JP7183668B2 - image forming system - Google Patents

Description

The technical field disclosed in this specification relates to an image forming system having a plurality of information processing apparatuses and printers and a program installed in the information processing apparatus.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, there are information processing apparatuses incorporating an operating system (OS) having a so-called driverless printing function that performs printing according to a predetermined printing standard represented by AirPrint (registered trademark) without using a printer driver. In this case, printing can be performed without installing a printer driver. Although it is not an example of an OS compatible with the driverless printing function, there is, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-100000 as a technique for coping with changes in the printing environment caused by a new OS. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-200000 discloses a configuration that can notify that the printer driver is restricted by the OS when installation of the printer driver fails.

JP 2017-162106 A

In printing using the driverless printing function described above, print setting items may be limited to general-purpose items, and it is not always possible to set all possible items for individual printers. In the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200010, the cause of the inability to install the printer driver is reported, but for an information processing apparatus in which the OS in which the printer driver cannot be installed is installed, printing reflecting the unique settings of each printer is performed. it won't be possible.

The present specification discloses an image forming system including an information processing apparatus in which an OS having a driverless printing function is installed, and discloses a technique that enables printing from the information processing apparatus that reflects printer-specific settings. .

An image forming system of the present invention, which has been made for the purpose of solving the above-described problems, is an image forming system in which a printer, a first information processing device, and a second information processing device are connected via a network, The first information processing device incorporates a specific program having a function of generating print data corresponding to the unique settings of the printer, and the second information processing device includes a printer driver for the printer. An unsupported operating system is installed, and the controller of the first information processing apparatus receives the second information when the second information processing apparatus receives a print instruction to cause the printer to print based on image data. a receiving process for receiving the image data output from the processing device via a communication interface; and a generating process for rasterizing the image data received in the receiving process to generate print data, wherein the specified a generation process of performing rasterization that reflects the settings unique to the printer using a program; a transmission process of transmitting the print data generated by the generation process to the printer via the communication interface; a transfer process of receiving, via the communication interface, a print result of the print data transmitted from the printer, and further transmitting the received print result to the second information processing apparatus via the communication interface; is characterized by executing

In the image forming system having such a configuration, the first information processing device capable of generating print data corresponding to printer-specific settings is replaced by the second information processing device incorporating an OS that does not support the printer driver. receives the image data for which the print instruction has been accepted. Then, instead of the second information processing apparatus, the first information processing apparatus generates print data corresponding to the unique settings of the printer, and delivers the print data to the printer. As a result, even if the second information processing apparatus receives a print instruction, the image forming system can perform printing that reflects the settings unique to the printer.

A control method, a computer program, and a computer-readable storage medium storing the computer program for implementing the functions of the above apparatus are also novel and useful.

According to the technology disclosed in this specification, an image forming system including an information processing device in which an OS having a driverless printing function is installed, and printing reflecting printer-specific settings from the information processing device is performed. We can provide the technology that makes it possible.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming system according to a first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining normal printing; FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the difference between driverless printing and indirect printing; FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram for explaining an indirect printing operation; 4 is a flowchart for explaining the procedure of processing by a monitoring program; 4 is a flow chart for explaining a procedure of processing by a relay program; 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming system according to a second embodiment; FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining indirect printing; FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram for explaining an indirect printing operation; 4 is a flow chart for explaining a procedure of processing by a relay program; FIG. 11 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming system according to a third embodiment; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the data structure of a printer information storage unit; FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an operation of rewriting printer information; FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram for explaining an indirect printing operation;

Embodiments embodying an image forming system and a program according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(First embodiment)
This embodiment applies the present invention to a printing system including a printer and an information processing device that can communicate with each other.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming system 100 according to the first embodiment. The image forming system 100 includes a first printer 1A, a second printer 1B, a third printer 1C, a first personal computer (PC) 2A, a second PC 2B, a third PC 2C, a fourth PC 2D, a router 3, They are communicably connected to each other via a network 4 . The network 4 may be configured with either a wired network or a wireless network, or may be configured with both a wired network and a wireless network. The first printer 1A is an example of a "printer". The first PC 2A is an example of the "first information processing apparatus" and "information processing apparatus", and the second PC 2B is an example of the "second information processing apparatus" and "another information processing apparatus".

Each of the first to third printers 1A to 1C is a device capable of printing on a print target medium, such as a printer, a copier, or a multifunction machine. In the following, when there is no need to distinguish between them, they will simply be referred to as "printer 1". Note that the number of printers 1 is not limited to the number in this embodiment.

The first to fourth PCs 2A to 2D are information processing devices that generate and edit image data to be printed by the printer 1, send print execution instructions and image data to the printer 1, and the like. Of these, the first PC 2A incorporates an operating system (OS) 72 that supports the printer driver 91, while the second printer 2B incorporates an OS 82 that does not support the printer driver. The first to fourth PCs 2A to 2D may be, for example, smartphones or tablet-type mobile terminals. In the following, when there is no need to distinguish, it is simply referred to as "PC2".

The number of PCs 2 is, for example, an information processing device that supports a printer driver for a specific printer 1, such as the first PC 2A, and an information processing device that does not support a printer driver for a specific printer 1, such as the second PC 2B. If the information processing devices coexist in the network 4, the number is not limited to the number in this embodiment.

The router 3 is a device having a function of controlling a data transfer path. The router 3 stores destination information of network constituent devices such as the printer 1 and the PC 2 . The destination information is, for example, an IP address.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the printer 1 has a controller 11 , an image forming section 12 , an operation panel 13 and a network interface (hereinafter referred to as “network IF”) 14 . The image forming unit 12 , the operation panel 13 and the network IF 14 are connected to the controller 11 .

The image forming unit 12 is configured to print an image on a medium to be printed. The image forming method of the image forming unit 12 may be an electrophotographic method, an inkjet method, or another method. Also, the medium to be printed on may be paper, cloth, tape, or any other material.

The operation panel 13 is, for example, a touch panel, receives input from a user, and displays information. The operation panel 13 may include various display lamps, buttons, and the like. Note that the operation panel 13 may be provided with a display section and an operation section separately. The network IF 14 is an interface for communicating with the PC 2 and the router 3 via the network 4 .

