JP2015064731A - Program and printing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technique capable of shortening waiting time of a user when print data is transmitted from an information processor to a printer and printing is performed in the printer.SOLUTION: A PC200 stores a printer driver for accepting selection of print setting, generating print data, and transmitting the print data generated to a printer 100. The printer driver determines whether or not an image quality adjustment operation is necessary in the printer 100. Further, when determining the image quality adjustment operation is necessary, the printer driver instructs the printer 100 to form a mark for image quality adjustment at either one of start timing or timing before transmission of the print data and when specific print setting in the print setting is changed from an unselected state to a selected state.

Description

  The present invention relates to a program and a printing system. More specifically, the present invention relates to a technique applied to a printing system that transmits print data from an information processing apparatus to a printing apparatus and performs printing by the printing apparatus.

  Conventionally, when a printing apparatus receives print data from an information processing apparatus, it determines whether or not correction processing related to image quality adjustment is necessary before starting printing based on the print data. A technique for executing a correction process before starting is known (for example, Patent Document 1). As the correction processing, for example, in a printing apparatus capable of color printing, a resist pattern, which is an image pattern for image quality adjustment, is formed for each color, and a deviation amount between a basic color resist pattern and a test color resist pattern ( This corresponds to the process of acquiring the adjustment value.

JP 2004-54143 A

  However, the conventional technique described above has the following problems. That is, when the image adjustment operation is started after receiving the print data, the waiting time until the printing of the print data is completed, that is, the user's waiting time becomes long.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems of the prior art. That is, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of reducing the waiting time of the user when printing data is transmitted from the information processing apparatus to the printing apparatus and printing is performed by the printing apparatus.

  A program made for the purpose of solving this problem is a program executed by an information processing apparatus, and a generation process for generating print data and a transmission for transmitting the print data generated by the generation process to the printing apparatus Processing, reception processing for receiving selection of print settings, determination processing for determining whether or not an image quality adjustment operation is necessary in the printing apparatus, start timing of the own program, and before transmission of print data, the reception processing At least one of the timing when the specific print setting, which is the print setting that makes it easy to satisfy the execution condition of the image quality adjustment operation, is changed from the non-selected state to the selected state by the user, the image quality adjusting operation is performed in the determination process. If the information processing apparatus determines that it is necessary, the information processing apparatus is caused to execute a formation instruction process for instructing the printing apparatus to form an image quality adjustment mark. It is set to.

  The program disclosed in this specification receives selection of print settings, generates print data, and transmits the generated print data to the printing apparatus. Also, it is determined whether or not an image quality adjustment operation is necessary in the printing apparatus. When it is determined that an image quality adjustment operation is necessary at least one of the start timing and the timing when the specific print setting of the print settings is changed from the non-selected state to the selected state before sending the print data , Instruct the printing apparatus to form marks for image quality adjustment. Whether or not the image quality adjustment operation is necessary is determined based on, for example, the number of printed sheets, the elapsed time, the environmental change, and the print settings after the previous image quality adjustment operation. As the specific print setting, for example, a high resolution setting corresponds to a print setting for setting a high or low resolution. Whether the image quality adjustment operation is necessary may be determined by the program itself based on information that can be acquired by the program itself, or it may be determined by requesting an external device to determine whether it is necessary, and the program receiving the result. It may be.

  According to the program disclosed in this specification, the program determines whether or not the image quality adjustment operation is necessary, and if the image adjustment operation is necessary at the timing when the program is started or when the specific print setting is selected, the image quality adjustment operation is performed. Instruct the formation of the mark. Therefore, the printing apparatus starts the image quality adjustment operation before receiving print data. As a result, the image quality adjustment operation can be completed at an early stage as compared with the case where the image quality adjustment operation is started after receiving the print data, and as a result, the waiting time of the user is shortened.

  Further, the present specification includes a program executed by an information processing apparatus, a generation process for generating print data, a transmission process for transmitting the print data generated by the generation process to the printing apparatus, and a print The user receives a specific print setting, which is a print setting for accepting the selection of the setting, the start timing of the own program, and the print settings that make it easy to satisfy the execution condition of the image quality adjustment operation in the reception process before sending the print data. A program for causing the information processing apparatus to execute determination instruction processing for instructing the printing apparatus to determine whether or not an image quality adjustment operation is necessary at least one of the timing when the non-selected state is changed to the selected state Is also disclosed. Like this program, before sending print data, even if the printing apparatus determines whether or not an image quality adjustment operation is necessary, the printing apparatus may start forming an image quality adjustment mark based on the determination result. , Image quality adjustment operation can be completed early.

