JP7589448B2 - SUPPORT PROGRAM, INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, AND PRINTING METHOD - Google Patents

Description

The technical field disclosed in this specification relates to a support program that supports printer control, an information processing device, and a printing method.

As a technique for controlling a printer from an information processing device such as a personal computer (PC), a configuration in which a printer driver is installed in the information processing device, print data is generated by the printer driver, and the print data is sent to the printer is widely known (for example, Patent Document 1). The printer driver is provided by the printer manufacturer and corresponds to the various functions of the printer, allowing the printer to be fully utilized.

JP 2017-134718 A

In recent years, a technology has been put into practical use that controls a printer using a print program built into the operating system (OS) as standard, without using the printer driver mentioned above. With this technology, when the OS detects a printer, it associates it with the OS's standard print program, and thereafter, when a print instruction is received for that printer, it becomes possible to print using the OS's standard print program without using a printer driver.

However, when printing using the OS's standard printing program, it is not always possible to use all of the printer's functions. For example, printer-specific functions may not be supported, and the printer may not be able to fully utilize its inherent capabilities.

This specification discloses a technology that allows a printer to utilize its own unique capabilities even when printing using an OS-standard print program installed in an information processing device.

The support program made to solve the above-mentioned problems is executable by a computer of an information processing device, and is a support program corresponding to a printer connected to the information processing device, and when the computer receives a print instruction to cause the printer to print via a print program pre-installed in the operating system of the information processing device, executes a command output process to output to the printer, via a communication interface of the information processing device, a pre-operation command to execute a pre-operation before starting printing, before the printing execution data based on the print data generated by the operating system by the print program is started to be sent to the printer, and the printer has a function of performing the pre-operation corresponding to the pre-operation command.

When a print instruction is given to cause a printer to print via a print program built into the operating system, the support program disclosed in this specification outputs a precedence operation command to the printer that is the target of the print instruction to execute a precedence operation before transmission of the print execution data begins. This allows the printer to execute a precedence operation unique to the printer before the printer starts printing based on the print instruction, even when the information processing device accepts a print instruction via a print program, and allows the printer to demonstrate its unique capabilities.

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

The technology disclosed in this specification realizes a technology that allows a printer to utilize its unique capabilities even when printing using an OS-standard print program installed on an information processing device.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the printing system. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the order of processing by each program. FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of each program in the first embodiment. 5 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a printing process in the first embodiment. 5 is a flowchart showing a procedure of post-processing in the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of each program in the second embodiment.

A printing system that uses the program of the embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. This embodiment discloses an embodiment that embodies a printing system that includes a personal computer (hereinafter, "PC") and a printer.

An example of the configuration of a printing system in which the program of this embodiment is executed is shown in FIG. 1. The system shown in FIG. 1 includes a PC 1 and a printer 2. The PC 1 is an example of an information processing device. The printer 2 is a device that has a printing function and can communicate with the PC 1 via local communication or network communication.

As shown in FIG. 1, the PC 1 includes a controller 10, a user interface (hereinafter referred to as "UI") 20, and a communication interface (hereinafter referred to as "communication IF") 30. The UI 20 and the communication IF 30 are electrically connected to the controller 10.

The UI 20 includes hardware that performs various displays and accepts user input instructions. The UI 20 may be a touch panel that has both a display function and an input reception function, or may be a combination of a display that has a display function and a keyboard, mouse, or the like that has an input reception function.

The communication IF 30 includes hardware for communicating with the printer 2 and hardware for accessing the Internet. The communication IF 30 may include multiple interfaces with different communication methods. Examples of communication methods include network communication and USB communication. It may also include hardware for wireless communication such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) and Bluetooth (registered trademark).

The controller 10 includes a CPU 11 and a memory 12. The CPU 11 is an example of a computer. The memory 12 includes a ROM, a RAM, and a non-volatile memory, and stores programs such as various application programs (hereinafter referred to as "apps") and various data. Note that this specification does not distinguish between the details of the memory. The CPU 11 executes various processes according to the programs read from the memory 12 and based on the user's instructions. Note that the controller 10 in FIG. 1 is a general term that collectively refers to the hardware and software used to control the PC 1, and does not necessarily represent a single piece of hardware that actually exists in the PC 1.

An example of memory 12 may be a computer-readable storage medium. A computer-readable storage medium is a non-transitory medium. In addition to the above examples, non-transitory media also include recording media such as CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs. Non-transitory media are also tangible media. On the other hand, electrical signals that carry programs downloaded from a server on the Internet, etc., are a type of computer-readable medium, that is, a computer-readable signal medium, but are not included in non-transitory computer-readable storage media.

As shown in FIG. 1, the memory 12 stores an operating system (hereinafter, "OS") 21 including a general-purpose print program 41, an auxiliary program 42, and an editing application 43. The auxiliary program 42 is an example of a support program. The auxiliary program 42 is, for example, a hardware support application (abbreviated as HSA) whose specifications have been published by Microsoft. The OS 21 is, for example, Microsoft Windows (registered trademark), MacOS (registered trademark), or Linux (registered trademark). In addition to the items shown in the figure, the memory 12 also stores various data including information on connected devices and various programs such as a browser.