Controller 11 includes CPU 21 , ROM 22 , RAM 23 and NVRAM 24 . The ROM 22 stores an activation program and the like for controlling activation of the printer 1 . The RAM 23 is used as a work area when various processes are executed, or as a storage area for temporarily storing data.

The NVRAM 24 stores various data and programs. Firmware 110, which is a control program for controlling the printer 1, is stored in the NVRAM 24, for example.

The CPU 21 performs processing according to the programs stored in the ROM 22 and NVRAM 24 while storing data in the RAM 23 and NVRAM 24 to control each component of the printer 1 . Note that the controller 11 in FIG. 1 is a collective term for software and hardware used to control the printer 1 .

As shown in FIG. 1, the first PC 2A includes a controller 41A, a display section 42A, an operation section 43A, and a network IF 44A. The display unit 42A, the operation unit 43A and the network IF 44A are connected to the controller 41A.

The display unit 42A is, for example, a liquid crystal display and displays information. The operation unit 43A is, for example, a mouse or a keyboard, and receives data input. Note that the display unit 42A and the operation unit 43A may be provided integrally like a touch panel, for example. The network IF 44A is an interface for communicating with the printer 1, another PC 2, and the router 3 via the network 4. FIG.

The controller 41A has a CPU 51A, a ROM 52A, a RAM 53A, and a nonvolatile memory 54A. The ROM 52A stores a boot program and the like for booting the first PC 2A. The RAM 53A is used as a work area when various processes are executed, or as a storage area for temporarily storing data. The nonvolatile memory 54A is, for example, an HDD or flash memory, and stores various programs and data.

The CPU 51A executes various processes according to programs read from the RAM 53A and the nonvolatile memory 54A. Note that the controller 41A in FIG. 1 is a collective term for software and hardware used to control the first PC 2A.

For example, the nonvolatile memory 54</b>A stores an application program (image editing application) 71 for image editing, an OS 72 and a relay program 74 . The nonvolatile memory 54A also has a user information storage section 75 .

The image editing application 71 is, for example, a program having a function of accepting user instructions, a function of displaying images, and a function of editing and saving images. The user's instruction includes, for example, a print instruction instructing the printer 1 to print. The image editing application 71 is, for example, a program used for editing an image and generating and editing an image file of the edited image. The image editing application 71 further has a function of generating print data using the printer driver 91 incorporated in the OS 72 based on the image file. An image file is a data file for printing on a print medium, and includes image data and various print settings related to printing.

The OS 72 is software that controls the operation of the first PC 2A. The OS 72 incorporates, for example, a printer driver 91 and a communication program 92 . The printer driver 91 is an example of a "specific program". An example of a "communication interface" is configured by the communication program 92 and the network IF 44A.

The printer driver 91 is, for example, a program having a function of rasterizing image data contained in an image file to generate print data and a function of transmitting the generated rasterized data to the printer 1 via the communication program 92. . The printer driver 91 is a dedicated program that supports a specific model of printer, and does not support printers 1 other than the specific model, such as models of other manufacturers.

The printer driver 91 of this embodiment is a dedicated program for controlling the first printer 1A. The printer driver 91 can handle all detailed print settings executable by the first printer 1A, and generates print data in a format compatible with the first printer 1A. The printer driver 91 is used not only by the image editing application 71 but also by various applications.

The communication program 92 is a program having a function of controlling the network IF 44A and communicating with a communication partner device. For example, the printer driver 91 registers the generated print data in the spooler of the OS72. The communication program 92 of the first PC 2A transmits the print data registered in the spooler to the first printer 1A corresponding to the printer driver 91 via the network IF 44A. Communication program 92 is a standard program provided by OS 72 . A part of the communication program 92 may be stored in the ROM 52A.

The relay program 74 determines whether or not to reflect the unique settings compatible with the first printer 1A in the image data output from the PC 2 that does not support the printer driver when the PC 2 receives the user's print instruction. is determined, and based on the determination, the printer driver 91 is used to generate print data. The relay program 74 has an authentication function for determining whether the sender of the image data is a user who can use the unique settings. Furthermore, the relay program 74 has a function of decrypting the image data when it is encrypted.

The user information storage unit 75 stores user information. User information is, for example, information for specifying a user who has the authority to use the unique settings. A user authorized to use specific settings is, for example, a paying user. User information in the user information storage unit 75 is managed by an administrator via the operation unit 43A.

As shown in FIG. 1, the second PC 2B includes a controller 41B, a display section 42B, an operation section 43B, and a network IF 44B. The controller 41B has a CPU 51B, a ROM 52B, a RAM 53B, and a nonvolatile memory 54B. The nonvolatile memory 54B stores an image editing application 81, an OS 82, and a monitoring program 121, for example. The nonvolatile memory 54B also has a unique setting information storage unit 122 . The configuration of the second PC 2B is the same as that of the first PC 2A except for the image editing application 81, the OS 82, the monitoring program 121, and the specific setting information storage unit 122. FIG. Descriptions of common configurations are omitted as appropriate.

The image editing application 81 is, for example, a program having a function of accepting user instructions, a function of displaying images, and a function of editing and saving images. The user's instruction includes, for example, a print instruction instructing the printer 1 to print. The image editing application 81 is, for example, a program used for editing an image and generating and editing an image file of the edited image. The image editing application 81 further has a function of using the general-purpose print control program 101 incorporated in the OS 82 to generate a general-purpose image file in a format suitable for generalization based on the image file. A general-purpose image file is a data file for printing on a print medium, and includes image data and general-purpose print settings. General-purpose print settings are general-purpose settings used for printing, such as the number of prints and general-purpose resolution. In other words, there are fewer types of general-purpose print settings than the printer-specific settings.

The OS 82 is software that controls the operation of the second PC 2B. The OS 82 incorporates, for example, a general-purpose print control program 101 and a communication program 102 . The OS 82 is an OS that does not support the printer driver 91 for the first printer 1A.

The general-purpose printing control program 101 is a program having a function of generating printing standard data based on a predetermined printing standard and a function of controlling the communication program 102 to transmit the generated standard data to the printer 1 . A general-purpose print control program 101 is a standard program provided by the OS 82 to implement print control functions. The standardized data transmitted by the general-purpose print control program 101 conforms to a standard suitable for general-purpose rasterization processing.

