JP2004070521A - Control method for color and monochrome dispersed printing, program, storage medium, and device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make a user itself change freely a determination reference used when print data are determined colored or monochrome. <P>SOLUTION: This color-monochrome dispersed printing method is used in a printing system for printing the print data containing colored information and monochrome information, using a plurality of printers including the color printer and the monochrome printer. The method has a setting receiving process for receiving, from a user of the printing system, setting for the determination reference for classifying the print data into the colored information or the monochrome information, and a printing control process for executing color-monochrome dispersed printing, based on the setting of the color/monochrome determination reference received in the setting receiving process. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a print data processing apparatus and a print data processing method for performing print processing in response to a drawing command from an application, a computer-executable program for performing print data processing, and storage storing a computer-readable program. It is about media.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, network devices have been generally used, and many personal computers (hereinafter, PCs) and printers have been connected on networks. When printing in such a network environment, for a document having a large number of pages or a document having a large number of copies, the print job is spooled once in order to reduce the printing time, and is sent to a plurality of printers for each page or each copy. There is known a system (distributed printing system) for outputting in a distributed manner.
[0003]
Further, in such a network environment, in order to reduce the printing cost and printing time for one document in which color pages and monochrome pages are mixed, a color page is converted to a color printer, and a monochrome page is converted to a monochrome printer. There is known a system for distributing and outputting to a printer (color / monochrome distributed printing system).
[0004]
For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-086852 discloses a mechanism of color / monochrome distributed printing. Further, a threshold value of a color page ratio is set according to a user's instruction, and it is determined that the threshold value is exceeded. In such a case, a mechanism for transmitting all pages to a color printer is disclosed.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, according to the conventional color / monochrome distributed printing system, there is room for further improvement. For example, a page containing very little color is determined as a color image, and in an environment where there are few color printers, there is a problem that the load on the color printer increases when printing a large amount of data. . Further, there is a disadvantage that even if the user determines that monochrome printing is sufficient, color printing is automatically performed only when a part of the data includes a color image or the like. As described above, the user can only rely on the system to determine print data and perform distributed processing, and a mechanism that can realize color / monochrome distributed printing in accordance with the user's request is desired.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems specifically provides a color / monochrome distribution in a printing system for printing print data including color information and monochrome information using a plurality of printers including a color printer and a monochrome printer. A print control method, comprising: a setting receiving step for receiving a setting of a criterion for classifying the print data into either color information or monochrome information from a user of the printing system; A print control step of executing color / monochrome distributed printing based on the setting of the determination criteria.
[0007]
Here, the setting accepting step further includes a display control step of displaying a setting screen for the user to set the determination criterion, wherein the criterion is to set the print data for each page printed by the printer. It may be a criterion for classifying the print data into either color information or monochrome information, or using at least one of text data or image data included in the print data to convert the print data into color information or monochrome information. A criterion for classification into any of them may be used.
[0008]
Further, the setting receiving step may receive a monochrome setting for classifying all text data included in the print data as monochrome information, and further, the print data may be received based on the determination criteria received in the setting receiving step. An attribute setting step for setting the color attribute to either color or monochrome can be further provided. In the attribute setting step, the color attribute may be set based on a ratio of color information in the print data and the determination criterion. Here, the print control step may execute color / monochrome distributed printing of the print data based on the color attribute set in the attribute setting step.
[0009]
In another aspect of the present invention, the printing system includes a storage unit for storing the color attribute of the print data set in the attribute setting step, and the print control step includes: May perform color / monochrome distributed printing of the print data based on the color attributes stored in the printer. Further, the storage unit further stores a default color attribute for the print data, and further includes a selection step for setting one of the color attribute set in the attribute setting step and the default color attribute. And the print control step can issue a print instruction for the print data based on the color attribute selected in the selection step.
[0010]
The present invention for solving the above problems may be provided as a color / monochrome distributed print control program for causing a computer to execute a color / monochrome distributed print control method, or a computer-readable information storage medium storing the program. Good. Further, it goes without saying that the present invention can be provided as a color / monochrome distributed printing control apparatus for implementing the above method.
[0011]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, an embodiment suitable for applying the present invention will be described.
[0012]
<Configuration Example of Information Processing System of Present Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment to which the present invention can be applied. It is assumed that one or a plurality of client computers in this system are connected.
[0013]
In the figure, reference numerals 102, 103, and 104 denote client computers (hereinafter, referred to as clients), which are connected to a network 106 by a network cable such as Ethernet (registered trademark) and can execute various programs such as application programs. A printer driver having a function of converting data into a printer language corresponding to the printer is mounted. It is assumed that the client supports a plurality of printer drivers.
[0014]
Reference numeral 101 denotes a server (hereinafter, referred to as a print server) according to the present embodiment, which is connected to a network 106 by a network cable, stores files used in the network, and monitors the use state of the network 106. The print server 101 manages a plurality of printers connected to the network 106.
[0015]
As the hardware configuration, both the clients 102 to 104 and the print server 101 may be a general information processing apparatus as described later with reference to FIG. 2, and the client and the print server perform different controls according to their respective roles. A print control program to be executed is installed so as to be executable. The print server 101 can also have the function of a client at the same time.
[0016]
The print server 101 according to the present exemplary embodiment further includes a function of storing and printing a print job including print data for which a print request has been issued from the client computers 102, 103, and 104, and a function of storing print data from the client computers 102 to 104. A function to receive print job information, manage a print order, notify a client in the print order of transmission permission of a print job including print data, and obtain a status of the network printer 105 and various information of the print job. And a function of notifying the client computers 102 to 104.
[0017]
Reference numeral 105 denotes a network printer as a print control device, which is connected to a network 106 via a network interface (not shown), analyzes a print job including print data transmitted from a client computer, and converts the print job into a dot image for each page. And print. Reference numeral 106 denotes a network, which is connected to the client computers 102 to 104, the print server 101, the network printer 105, and the like.
[0018]
<Example of hardware configuration of information processing device of present embodiment>
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an information processing apparatus used as the clients 102 to 104 and the print server 101 in the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the client computers 102 to 104 and the print server 101 have the same or equivalent hardware configuration, but each may have a special hardware configuration.
[0019]
In FIG. 2, a CPU 200 is a control unit of the information processing apparatus, and executes an application program, a printer driver program, an OS stored in the hard disk (HD) 205, a network printer control program of the present embodiment, and the like. , A control for temporarily storing information, files, and the like necessary for executing the program in the RAM 202.
[0020]
Reference numeral 201 denotes a ROM serving as storage means, which internally stores programs such as a basic I / O program and various data such as font data and template data used in document processing. Reference numeral 202 denotes a RAM serving as a temporary storage unit, which functions as a main memory, a work area, and the like of the CPU 200.