Note that the following processes and each processing step of the flowchart basically indicate the processing of the CPU 11 according to the instructions written in a program such as the auxiliary program 42. That is, processes such as "judgment," "extraction," "selection," "calculation," "decision," "identification," "acquisition," "reception," and "control" in the following description represent the processing of the CPU 11. The processing by the CPU 11 also includes hardware control using the API of the OS 21. In this specification, the operation of each program is described without detailed description of the OS 21. That is, in the following description, a description to the effect that "program B controls hardware C" may also mean that "program B controls hardware C using the API of the OS 21." In addition, the processing of the CPU 11 according to the instructions written in the program may be described in abbreviated terms. For example, the program may be described without the program being described, such as "performed by the CPU 11." In addition, the processing of the CPU 11 according to the instructions written in the program may be described without the CPU being described, such as "performed by program A."

Note that "obtaining" is used as a concept that does not necessarily require a request. In other words, the process of CPU 11 receiving data without making a request is also included in the concept of "CPU 11 obtaining data." In this specification, "data" is represented as a bit string that can be read by a computer. Data with the same substantial meaning but different formats is treated as the same data. The same applies to "information" in this specification. In addition, "requesting" and "instructing" are concepts that indicate outputting information indicating a request or information indicating an instruction to the other party. Information indicating a request or information indicating an instruction is also simply referred to as a "request" and "instruction."

The process by CPU 11 to determine whether information A indicates event B may be conceptually described as "determining from information A whether it is event B or not." The process by CPU 11 to determine whether information A indicates event B or event C may be conceptually described as "determining from information A whether it is event B or event C."

The general-purpose printing program 41 is an application for executing printing from the PC 1 on various printers such as the printer 2, and is an OS-standard printing program pre-installed in the OS 21. In this embodiment, the general-purpose printing program 41 is a program that generates print data that the printer can handle based on the image data to be printed. The general-purpose printing program 41 is an example of a printing program.

The generic printing program 41 is a generic application that can be applied to multiple models of printers provided by each device vendor, and is a program that causes each printer to perform operations common to each model. Alternatively, the generic printing program 41 may be a program provided by each device vendor to the OS21 vendor for incorporation into the OS21 in advance, for example, a type of printer driver provided for incorporation into the OS21 in advance.

On the other hand, after providing the OS21 vendor with the generic print program 41 to be incorporated into the OS21, the programs developed by the vendors of each device can be added to the PC1 by installing them. In the following, a printer driver that can be added by installation, rather than a program that is pre-installed in the OS21, will simply be referred to as a "printer driver" or a "vendor driver." In other words, a printer driver is not a program that is pre-installed in the OS21, but a program that must be installed in the OS21 by a specific procedure in order to be used. For example, an installer instructed via the UI20, or the OS21, installs the printer driver in the OS21. A printer driver is a program prepared by a printer vendor to correspond individually to each printer model, and may also be a program that can accept instructions for functions specific to the corresponding model.

The printer driver, i.e., the vendor driver, may have higher performance than the general-purpose printing program 41 pre-installed in the OS 21. High performance may mean, for example, that the print data generated by the printer driver can be processed more efficiently in the printer than the print data generated by the general-purpose printing program 41, resulting in faster printing speed. The printer may also be able to process the print data with less memory. The print data generated by the printer driver may enable the printer to print a printout with better color reproduction. The print data generated by the printer driver may enable the printer to print a printout with higher resolution. The printer driver may also be able to instruct the printer on functions specific to the printer driver that the general-purpose printing program 41 cannot instruct the printer. Examples of specific functions include a mirror printing function and a negative-positive inversion printing function.

The auxiliary program 42 is a program that executes processing based on instructions from the OS 21 in response to the operation of the general-purpose printing program 41, and is an application that supports the control of the target hardware. The auxiliary program 42 is launched, for example, from the OS 21. The auxiliary program 42 is an application that corresponds to each model of the printer 2, etc. The auxiliary program 42 is prepared by the vendor of the device such as the printer 2. The device vendor registers the auxiliary program 42 in the platform provided by the vendor of the OS 21 according to a procedure specified by the vendor of the OS 21. When a new printer 2 is connected to the PC 1 and an auxiliary program 42 corresponding to the printer 2 is registered on the platform, the OS 21 downloads the auxiliary program 42 from the server where the auxiliary program 42 is stored and incorporates it into the PC 1.

Then, OS 21 associates the identification information of the incorporated auxiliary program 42 with the printer information of the newly connected printer 2 and stores it in memory 12. In PC 1 to which multiple models of printers are connected, the respective auxiliary programs corresponding to each model are incorporated, and information associating each printer with each auxiliary program is stored in memory 12. In other words, memory 12 stores, as printer information for each printer connected to PC 1, information on the corresponding auxiliary program 42 along with model information and access information for that printer.

The editing application 43 is, for example, an application for creating and editing image data and document data. The editing application 43 is, for example, Microsoft Word (registered trademark) or PowerPoint (registered trademark). The editing application 43 accepts user operations including instructions to cause the printer 2 to perform a predetermined operation. Specifically, the editing application 43 accepts, via the UI 20, for example, a print instruction to cause the printer 2 to execute printing.