Also, the general-purpose print control program 101 is a general-purpose program compatible with various printers 1 that support a predetermined print standard. Therefore, any manufacturer's printer 1 can perform printing based on the standard data as long as the printer 1 has a function corresponding to a predetermined printing standard. Since the general-purpose print control program 101 is a general-purpose program compatible with a plurality of models, print settings that can be accepted are limited to general ones. Therefore, the general-purpose print control program 101 does not always accept all print settings executable by the printer 1 . Examples of printing systems that use the general-purpose print control program 101 include AirPrint and Mopria (registered trademark).

The communication program 102 is configured similarly to the communication program 92 .

The monitor program 121 supports the printer driver for the specific printer 1 instead of the specific printer 1 when the own device that does not support the printer driver for the specific printer 1 receives a print instruction for the specific printer 1. This is a program for transmitting an image file to the first PC 2A. The monitoring program 121 has a function of receiving a general-purpose image file generated by the general-purpose print control program 101, and a function of adding settings unique to a specific printer 1 to image data contained in the general-purpose image file and passing it to the communication program. Therefore, the image file output from the monitoring program 121 includes image data, general-purpose print settings, and unique settings.

Unique settings are print settings that can be executed by a specific printer 1, and there are more types than general-purpose print settings. Specific settings include setting items that are not included in general print settings, such as halftone settings, settings for saving consumables such as toner and ink, and settings for reducing paper curl. In addition, the unique settings include user information and encryption of image data.

The unique setting information storage unit 122 stores unique setting information indicating unique settings of the first printer 1A. The user can customize the print settings when printing using the first printer 1A by setting or changing the unique setting information using the operation unit 43B.

Next, a printing operation in the image forming system 100 will be described. In the image forming system 100, for example, the first PC 2A that has received the print instruction generates print data using a printer driver and directly transmits the print data to the first printer 1A, and the first printer 1A performs normal printing. . Further, for example, the second PC 2B that receives the print instruction standardizes the image data using the general-purpose print control program 101 and directly transmits it to the first printer 1A, and the first printer 1A performs the driverless printing. Further, for example, the second PC 2B that has received the print instruction transmits image data to the first printer 1A via another first PC 2A, and indirectly causes the first printer 1A to print. Each printing operation will be described below.

The operation of normal printing will be described with reference to FIG. For example, in the first PC 2A, the image editing application 71 outputs a drawing command to the printer driver 91, and the printer driver 91 executes rasterization processing so that the image data contained in the image file has settings unique to the first printer 1A. is rasterized to reflect this, and print data is generated. The first PC 2A transmits the print data to the first printer 1A via the communication program 92 of the OS72. The first printer 1A receives the rasterized print data and prints based on the received print data. In this case, since the first printer 1A corresponding to the printer driver 91 is used, the printed matter printed by the first printer 1A corresponds to various print settings compatible with the first printer 1A. That is, the user can print under desired printing conditions. The first printer 1A directly transmits the print result to the first PC 2A.

The operation of driverless printing will be described with reference to the dotted line arrows in FIG. For example, in the second PC 2B, the image editing application 81 outputs a drawing command to the general-purpose printing control program 101 incorporated in the OS 82, and the general-purpose printing control program 101 normalizes the image data contained in the general-purpose image file in the standardization process. I do. The second PC 2B transmits the standard data to the first printer 1A via the communication program 102. FIG. The first printer 1A performs general-purpose rasterization processing for rasterizing the standard data, and prints based on the data rasterized by the general-purpose rasterization processing. In other words, when using this printing path, the first printer 1A must be a printer capable of general-purpose rasterization processing. In this case, since the first printer 1A prints based on the standard data, the printed material printed by the first printer 1A is generally used among various print settings that can be handled by the first printer 1A. only compatible print settings. In other words, the user cannot print under desired printing conditions. The first printer 1A directly transmits the print result to the second PC 2B.

The operation of indirect printing will be described with reference to solid line arrows in FIG. In this case, the second PC 2B activates the monitoring program 121 in advance. Also, the first PC 2A activates the relay program 74 in advance.

For example, when the user inputs a print instruction to the second PC 2B, as in driverless printing, the image editing application 81 outputs a drawing instruction to the general-purpose print control program 101 incorporated in the OS 82, and the general-purpose print control program 101 In the standardization process, the image data contained in the general-purpose image file is standardized, and the second PC 2B attempts to transmit the standardized data to the first printer 1A. At this time, the OS 82 transfers (redirects) the standard data to the monitoring program 121 . That is, the second PC 2B is set in advance to transfer to the first printer 1A. As a result, the monitor program 121 receives the general-purpose image file on behalf of the first printer 1A. The monitoring program 121 adds settings unique to the first printer 1A to the image data contained in the received general-purpose image file, and transfers the image data to the first PC 2A via the communication program 102. FIG.

The relay program 74 of the first PC 2A outputs to the printer driver 91 a drawing command in which the image data received by the first PC 2A from the second PC 2B reflects the settings unique to the first printer 1A, and the image output from the second PC 2B is displayed. The printer driver 91 is caused to rasterize the data reflecting the settings unique to the first printer 1A to generate print data. The first PC 2A transmits the rasterized print data to the first printer 1A via the communication program 92. FIG. The first printer 1A receives the print data rasterized by reflecting the unique settings, and prints the print data according to the unique settings. In this case, since the first printer 1A corresponding to the printer driver 91 is used, the printed matter printed by the first printer 1A corresponds to various print settings compatible with the first printer 1A. In other words, even if the user uses the second PC 2B in which the OS 82 that does not support the printer driver 91 for the first printer 1A is installed and causes the first printer 1A to print, the user can print under desired printing conditions. Printing can be done. The first PC 2A receives the print result from the first printer 1A and transmits it to the second PC 2B.

The operation of indirect printing will be specifically described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram for explaining the indirect printing operation. For example, when the second PC 2B is activated, the OS 82 activates the monitoring program 121 (S101).

For example, when the user causes the first printer 1A to print, the user uses the operation unit 43B of the second PC 2B to input a print instruction (S111).

When the OS 82 of the second PC 2B receives the print instruction input in S111, it performs standardization processing using the general-purpose print control program 101, and standardizes the image data contained in the general-purpose image file received from the image editing application 81. (S121). The OS 82 transmits the image data normalized in S<b>121 to the monitoring program 121 . That is, the monitor program 121 receives the image data instead of the first printer 1A (S122).