[0021]
Reference numeral 203 denotes a floppy (registered trademark) disk (FD) drive as a storage medium reading unit. As shown in FIG. 5 described later, a program or the like stored in the FD 204 as a storage medium is transmitted to the computer system through the FD drive 203. Can be loaded. The storage medium is not limited to the FD, and may be any type such as a CDROM, a CDR, a CDRW, a PC card, a DVD, an IC memory card, an MO, and a memory stick. Reference numeral 204 denotes a floppy disk (FD) as a storage medium, which is a storage medium storing a computer-readable program.
[0022]
Reference numeral 205 denotes one of external storage units, which is a hard disk (HD) functioning as a large-capacity memory, and stores an application program, a printer driver program, an OS, a network printer control program, related programs, and the like. Further, a spooler as a spool means is secured here. The spool means is a client spooler in a client, and is a server spooler in a print server. In the print server, a table for storing the job information received from the client and controlling the order is generated and stored in the external storage means.
[0023]
Reference numeral 206 denotes a keyboard, which is an instruction input unit. The keyboard 206 is used by a user to input a command of a device control command or the like to a print server by an operator or an administrator. Reference numeral 207 denotes a display serving as a display unit, which displays a command input from the keyboard 206, a status of the printer, and the like.
[0024]
A system bus 208 controls the flow of data in a computer that is a client or a print server. Reference numeral 209 denotes an interface serving as an input / output unit, and the information processing device exchanges data with an external device via the interface 209.
[0025]
It should be noted that the configuration of the information processing apparatus is an example, and is not limited to the configuration example of FIG. For example, the storage destination of data and programs can be changed in ROM, RAM, HD, etc. according to the characteristics.
[0026]
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a memory map of the RAM 202 illustrated in FIG. 2, in which the network printer control program loaded from the FD 204 is loaded into the RAM 202 and becomes executable.
[0027]
In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the network printer control program and related data are directly loaded from the FD 204 to the RAM 202 and executed. However, each time the network printer control program is operated, the network printer control program is already executed. May be loaded into the RAM 202 from the HD 205 installed from the FD 204. The medium storing the network printer control program may be a CDROM, a CDR, a PC card, a DVD, or an IC memory card other than the FD. Further, the network printer control program may be stored in the ROM 201, configured to be a part of the memory map, and directly executed by the CPU 200. Further, software that realizes the same functions as those of the above devices may be configured as a substitute for a hardware device.
[0028]
The network printer control program may be simply referred to as a print control program. The print control program includes, in the client, a program for performing control for giving an instruction to change a print destination of a print job and for giving an instruction to change a print order. On the other hand, the print server includes a program for controlling the order of print jobs, and for notifying the end of printing of a print job, a print destination change request, and the like. In the print control program of the present embodiment that performs such control, the module installed on the client and the module installed on the print server may be separately separated, or one print control program may be executed. Depending on the environment, it may function as a client or may function as a print server. Alternatively, a configuration in which a module having a function for a client and a module functioning as a print server are installed together in one computer, and pseudo-parallel operations can be performed simultaneously or time-divisionally.
[0029]
Reference numeral 301 denotes a basic I / O program, which has an IPL (initial program loading) function for reading the OS from the HD 205 into the RAM 202 and starting the operation of the OS when the information processing apparatus is powered on. This is the area that contains the program. 302, an operating system (OS); 303, a network printer control program, which is stored in an area secured on the RAM 202; Reference numeral 304 denotes related data, which is stored in an area secured on the RAM 202. Reference numeral 305 denotes a work area, which secures an area where the CPU 200 executes the printer control program.
[0030]
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a memory map of the FD 204 illustrated in FIG. 4, reference numeral 401 denotes volume information indicating data information; 402, directory information; 403, a network printer control program which is a print control program described in the present embodiment; The network printer control program 403 is programmed based on the flowchart described in the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, both the client and the server have the same configuration.
[0031]
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the relationship between the FD drive 203 shown in FIG. 2 and the FD 204 inserted, and the same components as those in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals. In FIG. 5, the FD 204 stores a network printer control program and related data described in the present embodiment.
[0032]
<Software Configuration Example in Information Processing System of Present Embodiment>
Here, the technical meaning of the terms in the present embodiment will be described. A virtual printer that virtually bundles a plurality of printers as one printer is called a group printer, and a bundled printer is called a member printer. Printer drivers corresponding to the member printers are referred to as a group printer driver and a member printer driver, respectively.
[0033]
When the group printer (group printer driver) and the member printer (member printer driver) are more specifically defined, an intermediate format file (general-purpose print file) is generated based on a drawing command generated from an application via the OS. A virtual driver that generates data is called a group printer driver. Then, the job control print service 622 issues a print instruction to each individual printer to generate a page description language based on the intermediate format file, and each individual printer is referred to as a member printer.
[0034]
On the other hand, in the present embodiment, a drawing command (generally called DDI or GDI) output through an OS such as Windows (registered trademark) in response to a print instruction in an application, or an EMF (Enhanced Metafile Format: A printer driver that interprets an extended metafile), generates a page description language, and outputs it to a device is called a normal printer driver, and the device at this time is called a normal device, and is distinguished from a group printer or a member printer. It is needless to say that the OS is not limited to Windows, but can be applied to any OS provided with a drawing command. Also, a combination of a printer driver and a printer output port may be called a printer to distinguish it from a printer which is a device. For example, specifying a combination of a logical port (job control port monitor 621) and a group printer driver in FIG. 7 described below is referred to as specifying a group printer.
[0035]
In the proxy printing process, each printer that is a proxy candidate is called a member printer, and the output destination printer used for printing is the one with the highest priority in the member printer list that stores the member printers. The priority order is such that a member printer driver name list is displayed on a driver user interface (UI), and the display order can be changed by a user's instruction.
[0036]
FIG. 6 shows how a print job including a drawing command issued from a general application such as Microsoft Word (registered trademark) is processed in the print job control system in the client server model of the present system. FIG.
[0037]
Normally, when a print instruction is issued, the application program generates a series of drawing commands via the OS, converts the generated drawing commands into a predetermined format through a printer driver, and then converts the commands into a Windows spooler. Passed to. The Windows spooler takes the procedure of passing the print job data to the port monitor specified and designated by the user via the user interface and transmitting the print job data to the print device. In the present embodiment, the user designates a port monitor 621 for the print job control system (hereinafter abbreviated as a job control port monitor) in advance and instructs printing.