Next, the processing sequence for printing by each program will be described with reference to FIG. 2. In the following, a case will be described in which the PC 1 accepts, via the UI 20, an instruction to execute printing on the printer 2 via the general-purpose printing program 41 in the editing application 43.

The editing application 43 that has received the print instruction passes a print execution notification to the OS 21 based on the received print instruction. The print execution notification includes, for example, information indicating the printer specified in the print instruction, print parameters, and information indicating the image data to be printed.

Next, if an auxiliary program 42 corresponding to the printer specified in the print instruction is stored in memory 12, OS 21 instructs auxiliary program 42 to execute processing by auxiliary program 42 before starting generation of print data by general-purpose print program 41.

The auxiliary program 42 includes pre-processing that is executed before the processing by the general-purpose printing program 41 starts, and post-processing that is executed after the processing by the general-purpose printing program 41 ends and before the print image data is sent to the printer 2. Below, of the processing of the auxiliary program 42, the processing that is executed before the processing by the general-purpose printing program 41 starts is described as processing by the "pre-processing auxiliary program" 421, and the processing that is executed after the processing by the general-purpose printing program 41 ends is described as processing by the "post-processing auxiliary program" 422.

In this embodiment, in response to receiving a print instruction, the PC 1 executes preprocessing by the preprocessing assistant program 421 before the general-purpose print program 41 starts generating print data. The preprocessing assistant program 421 can obtain from the OS 21 various information included in the print instruction, such as print parameters and printer information, as well as intermediate image data based on the image data to be printed. The preprocessing assistant program 421 executes preprocessing based on the obtained information and its own program, and returns a completion notification to the OS 21 after the preprocessing is completed. Details of the preprocessing by the preprocessing assistant program 421 will be described later.

When the OS 21 receives a completion notification from the pre-processing auxiliary program 421, it executes processing by the general-purpose printing program 41. The general-purpose printing program 41 generates print data based on the print instruction.

When the generation of the print data is complete, the OS 21 executes post-processing using the post-processing assistant program 422 before sending the print image data based on the generated print data to the printer 2. The post-processing assistant program 422 can obtain print data that has already been generated from the OS 21, in addition to print parameters and printer information. The post-processing assistant program 422 executes post-processing based on the obtained information and its own program, and returns a completion notification to the OS 21 after the post-processing is completed. Details of the post-processing using the post-processing assistant program 422 will be described later.

When the OS 21 receives a completion notification from the post-processing auxiliary program 422, it associates the print parameters with the print image data and sends them to the printer 2 via the communication IF 30. The print image data may be the print data itself, or may represent an image obtained by processing the image represented by the print data. For example, when a watermark is synthesized in post-processing, the print image data becomes data representing the synthesized image. In addition, the print parameters may have been changed by the pre-processing auxiliary program 421 or the post-processing auxiliary program 422 from the settings in the editing application 43. The printer 2 executes printing based on the received print parameters and print image data.

Next, a first embodiment of the printing procedure by the printing system, including the operation of the auxiliary program 42, will be described with reference to the sequence diagram in FIG. 3. In the following description, it is assumed that printer 2 is selected as the printer that will perform printing.

First, the editing application 43 accepts the designation of image data to be printed and the setting of printing parameters via the UI 20 (arrow A). The printing parameters include general settings such as the number of copies, as well as settings specific to the printer 2 and the auxiliary program 42 corresponding to the printer 2.

The editing application 43 accepts an instruction to transition to detailed settings in order to accept settings specific to the printer 2 or the auxiliary program 42 corresponding to the printer 2. When the editing application 43 accepts an instruction to transition to detailed settings, it passes an execution command indicating the setting of print parameters to the OS 21, and outputs the execution command to the auxiliary program 42 via the OS 21 (arrow B).

In response to an execution command indicating the setting of print parameters, the auxiliary program 42 executes the setting process by the pre-processing auxiliary program 421 (arrow C). Here, a setting screen for accepting the setting of print parameters is displayed on the UI 20, and an instruction for setting the print parameters and completing the setting is accepted. Acceptable settings include settings for functions specific to the auxiliary program 42 and the printer 2.

In this embodiment, as printing parameters specific to the auxiliary program 42, a setting as to whether to enable a preview function that displays the image to be printed on the UI 20 before the print image data is sent, and a designation of secure printing that sets the input of a password as a printing execution condition are accepted. If a designation of secure printing is accepted, a password setting is also accepted. The entered password is included in the printing parameters. In addition to these, settings of functions equivalent to a printer driver may be accepted as printing parameters specific to the auxiliary program 42.

When the instruction to complete the settings is received, the auxiliary program 42 passes a termination notification to the OS 21 and responds with a termination notification to the editing application 43 via the OS 21 (arrow D). Note that if the editing application 43 does not receive an instruction to transition to detailed settings, the processes from arrow B to arrow D are omitted.

Then, the editing application 43 receives an instruction to execute printing via the UI 20 (arrow E). Then, when the editing application 43 receives an instruction to execute printing, it passes a print execution notification to the OS 21 (arrow F). The print execution notification includes information indicating the set print parameters and the image data to be printed.