The monitoring program 121 reads the unique setting from the unique setting information storage unit 122 and adds it to the image data received from the OS 82 in S122 (S131). The monitoring program 121 uses the communication program 92 and the network IF 44B to transmit the image data with the unique settings to the transfer destination printer 1 (first PC 2A in this embodiment) specified by the user.

The OS 72 of the first PC 2A uses the network IF 44A and communication program 92 to receive the image data transmitted by the monitoring program 121 (S132). The process of S132 is an example of the "reception process".

By executing the relay program 74, the OS 72 outputs to the printer driver 91 a drawing command for rasterizing the received image data by reflecting the settings unique to the first printer 1A added to the image data. The first PC 2A reflects the unique settings added to the image data to the image data according to the drawing command from the relay program 74 (S141), causes the printer driver 91 to perform rasterization processing on the image data, and outputs the print data. Generate (S142). The processing of S141 and S142 is an example of "generation processing". The OS 72 transmits the rasterized print data to the first printer 1A using the communication program 92 and network IF 44A (S143). The process of S143 is an example of "transmitting process".

The CPU 21 of the first printer 1A receives the print data via the network IF 14, and causes the image forming section 12 to print the print data on a medium to be printed (S151). When printing is completed, the CPU 21 uses the network IF 14 to send the print result to the first PC 2A (S161).

When the OS 72 of the first PC 2A receives the print result from the first printer 1A using the network IF 44A and communication program 92, it transfers the print result to the monitoring program 121 of the second PC 2B (S162). The process of S162 is an example of the "transfer process". The monitoring program 121 transfers the print result to the OS 82 (S163). The OS 82 uses, for example, the display unit 42B to notify the user of the print result (S164).

In such an image forming system 100, the first PC 2A capable of generating print data corresponding to the unique settings of the first printer 1A receives a print instruction from the second PC 2B, in which the OS 82 that does not support the printer driver 91 is installed. After receiving the data, the first PC 2A generates print data corresponding to the unique settings of the first printer 1A on behalf of the second PC 2B, and delivers the print data to the first printer 1A. Such an image forming system 100 can perform printing reflecting the unique settings of the first printer 1A even if the second PC 2B receives a print instruction. That is, even when the second PC 2B that does not support the printer driver 91 for the first printer 1A is used to print to the first printer 1A, the user can obtain the desired print result, which is convenient.

Next, procedures of processing executed by each program will be described.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the procedure of processing by the monitoring program 121. As shown in FIG. For example, when the second PC 2B is powered on and activated, the CPU 51B executes the monitoring program 121. FIG. Upon receiving the image file transfer request from the OS 82, the CPU 51B executes the process of FIG.

The CPU 51B causes the monitoring program 121 to acquire the general-purpose image file transferred from the OS 82 (S1). The CPU 51B reads the unique settings stored in the unique setting information storage unit 122 and adds them to the image data included in the general-purpose image file acquired in S3 (S2). At this time, the CPU 51B adds settings specific to the first printer 1A, such as halftone settings, consumables saving settings, and curl reduction function settings, to the image data. As a result, the image file includes the unique settings of the first printer 1A that could not be used when printing using the general-purpose print control program 101 . Further, the CPU 51B adds user information such as a password used when the user logs in to the second PC 2B to the image data. Furthermore, the CPU 51B encrypts the image data to prevent unauthorized third parties from stealing or spying on the image data while the image data is being transmitted from the second PC 2B to the first PC 2A.

The CPU 51B uses the network IF 44A and the communication program 102 to transmit the image data with the unique settings and the image file containing the general-purpose print settings to the first printer 1A (S3).

Then, the CPU 51B uses the network IF 44B and the communication program 102 to determine whether or not the print result has been received from the first printer 1A (S4). If it is determined that the print result has not been received (S4: NO), the CPU 51B waits because printing is not yet completed.

When determining that the print result has been received from the first printer 1A (S4: YES), the CPU 51B transfers the received print result to the OS 82 via the monitoring program 121 (S5), and ends the process.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the procedure of processing by the relay program 74. As shown in FIG. In the first PC 2A, the CPU 51A executes the relay program 74 when the power of the first PC 2A is turned on. When the CPU 51A receives the image data output by the monitoring program 121 from the second PC 2B using the network IF 44A and the communication program 92, the CPU 51A executes the processing shown in FIG.

The CPU 51A determines whether or not the received image data is encrypted (S31). When determining that the image data is encrypted (S31: YES), the CPU 51A executes decryption processing for decrypting the encrypted image data (S32), and then proceeds to S33. On the other hand, if it is determined that the file is not encrypted (S31: NO), the CPU 51A proceeds to S33 without executing the decryption process.

Then, the CPU 51A determines whether user information is added to the image data (S33). When the CPU 51A determines that the user information is added to the image data (S33: YES), the authentication process is performed using the user information added to the image data (S34). That is, CPU 51A determines whether user information added to the image data is stored in user information storage unit 75 or not.

Then, the CPU 51A determines whether or not the authentication has succeeded (S35). When the user information stored in the user information storage unit 75 matches the user information added to the received image data, the CPU 51A determines that the authentication has succeeded (S35: YES). In this case, the CPU 51A uses the printer driver 91 to rasterize the image data output from the second PC 2B, reflecting the unique settings added to the image data (S36). Thereafter, the CPU 51A instructs transmission of the rasterized image data to the first printer 1A (S37), and ends the process.

On the other hand, if the user information that matches the user information added to the received image data is not stored in the user information storage unit 75, the CPU 51A determines that the authentication has not succeeded (failed) (S35: NO). . In this case, the CPU 51A uses the printer driver 91 to rasterize the image data output from the second PC 2B, reflecting the general-purpose print settings added to the image data (S38). Thereafter, the CPU 51A instructs transmission of the rasterized image data to the first printer 1A (S37), and ends the process.

By performing user authentication, the CPU 51A can cause the first printer 1A to print using the unique settings of the first printer 1A only for a specific user, such as a billing user. , the added value of the image forming system 100 can be increased.