  The specific print setting may include a high resolution among the high and low resolution settings. When high resolution is selected, high image quality is required, so that the execution condition for the image quality adjustment operation is easily established.

  The specific print setting may include a color mode of color settings. Since color requires higher image quality than monochrome, the conditions for executing image quality adjustment operations are more likely to be satisfied.

  The specific print setting may include at least one of thick paper, postcard, and glossy paper among the paper type settings. Since cardboard, postcard, and glossy paper are required to have higher image quality than plain paper, the execution condition for the image quality adjustment operation is easily established.

  The specific print setting may include a setting for performing double-sided printing. In the case of double-sided printing, since it is necessary to align the image quality on the front and back sides, the execution condition of the image quality adjustment operation is more easily established compared to printing on only one side.

  The specific print setting may include a setting for printing a plurality of copies. In the case of printing with a plurality of copies, it is necessary to align the image quality for the whole of the plurality of copies, so that the execution condition for the image quality adjustment operation is easily established as compared with printing with only one copy.

  In addition, the program disclosed in this specification performs the determination process before the start timing of the own program and before the transmission of print data, and the print processing that facilitates the execution condition of the image quality adjustment operation in the reception process. The information processing apparatus may be caused to execute at least one of a timing when the specific print setting which is a setting is changed from a non-selected state to a selected state by a user. Whether or not to instruct the formation of the mark in the formation instruction process can be determined using the result determined in the determination process.

  In addition, the program disclosed in the present specification is a program after instructing formation of a mark by the formation instruction process, and when the specific print setting is changed from a selected state to a non-selected state in the reception process. The information processing apparatus may be caused to execute a stop instruction process for instructing the printing apparatus to stop forming a mark for image quality adjustment. If the specific print setting that triggers mark formation is not selected after instructing mark formation, the image quality adjustment operation is likely to be unnecessary. For this reason, it is preferable to cause the printing apparatus to stop the image quality adjustment operation. When instructing to cancel, whether or not the image quality adjustment operation is actually executed in the printing apparatus may or may not be confirmed. If confirmed, it is possible to avoid a useless instruction for stopping an operation that is not being executed. On the other hand, if it is not confirmed, the image quality adjustment operation can be stopped early.

  In addition, the program disclosed in the present specification may be configured to change the specific print setting from a selected state to a non-selected state in the accepting process after instructing the execution of image quality adjustment necessity judgment by the judging instruction process. In such a case, the information processing apparatus may be caused to execute a stop instruction process for instructing the printing apparatus to stop the formation of image quality adjustment marks.

  Furthermore, in the present specification, in a printing system including a printing apparatus and an information processing apparatus that transmits print data to the printing apparatus, the information processing apparatus includes an operation unit and a control unit, and the information processing unit The control unit of the apparatus includes: a generation process for generating print data; a transmission process for transmitting the print data generated in the generation process to the printing apparatus; a reception process for receiving selection of print settings via the operation unit; , A determination process for determining whether an image quality adjustment operation is necessary in the printing apparatus, a start timing of a program for controlling the printing apparatus, and an execution condition of the image quality adjustment operation in the reception process before transmission of print data At least one of the timing when the specific print setting, which is the print setting that makes it easy to be satisfied, is changed by the user from the non-selected state to the selected state, When it is determined that an operation is necessary, a forming instruction process for instructing the printing apparatus to form an image quality adjustment mark is executed. The printing apparatus includes a printing unit and a control unit, and the printing apparatus When the formation of the mark for image quality adjustment is instructed from the information processing device, the control unit of the control unit, when the print unit receives the print data from the information processing device A printing system is disclosed that executes a printing process that causes the printing unit to perform printing based on the print data on condition that the forming process is not being executed.