When the OS 21 detects a print execution notification output from the editing application 43, it identifies the printer designated as the device to execute the printing based on the information included in the print execution notification. For example, if it is designated to print on the printer 2 using the general-purpose printing program 41, and an auxiliary program 42 corresponding to the printer 2 is installed, the OS 21 outputs an execution command for the processing of the auxiliary program 42 (arrow G).

When an execution command corresponding to itself is output, the auxiliary program 42 executes the processing of the pre-processing auxiliary program 421 or the post-processing auxiliary program 422. Here, before starting to generate print data, the OS 21 outputs an execution command for pre-processing to the auxiliary program 42, causing the pre-processing auxiliary program 421 to start pre-processing.

The pre-processing assistant program 421 executes pre-processing using the information on the printer 2, the printing parameters, and the image data passed from the OS 21 (arrow H). The image data obtained from the OS 21 is intermediate image data that the OS 21 converts the format of the image data passed from the editing application 43 into an intermediate data format. Pre-processing, for example, corresponds to image processing based on the settings of printing parameters such as image enlargement/reduction and aggregation. As pre-processing, a printing parameter setting screen may be displayed on the UI 20 and changes to the printing parameter settings may be accepted. After the execution of pre-processing is completed, the pre-processing assistant program 421 passes a completion notification to the OS 21 (arrow I).

In response to receiving a completion notification from the pre-processing auxiliary program 421, the OS 21 generates print data using the generic print program 41 (arrow J). The print data generated by the generic print program 41 is generic print data that can be used for printing on various printers 2.

After the general-purpose print program 41 finishes generating the print data, the OS 21 again outputs a command to execute the processing of the auxiliary program 42 (arrow K). Specifically, after completing the generation of the print data, the OS 21 outputs a command to execute post-processing to the auxiliary program 42, causing the post-processing auxiliary program 422 to start post-processing.

The post-processing assistant program 422 executes post-processing using the printer 2 information, print parameters, and print data passed from the OS 21. In this embodiment, the post-processing assistant program 422 executes a preview process to display an image shown by the generated print image data on the UI 20 when the preview function is enabled, in addition to generating print image data based on the print data obtained from the OS 21 as post-processing (arrow L).

In the preview process, the post-processing assistant program 422 uses the UI 20 to display the image represented by the print image data, and accepts the selection of whether to print or cancel. If print is selected, the post-processing assistant program 422 uses the model information and IP address of the printer 2 acquired from the OS 21 to output to the printer 2 an advance operation command (arrow M) via the communication IF 30 instructing the printer 2 to execute an advance operation. The advance operation is an operation that causes the printer 2 to prepare for printing before the print image data is sent.

The printer 2 starts the advance operation when it receives the advance operation command from the PC 1 (arrow N). By having the printer 2 perform the advance operation, it is possible to shorten the waiting time from when the user inputs a print command until the printing of the first page is completed.

There are several types of preceding operations, for example, depending on the model of the printer 2. If the printer 2 is an inkjet printer, for example, there is a preceding operation of removing the cap to prevent the print head from drying and moving the print head to the printing start position. Also, if the printer 2 is an electrophotographic printer, for example, there is a preceding operation of starting preheating of the fixing device. In other words, since the preceding operations that can be executed differ depending on the printer model, there are several types of preceding operation commands. The auxiliary program 42 stores the preceding operation commands in association with the model name. Furthermore, regardless of the printing method of the printer 2, for example, there is a preceding operation of identifying a paper feed tray based on the printing parameters, pulling paper from the identified paper feed tray, and transporting it to a specified standby position.

When there are multiple types of precedence operation commands that the printer 2 can handle, the post-processing auxiliary program 422 may output the multiple types of precedence operation commands, or may accept in advance on a settings screen or the like the specification of the precedence operation command to be output to the printer 2. When the printer 2 is to perform multiple precedence operations, the post-processing auxiliary program 422 may transmit the multiple precedence operation commands sequentially, or may combine the multiple precedence operation commands into one precedence operation command and transmit it. The printer 2 has the function of performing at least one precedence operation, and upon receiving a precedence operation command, it performs the precedence operation corresponding to that precedence operation command.

In addition, if printing is selected by the preview process, the post-processing assistant program 422 passes a completion notification to the OS 21 (arrow O). In response to receiving the completion notification from the post-processing assistant program 422, the OS 21 sends the print image data to the printer 2 (arrow P) and ends the processing based on the print execution notification. The printer 2, which has received the print image data, performs printing based on the received print image data (arrow Q).

On the other hand, if cancel is selected by the preview process, the post-processing assistant program 422 passes a cancellation notification to the OS 21 (arrow O). In response to receiving the cancellation notification from the post-processing assistant program 422, the OS 21 ends the processing based on the print execution notification without sending the print image data to the printer 2. In this case, printing is not performed on the printer 2.

In FIG. 3, the post-processing support program 422 outputs the preceding operation command before passing the end notification to the OS 21, but it may output the preceding operation command after passing the end notification to the OS 21. Also, if the preview function is not enabled and the preview process is not executed, the post-processing support program 422 outputs the preceding operation command to the printer 2 without displaying a preview, and passes the end notification to the OS 21.

In addition, in post-processing by the post-processing assistance program 422, if the printer 2 has a unique function such as a colorant saving mode, a command to enable the unique function may be sent to the printer 2.

