwards them to the print server, enabling cloud printing functionality without requiring vendor-specific drivers. This mediator approach resolves the contradiction by maintaining ease of operation with general-purpose drivers while adding adaptability for print server communication.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a vendor-specific printer driver is used, then printing via print server is enabled, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the printing system into distinct functional components: the general-purpose printer driver handles user interface and basic printing operations, while the virtual printer handles print server communication. This segmentation allows the system to maintain simplicity in the driver layer while adding versatility through the virtual printer component, reducing overall system complexity compared to requiring complex vendor-specific drivers.
3Adaptability or versatility
If cloud printing functionality is added to general-purpose drivers, then adaptability is improved, but driver complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than modifying the general-purpose driver to include cloud printing functionality, the patent introduces a separate virtual printer intermediary. This approach adds adaptability for cloud printing while keeping the general-purpose driver simple and unchanged, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and driver complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a virtual printer program, the virtual printer program causing a computer to execute first communication processing, second communication processing, and printing processing. The first communication processing is processing of pretending a printer for a general-purpose printer driver and communicating with the general-purpose printer driver. In the second communication processing, communication is performed with a print server. In the printing processing, a print job acquired from the general-purpose printer driver in the first communication processing is transmitted to the print server: in the second communication processing to cause a printer connected to the print server via a network to perform printing.