  Furthermore, in the present specification, in a printing system including a printing apparatus and an information processing apparatus that transmits print data to the printing apparatus, the information processing apparatus includes an operation unit and a control unit, and the information processing unit A control unit of the apparatus; a generation process for generating print data; a transmission process for transmitting the print data generated in the generation process to the printing apparatus; a reception process for receiving selection of print settings via the operation unit; The start timing of the program for controlling the printing apparatus and a specific print setting that is a print setting that makes it easy to satisfy the execution condition of the image quality adjustment operation in the reception process before transmission of print data is changed from a non-selected state by the user. And at least one of the timing of changing to the selected state and a determination instruction process for instructing the printing apparatus to execute an image quality adjustment operation necessity determination. The printing apparatus includes a printing unit and a control unit, and the control unit of the printing apparatus determines whether or not the image quality adjustment operation is necessary when the information processing apparatus is instructed to determine whether the image quality adjustment operation is necessary. Judgment processing for judging, formation processing for forming an image quality adjustment mark on the printing unit when it is judged that the image quality adjustment operation is necessary in the judgment processing, and the print data is received from the information processing apparatus In this case, there is disclosed a printing system that executes a printing process that causes the printing unit to perform printing based on the print data on condition that the forming process is not being executed.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the waiting time of the user when printing data is transmitted from the information processing apparatus to the printing apparatus and printing is performed by the printing apparatus.

1 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a printing system according to an embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the program of PC. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a screen on which a printer driver is activated. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the printing process which concerns on a 1st form. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of a judgment process. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a print setting screen. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the printing process which concerns on a 2nd form. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of a reception process.

  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment embodying a printing system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to a system having a printer and a personal computer (PC) in which a printer driver for the printer is incorporated.

[Electrical configuration of printing system]
As shown in FIG. 1, the printing system 900 according to this embodiment includes a printer 100 and a PC 200 that transmits print data to the printer 100. A printer driver corresponding to the printer 100 is incorporated in the PC 200. The printer 100 receives the print data generated by the printer driver and executes printing based on the received print data.

  The printer 100 includes a controller 30 including a CPU 31, a ROM 32, a RAM 33, a nonvolatile RAM (NVRAM) 34, and an ASIC 35. Furthermore, the printer 100 includes an image forming unit 10, an operation panel 40, and a network interface 37, which are connected to the controller 30.

  The ROM 32 stores various control programs for controlling the printer 100, various settings, initial values, and the like. The RAM 33 is used as a work area from which various control programs are read, or as a storage area for temporarily storing data. The CPU 31 controls each component of the printer 100 while storing the processing result in the RAM 33 or the NVRAM 34 according to the control program read from the ROM 32.

  The image forming unit 10 is configured to print an image on a sheet. The image forming method of the image forming unit 10 may be an electrophotographic method or an ink jet method. The image forming unit 10 of the printer 100 can form a color image. The operation panel 40 includes a liquid crystal display and various buttons, and receives an instruction input from the user. The network interface 37 is hardware for communicating with the PC 200.

  The image forming unit 10 is an example of a printing unit. The CPU 31 is an example of a control unit. The controller 30 may be a control unit, and the ASIC 35 may be a control unit. Note that the controller 30 in FIG. 1 is a collective term for hardware used for controlling the printer 100 such as the CPU 31, and does not necessarily represent a single piece of hardware that actually exists in the printer 100.

The PC 200 includes a CPU 231, a ROM 232, a RAM 233, an HDD 234, an input / output unit 240, and a network interface 237. The ROM 232 stores an activation program for activating the PC 200 and the like. The RAM 233 is used as a work area when various processes are executed, or as a storage area for temporarily storing data. The HDD 234 stores various programs and data including a printer driver.

  The CPU 231 executes various processes according to programs read from the ROM 232 and the HDD 234. The input / output unit 240 includes a keyboard, a mouse, a display, and the like, and accepts user input and displays information. The network interface 237 is hardware for communicating with the printer 100. The communication means between the PC 200 and the printer 100 may be selected from various known means regardless of wired or wireless. The input / output unit 240 is an example of an operation unit, and the CPU 231 is an example of a control unit.

  As shown in FIG. 2, various application programs (APP) 211, a printer driver 212 that is a program for controlling the printer 100, and an operating system (OS) 213 are stored in the HDD 234 of the PC 200. The printer driver 212 is an example of a program. In addition to the printer driver 212 for the printer 100, the PC 200 is provided with a printer driver corresponding to each printer model that can be used in the PC 200.

  When causing the printer 100 to perform printing, the PC 200 activates the printer driver 212 for the printer 100. When the APP 211 receives a print instruction, the printer driver 212 receives a drawing command based on the image data to be printed. The printer driver 212 generates print data for the printer 100 based on the received drawing command, and registers the generated print data in the spooler of the OS 213. The PC 200 transmits print data registered in the spooler of the OS 213 to the printer 100.