[0038]
The application program 601 generates a series of drawing commands via the OS. The group printer driver 603 that has received the drawing command generated via the OS generates general-purpose document data for generating a general-purpose print file and sends a print job data to a print device. The print job data is transmitted to the control port monitor 621 as print job data. Further, print setting information such as a sheet size and a stapling instruction set via the printer driver interface is also transmitted to the job control port monitor 621.
[0039]
The job control port monitor 621 does not transmit general-purpose print document data, which is print job data, to the print device 105 but transmits it to the print job control system print service 622 (hereinafter abbreviated as job control print service). The job control print service 622 performs a print job control process, which will be described later, on the print job data.
[0040]
A print manager 623 for a print job control system (hereinafter, abbreviated as “job control print manager”) allows the user to check the state of the print job inside the job control print service 622 and to operate the print job. Is a program that provides a user interface for The job control print manager 623 exchanges information and instructions with the job control print service 622 via a software interface (API: Application Program Interface) of the job control print service 622.
[0041]
The print job control system server 630 (hereinafter abbreviated as “job control server”) centrally controls (schedules) the timing at which the job control print service 622 on each of the clients 102 to 104 transmits print job data to the print device 105. ing. The print job control system management console 633 (hereinafter, abbreviated as “job control management console”) exchanges information and instructions with the job control server 630 via an API for access by software of the job control server 630. The entire print job control system can be monitored.
[0042]
The job control server 630 communicates with each print device 105 by using the device information control module 631, and obtains information regarding print jobs and operation states in each printer, and performs operations. The obtained information can be passed to the job control print service 622 on the client 102-104 side.
[0043]
<Operation Example in Information Processing System of Present Embodiment>
Next, printing from the group printer driver 603 in this embodiment will be described. The group printer driver 603 converts a series of drawing commands generated by the application program into general-purpose intermediate format data (corresponding to the above-described general-purpose document data) that does not depend on the type of print device or OS. This general-purpose intermediate format data is guided from the Windows spooler 604 via the job control port monitor 621 (FIG. 6A) to the job control print service 622 (FIG. 6B). Here, the general-purpose intermediate format data is constructed in a general-purpose print file. The configuration of the general-purpose print file will be described later with reference to FIG.
[0044]
The job control print service 622 generates a drawing command based on the general-purpose print file according to the type of job control performed on the print job ((c) in FIG. 6), and then the PDL driver 602 The drawing command is converted into a PDL format file that can be interpreted by the print device 105.
[0045]
FIG. 6 illustrates an example in which the job control print service 622 detects an error on the printer side for this print job and performs proxy printing. The solid line indicates a member job that was originally scheduled to be printed. The broken line indicates a job generated for proxy printing ((c) in FIG. 6). The PDL file generated by the PDL driver 602 passes through the Windows spooler 604 and the job control port monitor 621 ((d) in FIG. 6), and is passed again to the job control print service 622 ((e) in FIG. 6). The job control print service 622 transmits the PDL print job data to the print device 105 according to the instruction of the job control server 630 ((f) in FIG. 6).
[0046]
The job control print service 622 logically divides one general-purpose print file into a plurality of print jobs according to the instruction of the print instruction in the general-purpose print file, and transmits each to a different print device or transmits once. For example, sending print job data to another print device. (C), (d), (e), and (f) in FIG. 6 show the path of the print job data in such a case.
[0047]
On the other hand, when the application software creates a general-purpose print file and the application software directly submits the general-purpose print file as a print job, a general application is defined as a method of passing information to the group printer driver 603 or a method of passing information to the group printer driver 603. Is different. As described above, in the case of a general application, when passing drawing information to the group printer driver 603, the application calls the Windows GDI function in the same manner as a normal printer driver, and the group printer driver 603 responds accordingly to the general-purpose application. Generate a print file. On the other hand, in the case of an application that directly creates a general-purpose print file, the application already has a general-purpose print file and supplies it to the group printer driver 603. The group printer driver 603 rewrites the print instruction in the general-purpose print file and sends it to the Windows spooler 604 based on a preset printing method as needed.
[0048]
(Configuration example of general-purpose print file)
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a general-purpose print file. The general-purpose print file used in the present embodiment includes a print instruction unit 8a (corresponding to the above-described print instruction) and a document data unit 8b. The print instruction section 8a is a portion in which document information and a print instruction are described. The document data 8b is data obtained by converting application document data into general-purpose format data (general-purpose document data), and has a data format independent of the printer language and the type of OS. In other words, it can be said that the application 601 has a function of generating a general-purpose print file. Specifically, the application 601 can instruct various print settings such as a paper size, an N-up, and a staple setting, and can also specify a designated print setting (job And a function of generating a general-purpose print file in which general-purpose print data is combined with the general-purpose print data.
[0049]
The converted data (general-purpose print data) after the conversion of the application data is assumed to be data in a format that can be used as print resource data and that can be edited again by a word processor application or the like. Among them, for example, the XML format, the EMF format provided by the Windows system, the PDF format by Adobe Systems, the SVG format, and the like can be adopted as the general-purpose print data.
[0050]
The print instruction section 8a includes a header section 801, a page information section 802, a document attribute section 803, a print style instruction section 804, an output method designation section 805, the number of member printers 806, a member printer driver name 807, and the like. Note that the document attribute is determined based on what attribute each page has. For example, if one page out of a plurality of pages includes color image information, the document attribute is It refers to something that becomes a color attribute.
[0051]
The header section 801 is a section for storing information such as the version identification of this file and file information. The page information section 802 stores information such as the number of pages of the document data in the document data section 8b and the size of each page. The page information section 802 includes color attributes and staples shown in FIG. Attributes can be included. The document attribute section 803 is a section for storing information on document attributes. Document attributes include, for example, color, staple, punch, and the like.
[0052]
The print format instruction unit 804 is a unit that stores information regarding output format such as a print page range, the number of print copies, imposition information of document data (such as N-UP and bookbinding print), a staple instruction and a punch instruction. The output method designation unit 805 is a part that stores information such as proxy printing and normal printing (printing without proxy) as the output method. Note that the stapling and punching instructions may be specified in units of pages (such as subset stapling).
[0053]
The number of member printers 806 stores the number of member printers associated with the group printer driver. The member printer driver name 807 is a part for storing the printer driver name of the member printer. The member printer driver name 807 has storage areas for the number of member printers 806 described above. The information of (a) and (b) of FIG. 16 to be described later is composed of items of the print instruction section 8a, and includes information of the page information section 802, the print style instruction section 803, the print style instruction section 804, and the like. Consists of item information.