Next, the procedure for the print process by the OS 21, which is one of the procedures for realizing the printing system of the first embodiment described above, will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 4. The print process is executed by the CPU 11 of the PC 1 according to the OS 21 when the OS 21 receives a print execution notification from the editing application 43 (arrow F in FIG. 3).

In the printing process, the OS 21 first determines whether the auxiliary program 42 is present in the memory 12 (S101). As described above, the auxiliary program 42 is prepared by the device vendor for each printer, and is installed in the PC 1 by the OS 21 when the OS 21 detects the printer.

If it is determined that the auxiliary program 42 is not in the memory 12 (S101: NO), such as when the auxiliary program 42 corresponding to the printer 2 is not prepared, the OS 21 generates print data using the general-purpose print program 41 (S102). Then, the OS 21 transmits the generated print data or print image data based on the print data to the printer 2 (S103), and ends the print process. Note that if transmission of the print image data fails, the OS 21 may execute a specified error process.

If the auxiliary program 42 is not installed in the PC 1, the print data is generated by the general-purpose print program 41, so the user can use various printers 2 with the same ease of use without having to worry about setting up the printer 2. However, when printing using the general-purpose print program 41, printing may take longer than when printing using a high-performance printer driver, and the quality of the printed matter may be lower.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the auxiliary program 42 is present (S101: YES), the OS 21 outputs an execution command to the auxiliary program 42 corresponding to the printer 2, and starts preprocessing by the preprocessing auxiliary program 421 (S111, arrow G in FIG. 3). This causes the CPU 11 to execute preprocessing in accordance with the preprocessing auxiliary program 421. When executing the processing of the preprocessing auxiliary program 421 from the OS 21, for example, the OS 21 may input information indicating the preprocessing auxiliary program 421 to the auxiliary program 42. Alternatively, the OS 21 may store information indicating the preprocessing auxiliary program 421 in the memory 12, and then output an execution command to the preprocessing auxiliary program 421, which then reads the information. Alternatively, the OS 21 may output an execution command specifying the preprocessing of the preprocessing auxiliary program 421.

After the pre-processing auxiliary program 421 starts executing the pre-processing, if the OS 21 receives a termination notification from the pre-processing auxiliary program 421, it generates print data using the general-purpose print program 41 included in the OS 21 (S112, arrow J in FIG. 3). S112 is the same process as S102. Note that if a cancellation notification is received from the pre-processing auxiliary program 421, the OS 21 ends the print process without generating print data.

After generating the print data, before sending the print image data based on the generated print data to the printer 2, the OS 21 outputs an execution command to the auxiliary program 42 corresponding to the printer 2 to start post-processing by the post-processing auxiliary program 422 (S113, arrow K in FIG. 3). This causes the CPU 11 to execute post-processing according to the post-processing auxiliary program 422.

After the post-processing assistant program 422 starts executing the post-processing, the OS 21 judges whether the notification received from the post-processing assistant program 422 is an end notification or a cancellation notification (S114). If it is determined that an end notification has been received (S114: YES), the OS 21 sends the print data or print image data based on the print data to the printer 2 (S103, arrow P in FIG. 3) and ends the print process. If it is determined that a cancellation notification has been received (S114: NO), the OS 21 ends the print process without sending the print image data.

Next, the procedure of post-processing by the auxiliary program 42 that realizes the above-mentioned printing system will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 5. The post-processing is executed by the CPU 11 of the PC 1 according to the post-processing auxiliary program 422, which is part of the auxiliary program 42, when the auxiliary program 42 receives an execution command from the OS 21 (arrow K in FIG. 3).

In post-processing, the post-processing assistant program 422 first generates print image data based on the print data generated using the general-purpose print program 41 in accordance with the print parameters (S201). In S201, for example, processing is performed to combine a watermark, header, or footer with the image represented by the print data. Note that if no processing is performed on the image represented by the print data, S201 can be omitted and the print data can be used as is as print image data, or a copy of the print data can be generated.

Next, the post-processing auxiliary program 422 determines whether the preview function is enabled (S202). If the preview function is enabled (S202: YES), the post-processing auxiliary program 422 displays an image shown in the print image data generated in S201 on the UI 20, and performs a preview display that accepts the selection of whether to print or cancel (S211, arrow L in Figure 3). S211 is an example of preview processing. Then, the auxiliary program 42 determines whether the user's selection is to print or cancel (S212).

If it is determined that printing has been selected (S212: YES), or if preview is disabled (S202: NO), the post-processing assistant program 422 acquires printer information for the printer 2 designated as the device that will execute printing, and outputs a pre-operation command to the printer 2 (S203, arrow M in FIG. 3). S203 is an example of command output processing. Specifically, the post-processing assistant program 422 queries the OS 21 or refers to a memory location where the OS 21 stores information to acquire model information for the printer 2 and access information such as an IP address. It then determines a pre-operation command suitable for the printer model and printing parameters, and outputs the pre-operation command using the access information.

After S202, the post-processing auxiliary program 422 passes a termination notification to the OS 21 (S204, arrow O in FIG. 3) and terminates the post-processing. On the other hand, if it is determined that cancel has been selected (S212: NO), the post-processing auxiliary program 422 passes a cancellation notification to the OS 21 (S213, arrow R in FIG. 3) and terminates the post-processing.