  Further, when various APPs 211 are activated in the PC 200 or when a screen for inputting print settings is displayed by the various APPs 211, the printer driver of the default printer is activated. If the printer 100 is set as the default printer in the PC 200, the printer driver to be activated is the printer driver 212 for the printer 100.

  If the printer 100 is not set as the default printer in the PC 200, the printer driver 212 for the printer 100 is activated when the printer 100 is selected as the printer to print. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, when the printer 100 is selected on the print setting screen provided by the APP 211, the printer driver 212 for the printer 100 is activated. For example, when “printer C” in FIG. 3 corresponds to the printer 100, the printer driver 212 for the printer 100 is activated if clicked in the state shown in the figure. In addition, the printer driver 212 for the printer 100 may be activated after the property display of the printer 100 is executed.

[Image quality adjustment operation of the printer]
The printer 100 prints an image on a sheet by, for example, an electrophotographic method or an inkjet method. Regardless of the method, the printer 100 tends to cause a deviation between the received print data and the formed image as the cumulative number of printed sheets and time elapse. For example, there is a possibility that a positional deviation of the print image in the paper surface, a density deviation from the print density of the print data, a color deviation in color printing, and the like may occur. In addition, it is known that the degree of deviation described above changes depending on environmental changes such as ambient temperature and humidity.

  Therefore, the printer 100 executes an image quality adjustment operation for acquiring correction values representing various degrees of misalignment at timings other than image formation. For example, when the printer 100 is an electrophotographic system, marks for each color are formed for testing, the position and density are detected by a sensor, and a correction value based on the amount of deviation between the colors is obtained. Remember. At the time of printing, printing is executed using the correction value acquired by the image quality adjustment operation. As a result, the misalignment is corrected and an image with good image quality is obtained.

  The accuracy of correction increases as the image quality adjustment operation described above is executed more frequently, but the colorant is consumed each time it is executed. Further, if it is executed each time print data is received, the waiting time of the user from the reception of the print data to the end of printing becomes longer. For this reason, it is desirable to execute the image quality adjustment operation at an appropriate frequency and acquire the correction value. Therefore, when the printer 100 receives the print data, the printer 100 determines whether or not the image quality adjustment operation is necessary based on the number of printed sheets, the elapsed time, the environmental temperature, etc. after the previous image quality adjustment operation, and only when it is determined to be necessary. The image quality adjustment operation is executed before printing.

  In the print system 900 of this embodiment, before the printer driver is activated and print data is transmitted to the printer 100, it is determined whether or not the image quality adjustment operation is necessary. The execution subject of the determination may be the printer 100 or the PC 200. Also in this determination, it is determined whether or not the execution condition of the image quality adjustment operation is satisfied based on the number of printed sheets and the elapsed time after the previous image quality adjustment operation. When it is determined that the execution condition for the image quality adjustment operation is satisfied, the printer 100 starts execution of the image quality adjustment operation.

  The timing for determining whether or not to execute the image quality adjustment operation may be any time before the print data is transmitted. For example, the timing at which the printer driver of the printer 100 is activated or the timing at which specific print settings are set by the printer driver may be used. The specific print setting is a setting that makes it easy to satisfy the execution condition of the image quality adjustment operation, and includes, for example, a setting for high-quality printing and a setting for printing a plurality of copies.

  Further, the determination result of whether or not to execute the image quality adjustment operation may differ depending on the print setting set by the printer driver 212. For example, when a high-quality print setting or a print setting that requires uniform printing over a plurality of copies is selected, the benefit of image quality adjustment is greater than when it is not selected. Therefore, when a specific print setting that requires a high image quality adjustment operation is selected, such as a high-quality print setting or a print setting that requires uniform printing across multiple sheets, it is necessary to execute the image quality adjustment operation. Determine no.

  The high image quality printing is, for example, high resolution setting, color setting, and high image quality paper setting. The high resolution setting is a setting in which high image quality tends to be required, and there is a high necessity for executing an image quality adjustment operation. In addition, when the color setting is selected, it is highly necessary to perform an image quality adjustment operation related to color misregistration. The high-quality paper is a paper that is highly likely to require high-quality printing, and includes, for example, thick paper, postcard, and glossy paper. The color setting includes a case where the color setting is selected because the print data is color data in the automatic color setting.