In the image forming system 100 according to the first embodiment described above, the first PC 2A capable of generating print data corresponding to the unique settings of the first printer 1A is the second PC 2B in which the OS 82 that does not support the printer driver 91 is installed. Receives image data for which a print instruction has been accepted. Then, the first PC 2A generates print data corresponding to the unique settings of the first printer 1A instead of the second PC 2B, and delivers the print data to the first printer 1A. Accordingly, even if the second PC 2B receives a print instruction, the image forming system 100 can perform printing reflecting the unique settings of the first printer 1A.

In this embodiment, the monitoring program 121 is used to add specific settings to the image data. On the other hand, unique setting information indicating unique settings is stored in a device other than the PC in which the monitoring program 121 is installed, such as the PC 2 to which the image data is transferred or the network server provided in the network 4. Also good. For example, when unique setting information is stored in the first PC 2A, the unique setting may be added to the image data by the first PC 2A instead of being added by the second PC 2B using the monitoring program. Further, for example, when the unique setting information is stored in the network server, the second PC 2B may acquire the unique setting information from the network server using the monitoring program 121 and add it to the image data.

(Second embodiment)
Next, an image forming system according to a second embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming system 200 according to the second embodiment. The image forming system 200 differs from the image forming system 100 of the first embodiment in the indirect printing procedure. That is, the image forming system 200 differs from the image forming system 100 of the first embodiment in that the second PC 2B transfers image data to the first PC 2A via the first printer 1A. Here, the points that are different from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the common points will be denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings, and the description will be omitted as appropriate.

The first printer 1A stores a transfer program 201 in addition to the firmware 110 in the NVRAM 24 . The NVRAM 24 also includes a transfer information storage unit 202 .

The transfer program 201 is a program having a function of transferring the received image data to the PC 2 that supports the printer driver for its own device when the image data output from the PC 2 that does not support the printer driver is received. .

The transfer information storage unit 202 stores transfer information necessary for transferring image data. The transfer information includes transfer source information indicating the transfer source and destination information indicating the transfer destination. Transfer information is set by the administrator via the operation panel 13 . For example, transfer information is set in the transfer information storage unit 202 with the second PC 2B as the transfer source and the first PC 2A as the transfer destination. As a result, the first printer 1A can determine the transfer destination in advance even when there are a plurality of PCs 2 supporting the printer driver for the first printer 1A on the network 4. FIG.

In the first PC 2A, the nonvolatile memory 54A has a unique setting information storage unit 210. FIG. The unique setting information storage unit 210 stores unique setting information indicating the type of unique setting. In this embodiment, the unique setting information storage unit 210 stores unique setting information in association with user information. In other words, the type of unique setting included in the unique setting information is customized for each user. For example, user information aaa of user A is associated with specific setting information that sets "halftone" setting to "ON", "consumables saving setting" to "ON", and "curl reduction function setting" to "ON". are stored. Further, for example, the user information bbb of the user B includes unique setting information such that the "halftone" setting is "OFF", the "consumables saving setting" is "OFF", and the "curl reduction function setting" is "ON". are stored in association with each other.

The non-volatile memory 54A also stores a relay program 211 . The relay program 211 has the functions of the relay program 74 of the first embodiment, as well as the function of adding unique settings to the image data. In other words, the relay program 211 adds unique settings that were performed by the monitoring program 121 of the first embodiment. The relay program 211 also has a function of adding unique settings to image data according to user information.

The second PC 2B does not have the monitoring program 121 and unique setting information storage unit 122 described in the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining indirect printing. Here, it is assumed that the transfer information storage unit 202 stores transfer information including the address of the second PC 2B as transfer source information and the address of the first PC 2A as destination information.

The second PC 2B performs normalization processing on the image data received from the image editing application 81 by the general-purpose print control program 101 according to the operation of driverless printing described in the first embodiment, and outputs the data via the communication program 102 and the network IF 44B. Send to the first printer 1A.

When the first printer 1A receives the image data, it uses the transfer program 201 to determine whether or not the transmission source is included in the transfer source information of the transfer information. The image data is transmitted to the first PC 2A indicated by the destination information of the transfer information.

When the first PC 2A receives the image data from the first printer 1A via the network IF 44A and the communication program 92, the relay program 211 is used to store the image data received from the first printer 1A in the unique setting information storage unit 210. The printer driver 91 is caused to output a drawing command reflecting the unique setting to the printer driver 91 and rasterize the received image data reflecting the unique setting of the first printer 1A. That is, the first PC 2A rasterizes the image data output from the second PC 2B, reflecting the unique settings stored in the unique setting information storage unit 210, to generate print data. The first PC 2A transmits the rasterized print data to the first printer 1A via the communication program 92. FIG.

The first printer 1A receives the print data rasterized by reflecting the unique settings, and prints the print data according to the unique settings.

FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram for explaining the indirect printing operation. In this case, the first PC 2A activates the relay program 211 in advance. Also, the first printer 1A starts up the transfer program 201 in advance. Here, it is assumed that the transfer information storage unit 202 stores transfer information including the address of the second PC 2B as transfer source information and the address of the first PC 2A as destination information.

When the user inputs a print instruction to print using the first printer 1A to the second PC 2B that does not support the printer driver 91 for the first printer 1A (S111), the second PC 2B uses the OS 82 to 1 The printer 1A is requested to perform driverless communication (S201). The first printer 1A responds to the driverless communication (S202). Since the second PC 2B that requested driverless communication is included in the transfer source information of the transfer information, the first printer 1A uses the transfer program 201 to notify the driverless communication request from the second PC 2B to the destination of the transfer information. The first PC 2A indicated by the information is notified (S203).

When the first PC 2A uses the network IF 44A and the communication program 92 to receive from the first printer 1A the notification that the driverless communication has been requested, the first PC 2A requests the first printer 1A to transmit image data (S204). ).

When the second PC 2B receives the response from the first printer 1A using the network IF 44B and the communication program 102, it uses the general-purpose print control program 101 to standardize the image data (S121), and the standardized image The data is sent to the first printer 1A (S211).

The controller 11 of the first printer 1A transfers the image data received from the second PC 2B to the first PC 2A based on the transfer information stored in the transfer information storage section 202. FIG. The OS 72 of the first PC 2A uses the network IF 44A and communication program 92 to receive the image data transferred from the first printer 1A (S212). The process of S212 is an example of the "reception process".

