JP2021096605A - Program, information processing device and method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a user-friendly and easy-to-understand print setting function.SOLUTION: A program of an application that is run on an OS of an information processing device causes a computer of the information processing device to: receive a print request from a user; obtain print setting information designated on an OS-standard print setting dialogue displayed in response to the print request; create preview data for causing the print setting dialogue to display a preview on the basis of to-be-printed data and the print setting information; and return preview data to the print setting dialogue.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

The present invention relates to programs, information processing devices, and methods. In particular, it relates to programs, information processing devices, and methods related to applications that provide printing functions.

It is generally known that a printer driver installed in a host computer is used as software for controlling a printing device to print to a printing device connected to the host computer. An operating system (OS), which is basic software, is installed in the host computer, and the printer driver is configured according to the specifications specified by the OS, and is called from the OS to operate. A vendor that provides a printing device can provide a means for instructing a printer to print using the OS by providing a printer driver that conforms to the specifications of the OS.

An application having a printing function can realize printing on a printing device by issuing a printing request to a printer driver. When Windows (registered trademark) of Microsoft (registered trademark) is used as the OS, an architecture called Win32 or WPF is used as the architecture of the application. Win32 and WPF provide a plurality of methods as means for issuing a print request. For example, the Win32 application may or may not display a standard print dialog provided by the OS when issuing a print request. Further, the Win32 application may use the GUI (Graphical User Interface) provided by the printer driver to change the print setting, or may directly change the print setting without using it.

In recent years, in Windows (registered trademark), a new application architecture called UWP (Universal Windows Platform) application has appeared. When a print request is issued to the printer driver from the UWP application, an OS standard print dialog called MPD (Modern Print Dialog) is displayed (Patent Document 1).

JP-A-2017-194766

As described above, in the UWP application, since the MPD is displayed at the time of printing request, the user can give a printing instruction with a unified operation feeling regardless of the type of application. On the other hand, in the above print dialog, a preview display that more clearly reflects the print settings is required.

In view of such problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a technique capable of displaying a preview that more clearly reflects print settings in an OS standard print dialog.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, one aspect of the program of the present invention is a program of an application that operates on the OS included in the information processing device, and the computer of the information processing device receives a print request from a user. Based on one receiving means, an acquisition means for acquiring print setting information specified in the OS standard print setting dialog displayed in response to the print request, print target data, and the print setting information. The print setting dialog functions as a first generation means for generating preview data for displaying a preview, and a return means for returning the preview data to the print setting dialog.

According to the present invention, it is possible to display a preview that more clearly reflects the print settings in the OS standard print dialog.

A block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the printing system. Block configuration diagram of the printing system. The schematic diagram for demonstrating the screen at the time of giving a print instruction. UWP application screen configuration example. Flow chart of print process initialization process of UWP application. An example of the MPD print setting screen displayed in the photo print mode. An example of the MPD print setting screen displayed in the disc label print mode. Flowchart of pagination processing of UWP application. Flowchart of preview generation process of UWP application. An example of the MPD print setting screen when an unsupported printer is selected. Flow chart of print data generation processing of UWP application. Flowchart of setting change processing of UWP application. The sequence diagram which shows an example of the operation between blocks of FIG.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the following embodiments do not limit the present invention according to the claims, and that all combinations of features described in the present embodiments are essential for the means for solving the present invention. Not exclusively. The same components are given the same reference numbers, and the description thereof will be omitted.

<Embodiment 1>
(Hardware configuration of printing system)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a printing system. In this figure, the host computer 101 is an example of an information processing device, and has an input interface 110, a CPU 111, a ROM 112, a RAM 113, an external storage device 114, an output interface 115, and an input / output interface 116. Further, an input device such as a keyboard 118 and a pointing device 117 is connected to the input interface 110, and a display device such as a display unit 119 is connected to the output interface 115.

The ROM 112 stores an initialization program for print initialization of a UWP (Universal Windows Platform) application described later. The external storage device 114 stores application programs, an operating system (OS), a printer driver, and various other data. The RAM 113 is used as a work memory or the like when the CPU 111 executes various programs stored in the external storage device 114.

In the present embodiment, the CPU 111 performs the processing according to the procedure of the program stored in the ROM 112, thereby realizing the functions described later and the processing related to the flowchart described later in the host computer 101. A printing device 102 such as a printer is connected to the host computer 101 via an input / output interface 116. In the present embodiment, the host computer 101 and the printing device 102 will be described separately, but these may be configured as one information processing device.

(Print system block configuration)
FIG. 2 is a block configuration diagram of the printing system. Here, a host computer 101 equipped with an OS of Microsoft® Windows (registered trademark) 8 or later is used as the OS 202, and a printing system operating with an architecture called a V4 printer driver will be described as a premise.