  Further, the print setting that requires uniform printing over a plurality of sheets is a series of continuous print jobs in which it is not preferable that the image quality changes greatly in the middle. In a series of continuous print jobs, a uniform image quality is often required for a plurality of continuous prints. Therefore, the entire continuous job is regarded as one united print, and it is determined whether or not to execute the image quality adjustment operation before that. Note that such a series of print jobs may be a single job including a plurality of prints or a combination of a plurality of jobs. For example, double-sided printing and printing of a plurality of copies correspond to the series of jobs. In addition, even in separate jobs, such as manual double-sided front-side printing and back-side printing, a series of print jobs corresponds to continuous high-relevance printing.

  On the other hand, monochrome printing and low-resolution printing require less image quality adjustment operation than high-quality printing. That is, the possibility of executing the image quality adjustment operation is low. Therefore, it is not necessary to determine whether or not the image quality adjustment operation needs to be performed when setting monochrome printing or low resolution printing.

[Print processing]
Subsequently, a procedure of printing processing including the above-described determination processing will be described. As described above, the subject of the determination process may be the PC 200 (printer driver 212) or the printer 100. Hereinafter, the form in which the determination process is executed by the printer driver 212 is a first form, and the form in which the determination process is executed by the printer 100 is a second form.

[First embodiment]
First, the procedure of the first form of the printing process, which is a form when the determination process is executed by the printer driver 212, will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The print processing of the first form is executed by the CPU 231 of the PC 200 when the printer driver 212 is activated.

  In the printing process, when the printer driver 212 is activated and this process is started, a determination process is first executed (S101). FIG. 5 shows the procedure of the determination process executed in S101.

  In the determination process, the printer driver 212 acquires a value (hereinafter, referred to as an elapsed value) indicating the necessity of executing the image quality adjustment operation calculated based on the number of printed sheets and the elapsed time after the previous image quality adjustment operation ( S201). The number of printed sheets and the elapsed time after the previous image quality adjustment operation may be acquired by inquiring of the printer 100, or may be constantly acquired by the printer driver 212.

  Next, it is determined whether or not the elapsed value acquired in S201 exceeds a predetermined threshold (S203). The threshold value may be a fixed value stored in advance or may be a value based on print settings set by the printer driver 212. For example, the PC 200 may have a threshold value table corresponding to print settings, and read the threshold value from the table.

  If it is determined that the elapsed value is greater than the threshold value (S203: YES), the execution condition for the image quality adjustment operation in the printer 100 is established. Accordingly, it is necessary to cause the printer 100 to perform an image quality adjustment operation. However, if the printer 100 is already executing the image quality adjustment operation, there is no need to instruct the execution again. Therefore, it is determined whether the printer 100 is performing an image quality adjustment operation (S204). The determination in S204 can be made by inquiring the printer 100, for example.

  If it is determined in S204 that it is not being executed (S204: NO), the printer 100 is instructed to execute an image quality adjustment operation (S205), and the determination process is terminated. As a result, the necessity of the image quality adjustment operation in the printer 100 is determined at the start timing of the printer driver 212, and the image quality adjustment operation is executed in the printer 100 based on the determination result. Since the execution of the image quality adjustment operation includes the formation of a mark, the instruction in S205 corresponds to an example of a formation instruction process for instructing the formation of a mark.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the elapsed value is not larger than the threshold value (S203: NO) or when it is determined that the printer 100 is performing the image quality adjustment operation (S204: YES), the image quality adjustment operation is executed. The determination process is terminated without giving an instruction.

  Note that the PC 200 may store the determination result by executing the determination in S203 before the printer driver 212 is activated. For example, a progress value may be acquired from the printer 100 periodically or at the end of the previous printing, the acquired progress value may be compared with a predetermined threshold value, and the determination result may be stored. In that case, the PC 200 executes a process of reading the stored determination result instead of S201 and S203, and proceeds to S204 or END based on the determination result.

  Returning to FIG. 4, since the determination process in S <b> 101 is completed, it is next determined whether or not the specific print setting is changed in the print setting of the printer driver 212 (S <b> 102). On the print setting screen of the printer driver 212, the specific print setting is changed by the user. For example, if the "paper type", "print quality", "double-sided / single-sided", "color printing", and "number of copies" are changed on the print setting screen shown in FIG. It corresponds to. In S102, the PC 200 is in a stage of accepting a setting operation by the user, and has not yet accepted a print instruction. “Change” here also includes temporary changes that have not been determined.