When the OS 72 of the first PC 2A receives the image data from the first printer 1A, the relay program 211 adds unique settings to the received image data (S221). Then, as in the first embodiment, the first PC 2A rasterizes the image data output from the second PC 2B by reflecting the unique settings, generates print data, and sends the rasterized print data to the first printer 1A. (S141, S142, S143). The processing of S141 and S142 is an example of "generation processing", and the processing of S143 is an example of "transmission processing".

The first printer 1A executes printing based on the print data received from the first PC 2A (S151). Since the print data is generated reflecting the unique settings, the first printer 1A can print using the unique settings. After that, the first printer 1A transmits the print result to the first PC 2A (S161). The first PC 2A transfers the print result received from the first printer 1A to the second PC 2B via the first printer 1A (S231, S232). The second PC 2B notifies the user of the print result by, for example, displaying the print result on the display unit 42B (S164). The processing of S231 and S232 is an example of "transfer processing". Here, the process of S231 may be omitted and the print result transmission process of S232 may be executed with the first printer 1A as the base point.

The operation of adding unique settings to image data will be described. FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the procedure of processing by the relay program. The CPU 51A executes the relay program 211 when the first PC 2A is activated, and upon receiving the image data, performs the processing shown in FIG. The processing shown in FIG. 10 differs from the processing shown in FIG. 6 of the first embodiment in that unique settings are added, and the rest is the same as the processing shown in FIG. Also, in the first embodiment, encryption is performed by the monitoring program 121, but the encryption may be performed by the general-purpose print control program 101 or by a program dedicated to encryption. User information is added to the image data output from the second PC 2B.

When the user authentication is successful (S35: YES), the CPU 51A acquires unique settings corresponding to the user information used for user authentication (S51). That is, CPU 51A reads from unique setting information storage unit 210 the unique setting information corresponding to the user information added to the image data. Then, the CPU 51A adds the unique setting acquired in S51 to the image data (S52).

As a result, the image forming system 300 can add unique settings customized for each user to the image data for printing, and can provide a print result according to the user's preference.

As described above, in the image forming system 200 of the second embodiment, the first PC 2A capable of generating print data corresponding to the unique settings of the first printer 1A is installed with the OS 82 that does not support the printer driver 91. 2PC2B receives image data for which a print instruction has been accepted via the first printer 1A. Then, the first PC 2A generates print data corresponding to the unique settings of the first printer 1A instead of the second PC 2B, and delivers the print data to the first printer 1A. Accordingly, even if the second PC 2B receives a print instruction, the image forming system 200 can perform printing reflecting the unique settings of the first printer 1A. Further, in the second embodiment, the second PC 2B may not be provided with a dedicated program.

(Third Embodiment)
Next, an image forming system according to a third embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of an image forming system 300 according to the third embodiment. The image forming system 300, for example, rewrites the printer information of the first printer 1A stored in the router 3 with the information of the first PC 2A, thereby transmitting the image data from the second PC 2B to the first PC 2A. , is different from the image forming system 100 of the first embodiment. Here, the points that are different from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the same reference numerals will be used for the common points, and the description will be omitted as appropriate.

As shown in FIG. 11 , in image forming system 100 , router 3 has printer information storage unit 310 . The printer information storage unit 310 stores printer information. The printer information is information for identifying the printer 1 arranged on the network 4, and is information that becomes a destination when image data is transmitted from the PC 2 to the printer 1. FIG. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the printer information includes information indicating a destination such as an IP address, and may also include a model name, MAC address, and the like.

Returning to FIG. 11, the firmware 340 of the first printer 1A is a program having the same functions as the firmware 110 of the first embodiment. The firmware 340 is a program having a function of storing the printer information of its own device in the printer information storage unit 310 of the router 3 when the first condition is satisfied. In this embodiment, "when the first condition is satisfied" means when the first printer 1A is activated. Alternatively, the first printer 1A may periodically rewrite the printer information, such as once a day.

In the first PC 2A, the nonvolatile memory 54A has a unique setting information storage section 321. FIG. The unique setting information storage unit 321 stores unique setting information in association with user information, like the unique setting information storage unit 210 of the second embodiment. In the first PC 2A, the relay program 323 is stored in the nonvolatile memory 54A. The relay program 323 is configured similarly to the relay program 211 of the second embodiment.

Also, the first PC 2A has a rewrite program 322 incorporated in the nonvolatile memory 54A. The rewrite program 322 rewrites the printer information indicating the destination of the printer 1 to the destination information indicating the destination of the first PC 2A when the second condition of the first printer 1A, which is met more frequently than the first condition, is satisfied. It is a program with functions. In the present embodiment, "when the second condition is satisfied" refers to the timing when several seconds have passed since the printer information was rewritten last time.

FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation of rewriting printer information. The firmware 340 of the first printer 1A registers its own printer information in the printer information storage unit 310 of the router 3 at startup (S351). As a result, the destination of the first printer 1A in the network 4 is set to the router 3. FIG.

The CPU 51A of the first PC 2A activates the rewrite program 322 when receiving the activation instruction of the rewrite program 322 from the user using the operation unit 43A of the first PC 2A (S352). After starting the rewrite program 322, the CPU 51A accesses the router 3 and searches for the printer 1 whose printer information can be rewritten, that is, the printer 1 registered in the printer information storage unit 310 (S353). The router 3 transmits the printer identification information of the printer 1 stored in the printer information storage unit 310 to the first PC 2A (S354).

Based on the printer information received from the router 3, the CPU 51A of the first PC 2A creates a list display of the printers 1 whose printer information can be rewritten, and displays it on the display unit 42A (S355). When the CPU 51A accepts the registration of the target printer using the operation unit 43A (S356), the CPU 51A notifies the printer 1 to be registered as the target printer to that effect (S357). As a result, the printer 1 registered as the target printer detects that the printer information of itself is rewritten by another PC 2 at the router 3 . In this embodiment, it is assumed that the first printer 1A is registered as a printer whose printer information is to be rewritten. At this time, the first PC 2A stores the original address of the first printer 1A in the nonvolatile memory 54A.