[0054]
In the job control print service 622 described with reference to FIG. 6, when a general-purpose print file is generated from the general-purpose print intermediate format data, the setting on the GUI of the group printer driver is stored in the print instruction unit 8a. Further, the job control print service 622 also records the general-purpose print intermediate format data received from the group printer driver in the document data section 8b of the general-purpose print file.
[0055]
<Example of relationship between Windows print system and print job control system>
Next, referring to FIG. 7, the relationship between print jobs and the processing outline in the print system and print job control system provided by Windows will be described in further detail. Here, the same functions as those in FIG. 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the functions will not be described in detail.
[0056]
In FIG. 7, the print job control system 700 indicates a range of the print job control system that extends over the physical machines of the print server 101 and the clients 102 to 104 on which the control program operates. An output port (Output Port) 711 managed by the print server is associated with a proxy output port (Proxy Output Port) 712 of the job control print service 622 of the client, and each client is associated with one port. All proxy output ports are managed in a unified manner. In this embodiment, the actual print job data is held in the proxy output port 712 of each client.
[0057]
The job control server 630 does not transmit the print job data itself, but only issues a print job transmission instruction to the job control print service 622. In response to the instruction, the job control print service 622 of the client transmits the print job data to the print device 105.
[0058]
Next, processing when the print job control system 700 performs value-added printing such as proxy printing will be described.
[0059]
When the print job control system 700 performs value-added printing such as proxy printing, the user or the application 601 must issue a print job to the printer assigned to the group printer driver 603 as described above. The job control print service 622 receives the general-purpose print intermediate format data processed by the group printer driver 603 via the job control port monitor 621. The job control print service 622 generates a general-purpose print file from the general-purpose print intermediate format data (715 in FIG. 7), and issues a job (member job) to another printer to which the PDL driver is assigned via the despooler 701. To print.
[0060]
At this time, the despooler 701 interprets the print instruction section 8a of the general-purpose print file described above with reference to FIG. 8, processes the document data in the document data section 88b, converts it into Windows GDI, and prints it to the printer driver. Instructs and issues a print job. For example, when a 2-UP instruction is recorded in the print format designation unit 804, the document data of two pages is reduced and laid out on one sheet of paper. At the time of proxy printing, a job is issued to a proxy member printer described in the print instruction section 8a.
[0061]
When the despooler 701 issues a job to a member printer, it is necessary to create a DEVMODE of the member printer as a print instruction corresponding to the member printer driver, and the DEVMODE appropriately converts the contents described in the print instruction section 8a. It is generated by reflecting it in the DEVMODE of each member printer.
[0062]
The job control print service 622 on the client side receives the PDL data of each member job rendered by the PDL driver 602 via the job control port monitor 621, and notifies the print server side of information on the received job (PDL data). The job data is temporarily stored in its own proxy output queue (Proxy Output Port) 712. After that, after receiving a transmission instruction from the job control server 630, the job is transmitted to the print device 105.
[0063]
(Example of user interface)
Next, UI control of a printer driver for a print job control system 700 that performs a proxy printing process by using a plurality of printers having a printer driver having a storage area such as a common setting area and an extended setting area in the present embodiment. Will be described.
[0064]
FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a UI control flow of the group printer driver according to the present embodiment.
[0065]
Upon receiving a UI display request from the application 601 to the group printer driver 603, the process proceeds to step S91. Step S92 is a step of inquiring the IDs of the output printers and the member printer drivers serving as proxy candidates by using the print job control system API, obtaining the IDs of all the corresponding printer drivers, and further obtaining the obtained output printers. This is a step of reading the capability of the output printer driver from the identification ID of the output printer driver. Step S93 is a so-called "function-controllable driver", in which the driver function can be obtained up to the extended area of the driver setting information and the driver UI can be controlled, based on the capability of the output printer driver read out in step S92. This is a step of determining whether the driver is a driver other than the above, that is, a “driver whose function cannot be controlled”. If the driver is a “driver whose function can be controlled”, the process proceeds to step S94.
[0066]
Step S94 is a step of associating the functions of the output printer driver with the items defined as the group printer driver UI in advance, and associating the basic setting items and the extended setting items. At this time, if there is an applicable item, the item is displayed on the group printer driver UI, and if not, the item is grayed out and the items displayed on the UI are set. In step S95, the correspondence between the basic setting items and the functions of the output printer driver is established. If there is any corresponding item, the item is displayed on the group printer driver UI. If not, the item is grayed out and displayed on the UI. Set items. Further, gray-out display is performed for the extension setting items.
[0067]
FIG. 10 shows the correspondence between the configuration of the member printer of the present embodiment and the settable items, and FIG. 11 shows the correspondence between the common setting items / extended setting items and the respective setting items.
[0068]
In this embodiment, the common setting items are classified and defined as items existing in the common setting area, and the extended setting items are classified and defined as items existing in the extended setting area. Depending on the OS to be used, the classification of the setting items may be different or the setting items may be changed, but it goes without saying that the UI control flow of the present embodiment is effective.
[0069]
Step S96 is a step of judging whether or not to set an item that could not be set in steps S94 and S95. If the user selects more detailed settings, the process proceeds to step S97. Step S97 is a step for opening the UI of the output printer driver to set the items having no setting items on the group printer driver UI in detail.
[0070]
Note that when the output printer driver UI is opened, items that can be set in the group printer driver can also be set. If the same function is set in both, the processing will be duplicated. And display.
[0071]
(1) When the output printer is a “driver capable of function control”, items that conflict with the setting items on the group printer driver UI are displayed in grayed out or grayed out so that the settings cannot be made on the output printer driver UI. UI control is performed as non-display.
[0072]
(2) When the output printer is a “driver whose function cannot be controlled”, common setting items are displayed on the UI with the settings set by the output printer driver. If the item is changed on the output printer driver UI after the UI is displayed, the information of the setting item set in the group printer driver is overwritten to the common setting item of the corresponding output printer driver by closing the driver UI, It does not allow setting changes on the output printer UI. Further, when performing the overwriting process, it is also possible to display a warning indicating that the setting change on the output printer UI is invalid.
[0073]
When the setting of all items is completed, the process proceeds to step S98. 12 and 13 show specific examples of the gray-out control and the non-display control of the UI. Dialog boxes for double-sided printing and bookbinding printing of setting items (1201 and 1301 surrounded by dotted lines) are portions where the UI control is performed.
[0074]
<Example of processing procedure in information processing system of present embodiment>
(Example of processing procedure of group printer driver 603)
Next, a processing procedure of the printing system of the present embodiment using the above-described group printer driver will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 17 based on the description described in FIGS. FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing the processing of the group printer driver 603 in FIGS. 6 and 7. The actual processing in each step is performed by the CPU 200 described in FIG. Is implemented based on reading and executing the print control program stored in the printer.