  If it is determined in S102 that the specific print setting has been changed (S102: YES), it is determined whether or not the specific print setting has been changed from the non-selected state to the selected state (S106). The change from the non-selected state to the selected state is a change to the print setting that facilitates the execution condition of the image quality adjustment operation. For example, this corresponds to the case where the “color printing” column is changed from “monochrome” to “color” on the display screen shown in FIG.

  If it is determined that the non-selected state is changed to the selected state (S106: YES), a determination process is executed (S107). The determination process in S107 is the same process as in S101. As a result, the printer 100 receives an instruction to execute the image quality adjustment operation before receiving the print data, and starts executing the image quality adjustment operation.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the non-selected state is not changed to the selected state (S106: NO), the selected state is changed to the non-selected state. Therefore, it is determined whether or not a mark is being formed by the printer 100 (S109). The determination in S109 may be inquired to the printer 100, or may be inferred from the elapsed time from the image quality adjustment operation execution instruction (S205 in FIG. 5). If it is determined that the mark is being formed (S109: YES), the printer 100 is instructed to stop the formation of the mark (S110).

  If the specific print setting is changed to the non-selected state, there is a high possibility that the image quality adjustment operation need not be executed. Therefore, if mark formation has already begun, it is stopped. Thereby, printing can be started early. However, it is better not to stop the image quality adjustment operation started in S101. If mark formation has already been completed, it is better to execute the image quality adjustment operation to the end.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the specific print setting has not been changed (S102: NO), it is determined whether an end instruction of the printer driver 212 has been received (S111). If it is determined that an end instruction has been received (S111: YES), the printing process ends. If it is determined that an end instruction has not been received (S111: NO), it is determined whether a print execution instruction has been received (S112).

  If it is determined that a print instruction has been received (S112: YES), print data is generated (S115), and the generated print data is transmitted to the printer 100 (S116). In detail, the printer driver 212 only registers the print data in the spooler of the OS 213, and it does not matter whether the transmission is actually completed in S116.

  Then, after the determination process in S107, after the formation stop instruction in S110, if it is determined in S109 that the mark is not being formed (S109: NO), the print data is transmitted in S116, and then the print instruction is performed in S112. If it is determined that it is not accepted (S112: NO), the process returns to S102. The determinations of S102, S111, and S112 are repeated until YES is determined in S111. If YES is determined in S111 and the printing process is terminated, the processes of S109 and S110 may be performed before the termination. That is, if the mark is being formed by the printer 100, the formation may be stopped.

  As described above in detail, according to the printing system 900 of the first embodiment, the PC 200 starts when the printer driver 212 is started and before accepting a print execution instruction, and the specific print setting is not selected. Whether or not the image quality adjustment operation needs to be executed is determined based on the timing when the selection state is changed. If it is determined that it is necessary, the printer 100 executes an image quality adjustment operation. Therefore, the image quality adjustment operation can be started at an early stage as compared with the case where the determination is made after receiving the print data, so that the waiting time of the user after inputting the print instruction can be reduced.

[Second form]
Next, a printing process according to the second mode, which is a mode in which the determination process is executed by the printer 100, will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the determination process execution subject is the printer 100. In the following, the same processes as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted.

  When the printing process of the second form is started, the printer driver 212 first issues an instruction to execute determination processing to the printer 100 (S301). Also, when it is determined that the specific print setting has been changed from the non-selected state to the selected state (S106: YES), an instruction to execute the determination process is issued to the printer 100 (S302). In the second mode, the printer driver 212 does not execute the determination process.

  On the other hand, when the printer 100 receives the instruction to execute the determination process transmitted by the printer driver 212 in S301 or S302, the printer 100 starts executing the reception process. The procedure of the reception process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This reception process is executed by the CPU 31 of the printer 100 when the determination instruction is received from the PC 200. It should be noted that print setting information set by the printer driver 212 or threshold information based on the print setting is added to the determination instruction.

  When the printer 100 receives the determination instruction, the printer 100 determines whether or not the elapsed value calculated based on the number of printed sheets and the elapsed time after the previous image quality adjustment operation is larger than the threshold acquired by the information added to the instruction. (S401). If it is determined that the elapsed value is not greater than the threshold (S401: NO), this reception process is terminated. If the elapsed value is not larger than the threshold value, it is not necessary to execute the image quality adjustment operation.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the elapsed value is greater than the threshold (S401: YES), it is determined whether or not the image quality adjustment operation is being performed (S402). The printer 100 may have already started executing the image quality operation. If it is determined that it is already being executed (S402: YES), the reception process is terminated. If it is determined that it is not being executed (S402: NO), execution of the image quality adjustment operation is started (S403), and the reception process is terminated. The printer 100 initializes the retained elapsed value when the execution of the image quality adjustment operation is completed.