The CPU 111 shown in FIG. 2 functions as a UWP application 201, OS202, WSDA205, and a printer driver 206 by executing a program stored in the ROM 112.

The UWP application 201 is a printing application having a printing function, and is capable of accepting at least one operation of viewing, editing, moving, and deleting print target data including images, texts, and a user's print request. It is an application. The OS 202 includes an MPD (Modern Print Dialog) 203 and a print manager 204. The MPD 203 is a print setting screen (print setting dialog) common to all applications, having a print preview function that allows the print result to be confirmed on the screen and a function that allows the user to select basic print settings. In the example of FIG. 2, an example in which the MPD 203 operates on the OS 202 is described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the MPD 203 may exist as an application outside the OS 202. Even in this case, the MPD 203 is an OS standard printing dialog, and is started by the OS 202 at the time of printing. Further, although the UWP application 201 is shown as an external application in FIG. 2, it may operate on the OS. The print manager 204 is a function of the OS 202, acquires information from UWP applications 201, MPD203, and WSDA205 for changing and confirming print settings, and instructs the printing apparatus 102 to print via the printer driver 206. WSDA (Windows Store Device Application) 205 is an application for expanding the function of the printer driver 206 provided by a vendor that provides a printing device (hereinafter, a printer vendor).

Here, with reference to FIG. 13, an example of a series of print processes executed by the UWP application 201, MPD203, print manager 204, and WSDA205 according to the present embodiment will be described.

First, in S1301, the user instructs to start the UWP application 201. The UWP application 201 instructed to start displays the screen on the display unit 119 in S1302. FIG. 3A shows an example of the screen 301 provided by the UWP application 201, which is a printing application. When the UWP application 201 receives the print request from the user in S1303, the print manager 204 is notified in S1304. Communication between blocks or instructions from the user to each block are indicated by arrows connecting the blocks, but may be performed via the OS 202.

When the UWP application 201 receives a print request from the user, the print manager 204, which is a function of the OS 202, starts the MPD (print setting dialog) 203 in S1305. Further, the print manager 204 transmits the print setting information to the UWP application 201 in S1306, and transmits a preview data generation request. Subsequently, the UWP application 201 generates preview data in S1307 based on the print setting information acquired from the print manager 204 and at least a part of the contents (print target data) of the UWP application. Subsequently, the UWP application 201 passes the preview data to the MPD 203 in S1308 and gives an instruction to draw the preview data. The preview data generation process will be described later with reference to FIG. In S1309, the MPD 203 uses the preview data to display the print setting screen 302 provided by the MPD shown in FIG. 3 (B). On the print setting screen 302, the user can select the printer driver 206 to be used for printing. Further, the print setting screen 302 can be used to instruct basic print settings.

Further, in S1310, the print manager 204, which receives an instruction from the user on the print setting screen 302 and receives the notification in S1311, gives a start instruction to WSDA205 in S1312. Upon receiving the activation instruction, WSDA205 activates a screen in S1313 in which the user can select detailed print settings. Specifically, when the "other settings" button 303 is specified on the print setting screen 302 of FIG. 3B, the detailed setting screen 304 provided by WSDA205 shown in FIG. 3C is displayed. On the detailed setting screen 304, the user can instruct more detailed print settings. The image that looks like the original image displayed in the detailed setting screen 304 provided by WSDA205 is a sample image originally provided by WSDA. Therefore, it is not a preview image based on the drawing data generated by the UWP application, but a sample image that does not change even if the drawing data changes. Further, WSDA205 is activated only when the user instructs the button 303 on the print setting screen 302 provided by MPD, and is not always activated at the time of print setting.

Subsequently, WSDA205, which has received the detailed setting change instruction by the user operation in S1314, notifies S1315 of the change content. Then, the print manager 204 stores the print setting information changed in S1316. Here, the information indicating the print setting is described in the XML format based on the format defined by the OS, and is included in the data called PrintTicket. WSDA205 can refer to and change PrintTicket, but cannot refer to drawing data (images, text information, etc. that form a print on paper). Although not shown in FIG. 13, the PrintTicket is generated by the selected printer driver 206. The printer driver 206 also has a function of generating Print Capavities in which settable functions and selection items are described in XML format based on a format defined by the OS. WSDA205 provides a user interface based on the information described in this PrintCapabilities.

Subsequently, the print manager 204 notifies the UWP application 201 of the information indicating the updated print setting in S1317. Subsequently, the UWP application 201 that has reacquired the print settings generates preview data in S1318 to S1319 in the same manner as in S1307 to S1308, and notifies the MPD 203. Subsequently, in S1320, the MPD 203 updates the displayed screen based on the acquired preview data. Similarly, when the print setting is changed on the print setting screen 302, the changed setting is notified to the print manager 204. Subsequently, the UWP application 201 may generate preview data by the same processing as in S1306 to S1308, and may update the screen displayed on the MPD 203 by the same processing as in S1309.