[0075]
Step S161 corresponds to print information transmission start processing called from the application 601 in response to a press signal input of a print button displayed on the user interface corresponding to the group printer driver 603. Here, the drawing command sent from the application 601 is transferred in page units.
[0076]
Next, step S162 is a step of determining whether or not the drawing command sent from the application 601 has been sent for all pages. If the drawing information of all pages has been sent, step S166 is performed. Move the process to Of course, if the drawing information of the first page in the predetermined print job is received, the determination in step S162 is “No”.
[0077]
Step S163 corresponds to the process called in the page information transmission start process. More specifically, when drawing information (for example, a DDI command) is transmitted from the application 601 via the OS in page units, This corresponds to a process of determining whether or not a page start command indicating the top of a page has been sent separately from the drawing information. If it is determined in step S163 that the page start command has been sent, the process proceeds to step S164.
[0078]
In step S164, generation of a print instruction written in the print instruction unit 8a, determination processing of page information, generation of general-purpose document data written in the document data unit 8b, packetization, and packet transmission processing are performed. Details will be described later with reference to FIG. Then, the processing shifts to the processing of the step S165 via the processing of the step S164, and in the step S165, it is determined whether or not the page end information indicating the end of the page has been sent, in other words, whether the reception of the drawing information in page units has been completed. Is performed. If the process is ongoing, the process proceeds to immediately before step S164 to continue the process. If it is determined that the page end information has been sent, the process returns to step S162.
[0079]
If "Yes" is determined in step S162, the process proceeds to step S166. In step S166, packetization and packet transmission of the document attribute information determined in consideration of the attribute information of each page determined in step S164. The process is executed, that is, packet data (packet end notification) in which the document attribute generated and stored in step S175 and the process end notification ID are set is transmitted to the spooler 604 in FIGS. 6 and 7, and the process ends. .
[0080]
Next, FIG. 18 will be described. FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing details of step S164 in FIG. 17 described above. Step S171 corresponds to a process of reading a drawing command sent from the application 601, and includes text data such as character codes and outline fonts, image objects such as JPEG and bitmap data, and texts related to images and fonts. This is a step of reading decoration data and various drawing commands. Further, the application commands read in step S171 are read in units of pages.
[0081]
Step S172 is a step of storing print instruction attribute information such as staples and punches specified in page units. FIG. 16A shows the state of storage of the print instruction attribute information in step S172.
[0082]
In step S173, the page attribute is determined for the information obtained in step S172. The attribute information of the drawing command and the object (GDI command or DDI command in Windows), specifically, the color information An example is a step of determining the presence or absence of color information based on text color information, bitmap color information, the number of planes and pixels of an image, pen color and brush style information used for object drawing.
[0083]
Step S174 is a step of constructing general-purpose document data from image data such as JPEG and bitmap data, a drawing object, and a drawing command sent from the application 601 via the OS.
[0084]
Step S175 is a step of evaluating the document attribute based on the information in FIG. 16A. If there is any page attribute corresponding to the document attribute such as color, staple, or punch, an internal flag is set. Is set to ON and the appearance of the attribute is stored. By monitoring each page attribute at any time, the attributes of the document are evaluated in real time. The information of FIGS. 16A and 16B described above is used later when the general-purpose print construction unit 715 of FIG. 7 generates the print instruction unit 8a of the general-purpose print file. Note that as another embodiment, a form in which the document attributes are evaluated after all the page attributes are determined is also assumed. FIG. 16B shows the storage state of the evaluation result of the document attribute.
[0085]
In step S173, the user can change the color / monochrome determination reference level when performing color determination based on the color attribute in the page. Details will be described later.
[0086]
Step S176 corresponds to a step of appropriately transmitting the print instruction attribute information, page attribute information, and general-purpose document data obtained in the above step to the Windows spooler 604 in FIGS. 6 and 7 as packet information. The print instruction attribute information includes the common setting items and the extended setting items described with reference to FIG.
[0087]
The packet data structure includes a packet header in the form of a structure in which the data size and data contents (print instruction attribute information, page attribute information, general-purpose document information, etc.) are indicated by ID, and a packet actual data. A structure such as “packet header + packet actual data” is assumed. The transmission of the document attribute information is performed after the packet transmission of the general-purpose document data corresponding to all pages is completed, and corresponds to step S166 described with reference to FIG. In the first packet header of the first page, a packet information start ID is set (packet start notification).
[0088]
Here, the processing in the case where the user has designated the color determination level in correspondence with the processing in step S173 will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0089]
FIG. 14 illustrates an example of a UI of the group printer driver, and illustrates a user interface for performing various print settings of color / monochrome distributed printing.
[0090]
“Printer A” and “Printer B” are registered in the member printers as a color printer and a monochrome printer, respectively.
[0091]
When the user wants to set the color judgment level independently, the user inputs an instruction to the color / monochrome judgment reference button as shown by 1401 in FIG. 14 to set the color / monochrome judgment reference as shown in FIG. The screen is displayed.
[0092]
Reference numeral 1402 denotes a check box for selecting whether to enable or disable the setting of the original color / monochrome determination criterion. By inserting a check in 1402, a setting screen shown in FIG. A color / monochrome determination criterion based on the one set through is adopted. If no check is inserted in 1402, a default color / monochrome determination criterion is adopted by the print control system. As a default color / monochrome determination criterion, for example, print data that includes even a small amount of color is transferred to a color image forming apparatus, and print data that does not include color data and consists only of monochrome data is transmitted to a monochrome printer. It is assumed that the data is transferred.
[0093]
When a selection instruction is given to the check box 1501, it is determined that the character data is monochrome even if the character data is color. When a selection instruction is given to 1501, a prohibition process is performed so that the selection instruction at 1505 becomes invalid, and a user interface display control is performed to prevent inconsistency.
[0094]
When a selection instruction is given to the check box 1502, the user can set the color determination level in detail through a scroll bar 1504. Here, in step 1505, the level T (%) of the color judgment of the text data can be set. When the ratio of the color text in the text included in one page exceeds T, the page is set to the color. Is determined.
[0095]
In step 1506, the color determination level I (%) for the image can be set. If the ratio of the color image included in one page is I or more, the page is determined to be color. Although the setting screen of FIG. 15 is for instructing processing to be performed for each page of print data, it may be a setting screen for instructing each job.
[0096]
Next, FIG. 19 will be described. FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing details of the page information determination processing in step S173 of FIG. 18 described above, and shows a case where the setting in FIG. 15 is enabled according to the instruction of the check box 1402 in FIG. Indicates processing.