  Note that the threshold used for the determination in S401 may be a fixed value stored in advance in the printer 100. In this case, the print setting information may not be added to the determination instruction. Further, the printer 100 may execute the determination of S401 and store the result before receiving the determination instruction. For example, the elapsed value may be acquired periodically or at the end of the previous printing, and the determination result may be stored by comparing the acquired elapsed value with a predetermined threshold value. In that case, in the reception process, a process of reading the stored determination result instead of S401 is executed, and the process proceeds to S402 or END based on the determination result.

  As described above in detail, in the printing system according to the second embodiment, the printer 100 determines whether or not to execute the image quality adjustment operation before receiving print data, and performs the image quality adjustment operation if necessary. Start early. Therefore, the print system according to the second embodiment can reduce the waiting time of the user after inputting the print instruction as in the first embodiment.

  Note that this embodiment is merely an example, and does not limit the present invention. Therefore, the present invention can naturally be improved and modified in various ways without departing from the gist thereof. For example, the present invention is not limited to a printer, and can be applied to any apparatus having an image forming function such as a copying machine, a scanner, and a FAX. Further, the present invention is not limited to a PC, and can be applied to any device that can install a printer driver, such as a server or a portable device.

  Further, for example, the number of printed sheets and the elapsed time are numerically expressed as the elapsed value. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and only one of them may be included, or other conditions may be included.

  Further, the timing for determining whether or not to execute the image quality adjustment operation is not limited to the timing described in the above embodiment. In the above embodiment, the determination process or the determination instruction is performed at both the timing when the printer driver 212 is activated and the timing at which the specific print setting is changed from the non-selected state to the selected state before receiving the print execution instruction. Although transmission is being performed, only one of these may be used. For example, the determination may not be made at the start timing of the printer driver 212. That is, S101 and S301 are not necessary. The determination may be made at the start timing of the printer driver 212 and may not be made when the selection of the print setting is changed. That is, after S101 or S301, an end instruction or a print instruction may be waited. In addition, for example, the print system 900 periodically determines whether or not the image quality adjustment operation needs to be performed. If it is determined that the image quality adjustment operation is necessary, the print system 900 changes the start timing of the printer driver 212 or the selection state of the specific print setting. The printer 100 may be instructed to execute the image quality adjustment operation.

  For example, in the above-described form, examples of specific print settings are listed, but not all of these settings may be possible. Only some settings may be provided, or more settings may be possible.

  Further, for example, in the above embodiment, the mark formation is stopped when the specific print setting is changed from the selected state to the non-selected state. Rather than canceling the started image quality adjustment operation halfway, the process can be simplified if it is executed to the end.

  Further, for example, in the above embodiment, various printing conditions are set by the printer driver 212. However, the print setting screen provided by the OS 213 installed in the PC 200 or the APP 211 installed in the PC 200 is used. It is also applicable to those that accept selection of printing conditions via For example, if the OS or the like has a notification mechanism, when the change input is accepted on the print setting screen of the OS or the like, the OS or the like may notify the printer driver 212 of the change. In that case, the determination may be made according to the notification from the OS or the like, as in the case of determining the change of the selection state on the print setting screen provided by the printer driver 212. Further, for example, the printer driver 212 may always monitor the print setting screen of the OS or the like and detect that the change input has been received on the print setting screen of the OS or the like.

  The processing disclosed in the embodiments may be executed by a single CPU, a plurality of CPUs, hardware such as an ASIC, or a combination thereof. Further, the processing disclosed in the embodiment can be realized in various modes such as a recording medium or a method recording a program for executing the processing.