As described above in detail, according to the first form of auxiliary program 42, when a print instruction is given to cause the printer 2 to print via the general-purpose print program 41, a precedence operation command is output to the printer 2 that is the target of the print instruction to execute a printer-specific precedence operation before the printer 2 starts transmitting print image data based on the print data generated by the general-purpose print program 41. As a result, even when the PC 1 accepts a print instruction via the general-purpose print program 41, the printer 2 can execute a printer-specific precedence operation before the printer 2 starts printing based on the print instruction, allowing the printer to demonstrate its own capabilities.

Furthermore, the auxiliary program 42 in the first form outputs the precedence command after the user has completed the operation in the preview process after the OS 21 has generated the print data. In other words, if the preview is enabled, the execution of printing is not confirmed before the print data is generated, but is confirmed after the print data is generated. Therefore, by sending the precedence operation command after the print data is generated, it is possible to avoid the waste of the precedence operation on the printer. Also, if the user's operation is accepted before the print execution data is sent, even if the precedence operation command is sent early, the precedence operation may be wasted if the waiting time for the acceptance of the user's operation becomes long. Therefore, by sending the precedence operation command after the user's operation, it is possible to avoid the waste of the precedence operation on the printer.

Next, a second form of the printing procedure by the printing system, including the operation of the auxiliary program 42, will be described with reference to the sequence diagram of FIG. 6. The second form differs from the first form in that a preceding operation command may be output in pre-processing. Note that, of the processes shown in FIG. 6, the same processes as those in the first form shown in FIG. 3 are given the same reference numerals. Also, in the second form, arrows A to G are the same as those in the first form shown in FIG. 3, and so description thereof will be omitted.

When a command to execute preprocessing is output from the OS 21 (arrow G in FIG. 3), the preprocessing auxiliary program 421 of the auxiliary program 42 performs a first output judgment as one of the preprocessing steps to determine whether or not both the post-output condition, which is a condition for outputting the preprocessing command after the generation of print data, and the restriction condition, which is a condition for restricting the output of the preprocessing command, are satisfied (arrow S). Then, if the condition of the first output judgment is satisfied, that is, if neither the post-output condition nor the restriction condition is satisfied, the preprocessing auxiliary program 421 outputs the preprocessing command to the printer 2 during preprocessing (arrow T). The printer 2 starts the preprocessing by receiving the preprocessing command from the PC 1 (arrow U). On the other hand, if the condition of the first output judgment is not satisfied, that is, if at least one of the post-output condition and the restriction condition is satisfied, the preprocessing auxiliary program 421 does not output the preprocessing command.

In this embodiment, the post-output condition is that the preview function is enabled. When preview processing is performed, printing may be canceled, and the advance operation on the printer 2 may be wasted even if an advance operation command is output before the preview processing. Also, even if print execution is selected, if it takes time for that selection to be made, the advance operation may be wasted.

In other words, a post-output condition corresponds to at least one of the conditions that the print execution is canceled and that a user operation is waiting to be accepted. The post-output condition is an example of a first condition. For example, if there is a function that displays a message indicating whether or not the print image data can be sent before it is sent and accepts user input operations in addition to a preview function, the post-output condition may be that this function is enabled. Note that, if changes to print parameters are accepted through user input operations in pre-processing, the pre-processing auxiliary program 421 judges the post-output condition after the acceptance is completed.

The restriction conditions in this embodiment also include the specification of secure printing. When secure printing is specified, the printer 2 will accept the input of a password after receiving the print image data, and will perform printing based on the print image data if a password matching the password included in the print parameters is entered. In other words, when secure printing is specified, printing will not start immediately even if the printer 2 receives the print image data. Therefore, there is no need to perform a preemptive operation, and it can be determined that the sending of a preemptive operation command is restricted.

In other words, a restriction condition corresponds to the printer 2 not starting printing even if it receives print image data unless other conditions are met. The restriction condition is an example of the second condition. For example, a restriction condition may be that, in addition to secure printing, there is a designation of scheduled printing to print at a specified time. Or, a restriction condition may include printing that starts printing after waiting for an execution instruction input operation from the user even without a password being entered. Or a restriction condition may be that the printer 2 is already printing. This is because a preceding operation is not necessary while printing is in progress. Or a restriction condition may be that printing is not possible due to an error such as no paper or a paper jam. This is because printing cannot start immediately even if a preceding operation is performed.

After the execution of the pre-processing is completed, the pre-processing auxiliary program 421 passes a completion notification to the OS 21 (arrow I). In response to receiving the completion notification from the pre-processing auxiliary program 421, the OS 21 generates print data using the general-purpose printing program 41 (arrow J) and outputs an execution command for the post-processing of the auxiliary program 42 (arrow K).

When a command to execute post-processing is output, the post-processing auxiliary program 422 of the auxiliary program 42 executes preview processing as one of the post-processing processes (arrow L). Note that if the preview function is disabled, the preview processing is omitted.

Furthermore, as one of the post-processing steps, the post-processing auxiliary program 422 performs a second output judgment to determine whether or not both an output execution condition, which is a condition for outputting a precedent operation command, is satisfied, and a restrictive condition, which is a condition for restricting the output of the precedent operation command, is not satisfied (arrow V). If the condition of the second output judgment is satisfied, the precedent operation command is output to the printer 2 during the post-processing (arrow W). The printer 2 starts the precedent operation by receiving the precedent operation command from the PC 1 (arrow X).