[0097]
In steps S201 and S203, it is determined whether the user has selected 1501 or 1502 on the screen shown in FIG. 15. If it is determined in step S201 that the user has selected 1501, the user selects 1501 in step S202. Is performed. If it is not determined that the user has selected 1501 in S201, the process proceeds to S203, and it is determined whether the user has selected 1502. If the determination result is “YES”, the process proceeds to S204 and the user selects 1502 Is performed.
[0098]
On the other hand, if neither 1501 nor 1502 has been selected, the process proceeds directly from step S203 to step S174 in FIG. 18, and a normal (default setting) color / monochrome determination is performed.
[0099]
Hereinafter, the details of the page information determination processing when 1501 or 1502 is selected will be described. FIGS. 20 and 21 are flowcharts showing the detailed processing of S202 and S203, which are actually performed for each page.
[0100]
First, referring to FIG. 20, first, in step 210, the color flag is reset. Subsequently, the flow shifts to S211 to determine whether or not the data read in step S171 is text information. As a result, if it is determined that the information is text information, the process proceeds to S215, and the color flag is not turned on regardless of whether the information is color text.
[0101]
On the other hand, if it is determined in step S211 that the image is not text information, it is determined in step S212 whether or not the image is an image. If it is determined that the image is an image, it is determined in step S213 whether or not the image is a color image. If it is determined in step S213 that the image is a color image, the color flag is turned on in step S214. On the other hand, if it is not determined that the image is a color image, the process proceeds to S215.
[0102]
In step S215, it is determined whether the color flag is ON. If the color flag is ON, the color attribute of the logical page of FIG. 16A is recorded as monochrome in step S216, and if the color flag is not ON, the color attribute of the logical page of FIG. And record. Then, control goes to a step S174.
[0103]
Next, the processing when 1502 in FIG. 15 is selected will be described using the flowchart in FIG.
[0104]
First, in step S2201, for each of the parameters T and I, the text color determination level 1505, the text color determination level set in the image color determination level 1506, and the image color determination level are read.
[0105]
In step S2202, it is determined whether or not the information read in step S171 is text information. If it is determined that the information is text information, it is determined in step S2204 whether or not the information is color text. If it is determined that the page is color, the color flag is turned on in step S2205, and the ratio Y occupied by the color text in the text currently included in the page is calculated in step S2206.
[0106]
On the other hand, if it is determined in step S2203 that the data read in step S171 is not text information, it is determined in step S2203 whether the data is image information. As a result, if the data is determined to be image information, it is determined in step S2207 whether the image is color. If it is determined that the image is color, the color flag is turned on in step S2208, and in the next step S2209, the ratio X of the image area in the currently read page in the page is calculated. I do. Information indicating the attribute generated in the processing including steps S2205 and S2208 is used for color attribute information in which user customization is not reflected. Details will be described in a second embodiment.
[0107]
Unless the end of the page is determined in step S2210, monochrome is recorded at 16 (a). If it is determined in step S2210 that the page is the end of the page, the process advances to step S2211, and if X and Y are larger than the color determination criteria I and T set by the user in the next step S2211, 16 (a) is set in step S2212. The color attribute of ()) is recorded as color, and the flow advances to step S174.
[0108]
(Example of processing procedure of job control print service 622)
Next, the processing of the job control print service 622 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 after the processing shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 17 and 18 and FIGS. 19 to 21 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The actual processing of each step in the flowchart is realized by the CPU 200 described with reference to FIG. 2 reading and executing the print control program stored in the nonvolatile storage means such as the ROM 201 and the HD 205.
[0109]
FIG. 22 shows a process for constructing a general-purpose print file based on the packet data received from steps S164 (S176) and S166. The job control print service 622 (general-purpose print file construction module) shown in FIGS. 715).
[0110]
First, in step S181, it is determined whether or not reception processing from the reception of the packet start notification to the last packet has been performed. In other words, step S181 is a step of determining whether or not a packet including the above-described processing end notification ID has been received.
[0111]
Then, in step S182, the data is sorted for each ID by recognizing the attribute ID of the received packet data. That is, information is incorporated into a corresponding portion of the general-purpose print file shown in FIG. 8 for each attribute ID, and general-purpose document data is constructed.
[0112]
Specifically, if it is determined in step S182 that the information is the print instruction information based on the attribute ID, the process proceeds to step S183, and the information is written to the print format instruction unit 804 in FIG. Here, the attributes to be incorporated in the print format instruction unit 804 include print instruction attributes of a document such as staples, punches, and imposition information set on the group printer UI. The imposition information is included in the print instruction such that, when 2-UP is specified on the driver UI, the first and second pages received from the packet data are treated as one page when printing is performed. This is the process to be described.
[0113]
If it is determined in step S182 that the page information is page information, the process proceeds to step S184, and information is written to the page information unit 802. Here, specific examples of the attributes related to each page include attributes such as the attribute of the color information of the document, the number of pages, and the size of each page. If the imposition information is specified, the page attributes after imposition are set. In other words, when 2Up is designated, OR is performed on the attributes of the color information of the first and second pages received from the packet data. The page attribute is color, and if neither page has color information, the page attribute is black and white (monochrome).
[0114]
FIG. 23 is a description example of a print instruction according to the present embodiment.
[0115]
If it is determined in step S182 that the file is a document file, the process proceeds to step S185 to write information in the area of the general-purpose document data section 8b in FIG. Here, corresponding to the processing when it is determined that the attribute ID is the general-purpose document data, the general-purpose document is constructed. That is, the document data section 8b in FIG. 8 is constructed by connecting general-purpose documents fragmentally transmitted as packet information.
[0116]
Any of the processes from step S183 to S185 is executed for one of the received packets. When the process for the packet is completed, the process returns to step S181 again, and the same process as described above is executed in step S181. Repeat until it is determined that the containing packet has been received.
[0117]
If it is determined in step S181 that the packet including the processing end notification ID has been received, the process proceeds to step S186. In step S186, the document attributes packetized and transmitted according to the document attributes evaluated in step S175 of FIG. 18 are finally set in the document attributes 803 of the print instruction unit 8a.
[0118]
In step S187, a general-purpose print file is constructed. A general-purpose print file having the form as shown in FIG. 8 including the print instruction and the general-purpose document file generated in steps S183, S184, and S185 is constructed.
[0119]
Thereafter, the general-purpose print file is used for job control in the printing processing in the print job control system 700 described above. For example, when color / monochrome distributed printing is performed, based on the color attribute information set in the page attribute section. Then, a print processing instruction is issued to the member printer driver that meets the conditions via the despooler 701, and a page description language in a predetermined printer is generated.