31 CPU
100 Printer 200 PC
212 Printer Driver 231 CPU
900 printing system

Claims (12)

A program executed by an information processing device,
Generation processing to generate print data;
A transmission process for transmitting the print data generated in the generation process to a printing apparatus;
A reception process for accepting selection of print settings;
A determination process for determining whether or not an image quality adjustment operation is required in the printing apparatus;
The specific print setting, which is the print setting that makes it easy to satisfy the execution condition of the image quality adjustment operation in the reception process before the start timing of the own program and print data, is changed from the non-selected state to the selected state by the user. Forming instruction processing for instructing the printing apparatus to form a mark for image quality adjustment when it is determined that an image quality adjustment operation is necessary in the determination processing;
The information processing apparatus executes the program. A program executed by an information processing device,
Generation processing to generate print data;
A transmission process for transmitting the print data generated in the generation process to a printing apparatus;
A reception process for accepting selection of print settings;
The specific print setting, which is the print setting that makes it easy to satisfy the execution conditions of the image quality adjustment operation in the reception process before the start timing of the own program and print data, is changed from the non-selected state to the selected state Determination instruction processing for instructing the printing apparatus to execute an image quality adjustment operation necessity determination;
The information processing apparatus executes the program. In the program according to claim 1 or claim 2,
The specific print setting includes a high resolution of high and low resolution settings. In the program according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The specific print setting includes a color mode of color settings. In the program according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The specific print setting includes at least one of thick paper, postcard and glossy paper among the paper type settings. In the program according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The specific print setting includes a setting for performing double-sided printing. In the program according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The specific print setting includes a setting for printing a plurality of copies. In the program according to claim 1,
In the determination process, a specific print setting that is a print setting that makes it easy to satisfy the execution condition of the image quality adjustment operation in the reception process before the start timing of the own program and print data is not selected by the user A program that causes the information processing apparatus to execute at least one of a timing when the information processing apparatus is changed to a selected state. In the program according to claim 1,
After the mark formation instruction is instructed by the formation instruction process and when the specific print setting is changed from the selected state to the non-selected state in the reception process, the formation of the mark for image quality adjustment is stopped in the printing apparatus. Cancellation instruction processing for instructing
The information processing apparatus executes the program. In the program according to claim 2,
After instructing the execution of image quality adjustment necessity determination by the determination instruction process and when the specific print setting is changed from the selected state to the non-selected state in the reception process, the printing apparatus is used for image quality adjustment. Stop instruction processing for instructing to stop the formation of the mark,
The information processing apparatus executes the program. In a printing system having a printing device and an information processing device that transmits print data to the printing device,
The information processing apparatus includes:
An operation unit;
A control unit;
With
The control unit of the information processing apparatus
Generation processing to generate print data;
A transmission process for transmitting the print data generated in the generation process to the printing apparatus;
A reception process for accepting selection of print settings via the operation unit;
A determination process for determining whether or not an image quality adjustment operation is required in the printing apparatus;
The start timing of the program for controlling the printing apparatus and a specific print setting that is a print setting that makes it easy to satisfy the execution condition of the image quality adjustment operation in the reception process before transmission of print data is changed from a non-selected state by the user. A formation instruction process for instructing the printing apparatus to form an image quality adjustment mark when it is determined that an image quality adjustment operation is necessary in the determination process at least one of the timing of changing to the selected state;
And
The printing device includes:
A printing section;
A control unit;
With
The control unit of the printing apparatus
A formation process for forming the mark on the printing unit when an instruction to form an image quality adjustment mark is given from the information processing apparatus;
A printing process for causing the printing unit to perform printing based on the print data on the condition that the formation process is not being executed when the print data is received from the information processing apparatus;
The printing system characterized by performing. In a printing system having a printing device and an information processing device that transmits print data to the printing device,
The information processing apparatus includes:
An operation unit;
A control unit;
With
The control unit of the information processing apparatus
Generation processing to generate print data;
A transmission process for transmitting the print data generated in the generation process to a printing apparatus;
A reception process for accepting selection of print settings via the operation unit;
The start timing of the program for controlling the printing apparatus and a specific print setting that is a print setting that makes it easy to satisfy the execution condition of the image quality adjustment operation in the reception process before transmission of print data is changed from a non-selected state by the user. A determination instruction process for instructing the printing apparatus to execute an image quality adjustment operation necessity determination at least one of the timing of changing to the selected state;
And
The printing device includes:
A printing section;
A control unit;
With
The control unit of the printing apparatus
A determination process for determining whether or not an image quality adjustment operation is necessary when an instruction to determine whether or not an image quality adjustment operation is required from the information processing apparatus;
A formation process for forming an image quality adjustment mark on the printing unit when it is determined in the determination process that an image quality adjustment operation is necessary;
A printing process for causing the printing unit to perform printing based on the print data on the condition that the formation process is not being executed when the print data is received from the information processing apparatus;
The printing system characterized by performing.

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