Then, while the rewrite program 322 is running, the CPU 51A uses the communication program 102 and the network IF 44A to access the printer information storage unit 310 of the router 3 each time the second condition is satisfied, and access the first printer 1A. The printer information is updated by rewriting the printer information of the first PC 2A with the printer information of the first PC 2A (S358).

FIG. 14 is a sequence diagram for explaining the indirect printing operation. In this case, the first PC 2A activates the relay program 323 and the rewrite program 322 in advance. Here, the router 3 rewrites the printer information of the first printer 1A to the destination information of the first PC 2A.

When the CPU 51B of the second PC 2B uses the operation unit 43B to accept a print instruction from the user who prints using the first printer 1A (S111), the printer information of the router 3 is stored using the communication program 102 and the network IF 44B. By accessing the unit 310, the printer information of the first printer 1A registered as the target printer is searched (S301). When the CPU 51B acquires the printer information of the first printer 1A from the router 3 (S302), the CPU 51B performs standardization processing on the image data acquired from the image editing application 81 (S121).

Then, the CPU 51B notifies that the image data will be transmitted with the printer information of the first printer 1A acquired in S302 as the destination (S311). The printer information of the first printer 1A has been rewritten by the rewrite program 322 to information that serves as the destination of the first PC 2A. Therefore, the CPU 51B notifies the first PC 2A that the image data will be transmitted. After that, the CPU 51B of the second PC 2B uses the communication program 102 and the network IF 44B to transmit the image data standardized in S121 to the first PC 2A.

When the CPU 51A of the first PC 2A receives the image data output from the second PC 2B using the network IF 44A and the communication program 92 (S312), it uses the relay program 323 to apply unique settings to the image data based on the user information. Add (S221). The user information is added to the image data when the second PC 2B outputs the image data.

Then, the CPU 51A uses the printer driver 91 to rasterize the image data reflecting the unique settings added to the image data, thereby generating print data (S141, S142). The CPU 51A then transmits the print data to the first printer 1A (S143), and causes the first printer 1A to print the print data on a print medium (S151). At the time of transmission, the original address of the first printer 1A stored in the nonvolatile memory 54A when the first printer 1A was registered as the printer whose printer information is to be rewritten is used. Since the processing of the first printers S141 to S143 and S151 is the same as that of the first embodiment, detailed description thereof will be omitted. The processing of S311 and S312 is an example of "receiving processing", the processing of S141 and S142 is an example of "generating processing", and the processing of S143 is an example of "transmitting processing".

When the first PC 2A receives the print result from the first printer 1A (S161), it transfers the print result to the second PC 2B (S321). The process of S321 is an example of the "transfer process". When the second PC 2B receives the print result using the network IF 44B and the communication program 102, it notifies the user of the print result by displaying the print result on the display unit 42B (S164).

As described above, in the image forming system 300 of the third embodiment, the first PC 2A capable of generating print data corresponding to the unique settings of the first printer 1A is installed with the OS 82 that does not support the printer driver 91. 2PC2B receives image data for which a print instruction has been accepted. Then, the first PC 2A generates print data corresponding to the unique settings of the first printer 1A instead of the second PC 2B, and delivers the print data to the first printer 1A. As a result, even if the second PC 2B receives a print instruction, the image forming system 300 can perform printing reflecting the unique settings of the first printer 1A.

Further, the image forming system 300 transmits image data from the second PC 2B, which does not support the printer driver 91, to the first PC 2A, which supports the printer driver 91, by means of the rewriting program 322 dedicated to rewriting printer information incorporated in the first PC 2A. is realized, other devices (third PC 2C, fourth PC 2D, etc.) connected to the network 4 do not require special settings.

By the way, in the network 4, the router 3 controls data transfer. Therefore, when the printer information of the first printer 1A stored in the router 3 is rewritten with the destination information of the first PC 2A as in the image forming system 300, the use of the first printer 1A of other PCs is affected. For example, even if the third PC 2C has the printer driver 91 for the first printer 1A and causes the first printer 1A to directly print, print data output from the third PC 2C will be sent to the first PC 2A.

On the other hand, in the image forming system 100 of the first embodiment, the transmission of image data from the second PC 2B to the first PC 2A is realized by the monitor program 121 incorporated in the second PC 2B itself. It does not affect the use of the first printer 1A of the other connected PCs 2 (3rd PC 2C, 4th PC 2D).

Further, the image forming system 200 of the second embodiment realizes transfer of image data from the second PC 2B to the first PC 2A via the first printer 1A by the transfer program 201 incorporated in the first printer 1A. , the use of the first printer 1A of other PCs 2 connected to the network 4 is not affected.

Here, in the second and third embodiments, the unique setting information storage units 210 and 321 are provided in the first PC 2A. can be In this case, the relay programs 211 and 323 may access an external device such as a network server to acquire unique setting information corresponding to the user information and add it to the image data.

Further, in the second and third embodiments, the unique setting information is stored in the unique setting information storage units 210 and 321 in association with the user information. , 321 so that a user who has the authority to use the unique settings can print with the same type of settings. However, by storing the unique setting information in association with the user information, it is possible to vary the type of unique setting to be reflected for each user, thereby improving usability for the user.

Further, in the second and third embodiments, the unique setting information storage units 210 and 321 of the first PC 2A are omitted, and the unique setting information storage unit 122 of the first embodiment is provided in the second PC 2B to relay the first PC 2A. The programs 211 and 323 may be the relay program 74 of the first embodiment. That is, in the image forming systems 200 and 300, when the second PC 2B transmits the image data to the first printer 1A, the unique setting information is added to the image data, and the unique setting added to the received image data is applied to the first PC 2A. Rasterization may be performed by reflecting it in the image data.

The rewrite program 322 may reside on the second PC 2B. However, for example, when there are a plurality of PCs 2 that do not support the printer driver 91 for the first printer 1A (when the second to fourth PCs 2B, 2C, and 2D do not support the printer driver 91), the first printer Since the rewriting of the printer information of 1A occurs frequently and the communication load becomes too high, it is preferable that the rewriting program 322 resides in the first PC 2A as in the image forming system 300 of the third embodiment.

It should be noted that each embodiment is merely an example, and does not limit the present invention in any way. Therefore, the present invention can naturally be improved and modified in various ways without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the printer 1 may not have the operation panel 13 . PC 2 may include any type of mass storage device, not limited to non-volatile memory 54 .