[0120]
By realizing the flowcharts of FIGS. 16 and 17 described above, the job control print service 622 receives the general-purpose print data and the print instruction unit excluding the document attribute unit from the group printer driver, and Once the file is constructed, it is possible to omit the process of expanding the document data in the memory again in page units and analyzing the attribute information, thereby improving the performance of the printing system.
[0121]
It is also conceivable that the job control print service 622 temporarily receives data in an intermediate format using SVG, PDF, or the like as a packet and analyzes the attribute each time the packet is received. In a mode in which the page attribute is determined based on the attribute of each packet converted into the format, if the intermediate format data is SVG, PDF, or XML, it is necessary to parse the data, and the performance of the printing system is reduced. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the attribute of each packet, the page attribute, and the document attribute are determined based on the drawing command generated from the application via the OS and the attribute information of the object. Since the construction is performed, the performance of the entire system can be significantly improved.
[0122]
(Example of color / monochrome distributed printing process)
FIG. 24 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure in the job control print service 622 in the color / monochrome distributed printing processing. The actual selection of the printer is appropriately selected according to various attribute information. Here, the distribution between the color image forming apparatus and the monochrome image forming apparatus will be described in detail.
[0123]
First, in step S2401, the print instruction unit 8a (the page information unit, the document attribute unit, the print format instruction unit, etc.) of FIG. 8 generated earlier is acquired. Then, in step S2402, the page attributes (see FIG. 16A) of each logical page are recognized.
[0124]
In step S2403, the color attribute of each page is determined based on the attribute of the recognized page, a member printer driver 807 is selected according to the determination result, and an instruction is output to the color image forming apparatus for each page. Or an instruction to output to the monochrome image forming apparatus is determined.
[0125]
In step S2404, a print job is issued via the despooler 701 to the member printer driver 807 determined for each page. Note that the issuance of the print job by the despooler 701 is the same as that described with reference to FIG. 7, and thus the detailed description is omitted here.
[0126]
In step S2405, it is determined whether the process of issuing a job to the corresponding member printer driver has been completed over all pages, and if not completed, the processes from step S2401 to step S2404 are repeatedly executed. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S205 that processing for all pages has been completed, the task is shifted to standby or execution of other processing.
[0127]
Next, a case where a 2-UP instruction is recorded in the print format designation unit 804 and document data for two pages is reduced and laid out on one sheet will be further described. If at least one “color” color attribute information is included in a plurality of logical pages included in the physical page after the reduced layout, the logical pages are distributed to the color image forming apparatuses. That is, the process of step S2402 is not limited to the function of determining the color attribute of the document data of one page received from the group printer driver 603, but includes the document data of a plurality of pages (for example, two pages / 4 pages). Means that it is also possible to determine the color attribute of one physical page obtained by reducing the size of a page. As described above, according to the present embodiment, color / monochrome distributed printing is realized in response to the user's wishes, in correspondence with reduced layout printing.
[0128]
Print data (PDL) generated from the general-purpose print file via the corresponding printer driver is output to the selected print device (see broken lines in FIGS. 6 and 7).
[0129]
(Second embodiment)
In the first embodiment, the general-purpose print file generated in step S187 in FIG. 22 is described as being printed according to the flowchart in FIG. 24. However, in the second embodiment, the general-purpose print file is generated in step S187 in the flowchart in FIG. A case in which the general-purpose print file is stored in a non-volatile storage unit such as a hard disk and read and printed again will be described.
[0130]
FIG. 25A shows a storage state of print instruction attribute information obtained by further developing FIG. 16A in the first embodiment. FIG. 25B shows a storage state of the evaluation result of the document attribute obtained by further developing FIG. 16B. Note that FIG. 23 of the first embodiment also includes information corresponding to FIG. 25, but detailed description is omitted.
[0131]
Reference numeral 2501 denotes a color attribute based on the default page attribute determination, and stores page attribute information (color attribute information) according to the default normal page attribute determination without using the user's custom setting as shown in FIG. . This corresponds to ON or OFF of the color flag set in steps S2205 and S2208 in FIG. 21 described above. Reference numeral 2502 denotes a color attribute reflecting the user's custom setting set via the setting screen in FIG. FIG. 25 shows a default color attribute determination result such that the color attribute is set to “color” when drawing data of a color image or text is included, and a setting screen shown in FIG. And a color attribute determination result based on the determination criterion.
[0132]
This means that the processing of step S173 in FIG. 18 is simply executed based on the presence or absence of the color information of the drawing command (not based on FIGS. 19 to 21) and the processing based on FIGS. 19 to 21 respectively. It is realized by.
[0133]
Further, in the process of transmitting the packet information in step S176 in FIG. 18, the page attribute information (color attribute information) includes two types of color attribute information of a default color attribute determination result and a color attribute determination result reflecting a custom setting. Is transmitted as a packet.
[0134]
FIG. 26 shows print control processing when a general-purpose print file having attribute information as shown in FIG. 25 is read from a predetermined storage unit and reprinted, or when a general-purpose print file having attribute information as shown in FIG. 25 is generated. Is shown.
[0135]
First, in step S2601, it is determined whether to use the first color attribute. This is performed, for example, by performing distributed printing (using a default attribute determination method) using a first color attribute on a user interface (for example, FIG. 14) at the time of a print instruction, or performing distributed printing using a second color attribute. By providing a check box for selecting whether to perform printing (using a custom attribute determination method), determination can be made by referring to the setting. For example, it is possible to use the first color attribute if 1402 in FIG. 14 is not checked, and use the second color attribute if checked.
[0136]
If “YES” is determined in the step S2601, the distributed printing process based on the first color attribute is executed in a step 2602 (FIG. 24), and the default setting of the general-purpose print file is used in the step S2603. To do.
[0137]
On the other hand, if “NO” is determined in the step S2601, the distributed printing process based on the second color attribute is executed in a step S2604 (FIG. 24). Then, in step S2605, the default setting of the general-purpose print file is set to use the second color attribute.
[0138]
When the setting of the general-purpose print file is changed in accordance with the processing in steps S2603 and S2605, the changed setting is stored together with the general-purpose document data in accordance with the user's instruction. Then, when reprinting is instructed again based on the general-purpose print file, the settings in steps S2603 and S2605 are reflected.
[0139]
By providing a mechanism as shown in FIG. 26 in this way, even when predetermined print information (image information or document information including setting information) is reprinted, it is possible to appropriately meet the user's convenience, request, or use. Distributed printing can be executed. For example, if the user wants to print out for his / her own browsing, the print processing is performed using the custom setting, and if the user wants to use it for presentation, the original color output is reflected, that is, a little. If the color is included in the page, it can be controlled so that the color output is faithfully performed.