In this embodiment, the output execution condition is when print execution is selected during preview processing. When preview processing is performed, a choice is accepted as to whether to print or cancel after print data is generated, so it can be determined that a preceding operation command can be sent when print execution is selected.

In addition, the restriction conditions for post-processing in this embodiment include the same conditions as the restriction conditions for pre-processing, plus the sending of a precedent operation command in pre-processing. If a precedent operation command has already been sent in pre-processing, sending a precedent operation command in post-processing is wasted. Therefore, if a precedent operation command has already been sent, it can be determined that there is no need to send a precedent operation command.

When the execution of post-processing is terminated without cancel being selected in the preview process, the post-processing assistant program 422 passes a termination notification to the OS 21 (arrow O). In response to receiving the termination notification from the post-processing assistant program 422, the OS 21 sends the print image data to the printer 2 (arrow P) and terminates the processing based on the print execution notification. The printer 2 that has received the print image data starts printing based on the received print image data (arrow Q). Although not shown, when the execution of post-processing is terminated by selecting cancel, the post-processing assistant program 422 passes a cancellation notification to the OS 21. In response to receiving the cancellation notification, the OS 21 terminates the processing based on the print execution notification without sending the print image data.

As explained in detail above, even in the case of the auxiliary program 42 in the second form, when a print instruction is given via the general-purpose print program 41 to cause the printer 2 to print, the auxiliary program 42 outputs a preemptive operation command to the printer 2 before transmission of the print image data to the printer 2 begins. This allows the printer 2 to execute its own preemptive operation before the printer 2 starts printing based on the print instruction, even when the PC 1 accepts a print instruction via the general-purpose print program 41, thereby making it possible to demonstrate the printer's own capabilities.

Furthermore, the auxiliary program 42 of this embodiment determines whether the post-output conditions are met before the OS 21 generates print data, and if the post-output conditions are not met, it is possible to send a pre-operation command to the printer 2 even before the OS 21 generates print data. In other words, depending on the printing conditions, printing may be confirmed even before the print data is generated. In that case, by sending the pre-operation command before the print data is generated, the pre-operation on the printer can be started early, and printing can be started even sooner.

Furthermore, the auxiliary program 42 of this embodiment judges whether the restrictive conditions are satisfied, and if the restrictive conditions are satisfied, it does not send a pre-emptive operation command to the printer 2, even if the post-output conditions are not satisfied or the output execution conditions are satisfied. In other words, depending on the printing conditions, the printer 2 may not immediately start printing after the print execution data is sent to the printer 2. In that case, by not sending a pre-emptive operation command, it is possible to avoid wasting a pre-emptive operation on the printer 2.

Note that the embodiments disclosed in this specification are merely examples and do not limit the present invention in any way. Naturally, the technology disclosed in this specification can be improved and modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the technology. For example, the device connected to PC1 is not limited to a printer, but can be any device with a printing function, such as a multifunction device, copier, or fax machine. Also, the number of printers connected to PC1 is not limited to one, and multiple printers may be connected.

In addition, for example, in the embodiment, the auxiliary program 42 has both pre-processing and post-processing, but the auxiliary program 42 may be configured only as a post-processing auxiliary program 422 that is started after the print data is generated. Also, the pre-processing auxiliary program 421 and the post-processing auxiliary program 422 may be a single module or separate modules.

Printing parameters may also be sent as a preliminary operation command. In this case, the printer 2 that receives the printing parameters will, for example, execute preparatory operations for color printing if the printing parameters include a color printing setting, and execute preparatory operations for black-and-white printing only if the printing parameters include a monochrome printing setting.

If the printer 2 is a laser printer, a calibration process to suppress color misregistration may be performed as a preparatory operation for color printing. If the printer 2 is a model equipped with a finisher and the printing parameters include processing by the finisher, the printer 2 may perform a preparatory operation for the finisher when it receives the printing parameters.

The module that executes the pre-processing and post-processing is not limited to the auxiliary program 42, but may be any program that receives instructions from the OS 21 when printing is performed by the general-purpose print program 41 of the OS 21. For example, it may be a print workflow application (Print workflow) whose specifications have been published by Microsoft.

In the embodiment, the auxiliary program 42 is started by the OS 21 outputting an execution command for the auxiliary program 42, but the timing of starting the auxiliary program 42 is not limited to this. For example, the auxiliary program 42 may be constantly running, in which case the auxiliary program 42 may receive an execution command and perform the above-mentioned operation.

In addition, in the embodiment, before a print instruction is accepted (arrow E), the auxiliary program 42 accepts (arrow C) specific print parameters, including a setting for whether to enable a preview function that displays the image to be printed on the UI 20 before the print image data is sent, and a specification for secure printing that requires the entry of a password as a printing execution condition, but these may also be accepted as one of the pre-processing steps (arrow H) after accepting a print instruction.

In addition, in the embodiment, the auxiliary program 42 accepts as unique print parameters a setting for whether to enable a preview function that displays the image to be printed on the UI 20 before the print image data is sent, and a designation for secure printing that requires the entry of a password as a condition for executing printing, but some or all of these settings may be accepted by the OS 21.