Also, in this embodiment, the printer driver 91 is an example of the “specific program”, but a dedicated application program that is not incorporated in the OS 72 may have the function of the printer driver 91 . In this case, the first PC 2A may have a general-purpose print control program installed in the OS72. Also, the first PC 2A may have a printer driver for the first printer 1A and another printer 1 (the second printer 1B or the third printer 1C) incorporated in the OS 72 .

Image data does not need to be encrypted. However, by encrypting the image data, the security of the image data can be enhanced. When the image data is transmitted via the printer 1 , the encryption may be performed by the second PC 2B or the printer 1 .

A unique setting may be reflected without performing user authentication. However, by deciding to reflect the unique settings according to the user authentication result, it becomes possible to reflect the printer-specific settings only to a specific user (for example, the user who is billing), and printing via this system can increase the added value of

In the above embodiment, user authentication is performed based on the user information stored in the first PC 2A, but the user information is passed to an external server (authentication server) to perform user authentication, and the result is received by the first PC 2A. can be

100, 200, 300 Image forming system 1A First printer 2A First PC
2B 2nd PC
4 Network 41A Controller 44A Network IF
72 OS
82OS
91 printer driver 92 communication program

Claims (9)

In an image forming system in which a printer, a first information processing device, and a second information processing device are connected via a network,
The first information processing device incorporates a specific program having a function of generating print data corresponding to settings unique to the printer,
The second information processing device incorporates an operating system that does not support a printer driver for the printer,
The controller of the first information processing device,
Receiving, via a communication interface, the image data output from the second information processing device when the second information processing device receives a print instruction for causing the printer to print based on the image data. processing;
a generation process for rasterizing the image data received in the reception process to generate print data, wherein the generation process uses the specific program to perform rasterization that reflects settings unique to the printer;
a transmission process of transmitting the print data generated in the generation process to the printer via the communication interface;
a transfer process of receiving, via the communication interface, a print result of the print data transmitted from the printer, and further transmitting the received print result to the second information processing apparatus via the communication interface;
and run
User information is added to the image data received in the reception process of the first information processing device,
The controller of the first information processing device,
After receiving the image data in the reception process, performing an authentication process for performing user authentication using the user information added to the image data,
executing the generation process when the user authentication in the authentication process is successful, and transmitting the print data generated in the generation process in the transmission process;
If the user authentication in the authentication process fails, the generation process and the transmission process are not executed, rasterization is performed without reflecting the printer-specific settings, and print data is generated. sending the print data to the printer;
An image forming system characterized by: In the image forming system according to claim 1,
In the second information processing device,
a monitoring program for acquiring the image data to be printed by the print instruction and transmitting the acquired image data to the first information processing device on behalf of the printer;
In the reception process of the first information processing device,
receiving, through the communication interface, the image data transmitted from the second information processing device to the first information processing device by the monitoring program;
An image forming system characterized by: In the image forming system according to claim 1,
The receiving process of the controller of the first information processing apparatus is a process of receiving the image data output from the second information processing apparatus via the printer,
The printer has
a transfer program for transferring the received image data to the first information processing device when the image data output from the second information processing device is received;
In the reception process of the first information processing device,
the image data received by the printer from the second information processing device and transferred by the printer to the first information processing device by the transfer program, via the communication interface; to receive
An image forming system characterized by: In an image forming system in which a printer, a first information processing device, and a second information processing device are connected via a network,
The first information processing device incorporates a specific program having a function of generating print data corresponding to settings unique to the printer,
The second information processing device incorporates an operating system that does not support a printer driver for the printer,
The controller of the first information processing device,
Receiving, via a communication interface, the image data output from the second information processing device when the second information processing device receives a print instruction for causing the printer to print based on the image data. processing;
a generation process for rasterizing the image data received in the reception process to generate print data, wherein the generation process uses the specific program to perform rasterization that reflects settings unique to the printer;
a transmission process of transmitting the print data generated in the generation process to the printer via the communication interface;
a transfer process of receiving, via the communication interface, a print result of the print data transmitted from the printer, and further transmitting the received print result to the second information processing apparatus via the communication interface;
and run
a router connected to the network;
The printer is
storing first destination information in the router as information indicating the destination of the printer when a first condition is satisfied;
In the first information processing device,
A rewriting program for rewriting the information indicating the destination of the printer to second destination information indicating the destination of the first information processing apparatus when a second condition having a higher frequency of establishment than the first condition is satisfied. is built in,
In the receiving process of the first information processing device,
The second information processing apparatus acquires destination information stored as the information indicating the destination of the printer from the router, and transmits the image data output using the acquired destination information through the communication interface. to receive via
An image forming system characterized by: In the image forming system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
In the reception process of the first information processing device,
receiving the image data in an encrypted state;
In the generation process of the first information processing device,
decoding the image data obtained in the reception process, and rasterizing the decoded image data;
An image forming system characterized by: In the image forming system according to claim 4,
In the reception process of the first information processing device,
receiving the image data in an encrypted state;
In the generation process of the first information processing device,
decoding the image data obtained in the reception process, and rasterizing the decoded image data;
An image forming system characterized by: In the image forming system according to claim 4 or claim 6 ,
User information is added to the image data received in the reception process of the first information processing device,
The controller of the first information processing device,
After receiving the image data in the reception process, performing an authentication process for performing user authentication using the user information added to the image data,
executing the generation process when the user authentication in the authentication process is successful, and transmitting the print data generated in the generation process in the transmission process;
If the user authentication in the authentication process fails, the generation process and the transmission process are not executed, rasterization is performed without reflecting the printer-specific settings, and print data is generated. sending the print data to the printer;
An image forming system characterized by: In the image forming system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, claim 5, and claim 7,
In the first information processing device,
a type of setting specific to the printer to be reflected in the generation of the print data by the specific program is stored in association with user information;
The controller of the first information processing device,
When the user authentication is successful in the authentication process, in the generation process, rasterization is performed in which settings unique to the printer corresponding to the user information authenticated by the user authentication are reflected.
An image forming system characterized by: In the image forming system according to any one of claims 1 to 8 ,
The first information processing device incorporates an operating system that supports a printer driver for the printer,
The specific program is the printer driver for the printer,
An image forming system characterized by :

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