[0140]
(Other embodiments)
The present invention may be applied to a system including a plurality of devices (for example, a host computer, an interface device, a reader, a printer, and the like), or may be applied to an apparatus including a single device having a plurality of functions. .
[0141]
Further, as described above, an object of the present invention is to supply a storage medium (or a recording medium) recording software program codes for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or an apparatus, and It is needless to say that the present invention is also achieved when a computer (or CPU or MPU) reads out and executes the program code stored in the storage medium. In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the function of the above-described embodiment, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention. When the computer executes the readout program code, not only the functions of the above-described embodiment are realized, but also an operating system (OS) running on the computer based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that a case where some or all of the actual processing is performed and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing is also included.
[0142]
Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into a memory provided in a function expansion card inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, the function is executed based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that the CPU included in the expansion card or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.
[0143]
When the present invention is applied to the storage medium, the storage medium stores program codes including the program codes corresponding to the flowcharts described above.
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, at the time of color / monochrome distributed printing, it is possible to easily set the color determination level on the user interface that allows the user to explicitly specify the color determination level. In addition, by making it possible to set the judgment criterion by using a prepared option or a scroll bar, etc., it is possible to more easily perform an effective printing process that matches the user's preference and that is suitable for the printing environment. It became possible to provide.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an information processing apparatus according to the embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a memory map of a RAM 202 shown in FIG.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a memory map of the FD 204 shown in FIG.
5 is a diagram showing a relationship between an FD drive 203 shown in FIG. 2 and an FD 204 to be inserted.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a print control module of the information processing apparatus according to the embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of job information managed by a print server.
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the structure of a general-purpose print file.
FIG. 9 is a basic flowchart of UI display of a group member printer driver.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing items that can be set on a UI of a group member printer driver.
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of setting items on a UI of a group member printer driver.
FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a group member printer driver on a UI.
FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a group member printer driver on a UI.
FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a group member printer driver on a UI.
FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a UI for setting a color / monochrome determination standard by a group member printer driver.
FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a storage state of page attribute information and document attribute information.
FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of a group printer driver.
FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of step S164 in FIG. 17 in detail.
FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of step S173 in FIG. 18 in detail.
20 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of step S202 in FIG. 20 in detail.
FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of step S204 in FIG. 20 in detail.
FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating processing for generating a general-purpose print file by the job control print service 622.
FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating a description example in a print instruction.
FIG. 24 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of the job control print service 622 in the distributed printing processing.
FIG. 25 is a diagram showing a storage state of page attribute information and document attribute information.
FIG. 26 is a flowchart of a print control process performed by a job control print service 622 during a print process based on a general-purpose print file.

Claims (20)

A color / monochrome distributed print control method in a printing system for printing print data including color information and monochrome information using a plurality of printers including a color printer and a monochrome printer,
From a user of the printing system, a setting receiving step for receiving a setting of a criterion for classifying the print data into either color information or monochrome information,
A print control step of executing color / monochrome distributed printing for each page based on the setting of the determination criterion received in the setting receiving step. The method according to claim 1, wherein the setting receiving step further includes a display control step of displaying a setting screen for the user to set the determination criterion. The said criterion is a criterion for classifying the print data into either color information or monochrome information using at least one of text data or image data included in the print data. 3. The color / monochrome distributed printing control method according to claim 1 or 2. The color / monochrome distribution according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the setting receiving step receives a monochrome setting for classifying all text data included in the print data as monochrome information. Printing control method. 5. The printing method according to claim 1, further comprising an attribute setting step of setting a color attribute of the print data to one of color and monochrome based on the determination criteria received in the setting receiving step. 2. The color / monochrome distributed printing control method according to claim 1. 6. The color / monochrome distributed printing control method according to claim 5, wherein in the attribute setting step, the color attribute is set based on a ratio of color information in the print data and the determination criterion. 7. The color / monochrome distribution according to claim 5, wherein the print control step executes color / monochrome distribution printing of the print data based on the color attribute set in the attribute setting step. Printing control method. The printing system includes a storage unit for storing the color attribute of the print data set in the attribute setting step, the print control step, based on the color attribute stored in the storage unit, The color / monochrome distributed printing control method according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein color / monochrome distributed printing of the print data is executed. The storage unit further stores a default color attribute for the print data, and further includes a selection step for setting one of the color attribute and the default color attribute set in the attribute setting step. 9. The color / monochrome distributed print control method according to claim 8, wherein the print control step issues a print instruction for the print data based on the color attribute selected in the selection step. A color / monochrome distributed print control program for causing a computer to execute the color / monochrome distributed print control method according to any one of claims 1 to 9. A computer-readable information storage medium storing the color / monochrome distributed print control program according to claim 10. A color / monochrome distributed print control apparatus for printing print data including color information and monochrome information using a plurality of printers including a color printer and a monochrome printer,
Setting receiving means for receiving a setting of a criterion for classifying the print data from the user into either color information or monochrome information,
A print control unit configured to execute color / monochrome distributed printing for each page based on the setting of the determination criterion received by the setting receiving unit. 13. The color / monochrome distributed printing control apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the setting receiving unit further includes a display control unit for displaying a setting screen for the user to set the determination criterion. The said criterion is a criterion for classifying the print data into either color information or monochrome information using at least one of text data or image data included in the print data. 14. The color / monochrome distributed printing control apparatus according to claim 12 or 13. 15. The color / monochrome distribution according to claim 12, wherein the setting receiving unit receives a monochrome setting for classifying all text data included in the print data as monochrome information. Print control device. 16. The image processing apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising an attribute setting unit configured to set a color attribute of the print data to one of color and monochrome based on the determination criteria received by the setting reception unit. 2. The color / monochrome distributed printing control device according to claim 1. 17. The color / monochrome distributed print control apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the attribute setting unit sets the color attribute based on a ratio of color information in the print data and the determination criterion. 18. The color / monochrome distribution according to claim 16, wherein the print control unit executes color / monochrome distribution printing of the print data based on the color attribute set by the attribute setting unit. Print control device. A storage unit for storing the color attribute of the print data set by the attribute setting unit, wherein the print control unit performs color / monochrome printing of the print data based on the color attribute stored in the storage unit. 19. The color / monochrome distributed printing control device according to claim 16, wherein the distributed printing is executed. The storage unit further stores a default color attribute for the print data, and further includes a selection unit for setting one of the color attribute set by the attribute setting unit and the default color attribute. 20. The color / monochrome distributed print control apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the print control unit issues a print instruction of the print data based on the color attribute selected by the selection unit.

Images