In addition, in any of the flowcharts disclosed in the embodiments, the execution order of multiple processes in any of the steps can be arbitrarily changed or the processes can be executed in parallel, as long as no inconsistencies occur in the process content.

The processes disclosed in the embodiments may be executed by a single CPU, multiple CPUs, hardware such as an ASIC, or a combination of these. The processes disclosed in the embodiments may be realized in various ways, such as a recording medium on which a program for executing the processes is recorded, or a method.

1 PC
2 Printer 11 CPU
21 OS
41 General-purpose printing program 42 Auxiliary program 43 Editing application

Claims (5)

A support program executable by a computer of an information processing device and corresponding to a printer connected to the information processing device,
The computer includes:
when there is a print instruction to cause the printer to print via a print program that is pre-installed in an operating system of the information processing device and does not use a printer driver provided by a printer manufacturer , a first determination process is executed to determine whether a first condition is satisfied before print data corresponding to the print instruction is generated, the first condition being a condition indicating that a setting for executing a preview process is valid, and the preview process is a process of displaying an image to be printed on a display device of the information processing device and accepting a selection of whether to print or not,
The computer further comprises:
if the first condition is not satisfied, before the print data corresponding to the print instruction is generated, a command output process is executed to output to the printer, via a communication interface of the information processing device, a precedent operation command for executing a precedent operation before starting printing, the printer having a function of performing the precedent operation corresponding to the precedent operation command;
When the first condition is satisfied, after the print data corresponding to the print instruction is generated, the preview process is executed, and when the selection of printing is accepted in the preview process, the command output process is further executed;
The computer further comprises:
and after the command output process is executed, control is performed so that print image data based on the print data corresponding to the print instruction is transmitted to the printer.
A support program characterized by: 2. The support program according to claim 1 ,
The computer includes:
executes a second determination process for determining whether a second condition is satisfied when the print instruction is received, the second condition being a condition indicating that printing will start after a predetermined condition is satisfied in the printer that has received the print image data;
The computer further comprises:
When the second condition is satisfied, even if the print image data is to be transmitted to the printer, the command output process is not executed;
if the second condition is not satisfied, the command output process is executed before transmission of the print image data to the printer is started;
A support program characterized by: The support program according to claim 2 ,
The computer includes:
a function of executing an acceptance process for accepting the setting of a password associated with the print image data, and when the password is set, the password is associated with the print image data to be transmitted to the printer, and when the password is associated with the received print image data, the printer has a function of performing printing using the print image data under the predetermined condition that the password has been input to the printer,
The computer further comprises:
When the password is set, the second determination process determines that the second condition is satisfied.
A support program characterized by: A communication interface;
A computer,
An information processing device comprising:
a support program corresponding to a printer connected to the information processing device is installed, the printer having a function of performing a preliminary operation before starting printing;
the operating system of the information processing device has a printing program that is a pre-installed program and does not use a printer driver provided by a printer manufacturer;
The computer includes:
when a print instruction is given via the print program to cause the printer to perform printing, before print data corresponding to the print instruction is generated, a first determination process is executed by the support program to determine whether or not a first condition is satisfied, the first condition being a condition indicating that a setting for executing a preview process is valid, and the preview process is a process of displaying an image to be printed on a display device of the information processing device and accepting a selection of whether or not to print,
The computer further comprises:
if the first condition is not satisfied, before the print data corresponding to the print instruction is generated, a command output process is executed by the support program to output to the printer, via a communication interface of the information processing device, a precedent operation command for executing the precedent operation;
When the first condition is satisfied, after the print data corresponding to the print instruction is generated, the preview process is executed by the support program, and when the selection of printing is accepted in the preview process, the command output process is further executed by the support program;
The computer further comprises:
After the command output process is executed, control is performed so that print image data based on the print data corresponding to the print instruction is transmitted to the printer.
23. An information processing apparatus comprising: A printer is connected to the information processing device,
a support program corresponding to the printer is installed in the information processing device, the printer has a function of performing a preliminary operation before starting printing;
the operating system of the information processing device has a printing program that is a pre-installed program and does not use a printer driver provided by a printer manufacturer;
A printing method for causing the information processing device to execute printing on the printer ,
when a print instruction is given via the print program to cause the printer to perform printing, before print data corresponding to the print instruction is generated, the support program determines whether or not a first condition is satisfied, the first condition being a condition indicating that a setting for executing a preview is valid, and in the preview, the support program causes a display device of the information processing apparatus to display an image to be printed and accepts a selection of whether or not to print;
moreover,
if the first condition is not satisfied, before the print data corresponding to the print instruction is generated, a precedence operation command for executing the precedence operation is output to the printer by the support program via a communication interface of the information processing device;
When the first condition is satisfied, after the print data corresponding to the print instruction is generated, the preview is performed, and when the selection of printing is accepted in the preview, the preceding operation command is output to the printer via the communication interface of the information processing device by the support program;
moreover,
controlling the information processing device so that, after the output of the anticipatory operation command, print image data based on the print data corresponding to the print instruction is transmitted to the printer;
A printing method comprising:

Images