After the print setting shown in FIG. 3, it is assumed that the "print" button is pressed by the user on the print setting screen 302 provided by the MPD 203 of the OS 202 (S1321). Subsequently, the MPD 203 accepts the pressing of the "print" button as a print instruction, and the MPD 203 notifies the print manager 204 that the "print" button has been pressed (S1322). Upon receiving the notification, the print manager 204 requests the UWP application 201 to generate print data (document data) in S1323. Upon receiving the instruction, the UWP application 201 generates print data in S1324 and transmits the print data generated in S1325 to the print manager 204. The print manager 204 generates print data in S1326 based on the print data generated by the UWP application 201 and the above-mentioned PrintTicket. This print command may be an XPS document described in the format of XML Paper Specification (hereinafter XPS).

The OS 202 stores the XPS document generated by the print manager 204 as a spool file. The printer driver 206 receives the XPS document stored as a spool file from the OS 202, converts the XPS document into a print command that can be interpreted by the printing device 102, and outputs the XPS document according to the print setting information included in the XPS document. The above is the basic process of printing from the UWP application 201.

(Example of screen configuration of UWP application 201)
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a screen configuration example of the UWP application 201 having a function of printing an image. The screen of the UWP application 201 is composed of a menu screen 401 on the left side and a main screen 402 on the right side. The menu screen 401 includes a selection button 403, an edit button 404, and a print button 405. When the selection button 403 is pressed by the user, a list of images stored in the external storage device 114 is displayed on the main screen 402. The user can select any number of images he / she wants to print on this screen. Here, it is assumed that two images are selected by the user. When the edit button 404 is pressed by the user, the selected image and the screen for editing the selected image are displayed on the main screen 402. On this screen, the user can perform processing such as trimming and color adjustment on the selected image, and add arbitrary text. When the print button 405 is pressed by the user, a screen for executing printing is displayed on the main screen 402. This print screen is displayed on the main screen 402 of FIG. The image 406 and the image 407 selected and edited by the user, which are the print targets, are displayed on the print screen. The photo print button 408 is a button for printing a print target as a photo. The document print button 409 is a button for printing the print target as a document. The disc label print button 410 is a button for printing a print target on a printable disc.

(Print initialization process of UWP application)
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a main processing flow of the print initialization processing of the UWP application 201 in the present printing system. Hereinafter, the UWP application 201 may be described as the subject of each process, but in reality, the corresponding function is realized by executing the corresponding program by the CPU 111. It should be noted that not all processes are necessarily executed sequentially on one process, and there may be a case where the process moves to the OS side once and is called again from the OS. It is a flow that shows the main processing of the UWP application 201 in an easy-to-understand manner for convenience.

When any of the photo print button 408, the document print button 409, and the disc label print button 410 of FIG. 4 is pressed by the user, the UWP application starts the print initialization process of FIG. First, the UWP application 201 registers the print event handler in the print manager 204 (S501). As a result, the print manager 204 processes the print event handler of the UWP application 201 when a specific event (event) necessary for executing the screen display of the MPD 203 or the print process to the printer driver 206 occurs. To call. There are three types of print event handlers: preview data generation process, paginate process, and print data generation process. Details of the processing in each event handler of the UWP application 201 will be described later. Next, the UWP application 201 instructs the print manager 204 to display the print UI (S502). Next, the UWP application 201 determines the current print mode (S503).

When the photo print button 408 is pressed by the user, the UWP application 201 determines that the print mode is the photo print mode (“photograph” in S503), and proceeds to S504. In this initialization process, the UWP application 201 can specify the type of print setting to be displayed on the MPD 203. In the photo print mode, the UWP application 201 specifies paper size, print orientation, paper type, borderless printing, number of copies to print, and color mode as print settings to be displayed (S504). As a result, only the print settings required for photo printing are displayed on the MPD 203, and it is possible to reduce the user from specifying inappropriate print settings, which improves convenience. Further, in this initialization process, the UWP application 201 can specify a default selection value for each print setting. In the photo print mode, the UWP application 201 specifies 4x6 as the default print setting value for the paper size (S505) and specifies photo paper as the default print setting value for the paper type (S506). In this way, by specifying in advance the setting values that are generally used in photo printing, it is possible to reduce unsuccessful printing when the user does not specify the print settings correctly, and the convenience is improved. .. Finally, the UWP application 201 registers a setting change event handler that is called when the print setting is changed on the MPD (S512). The processing of the setting change event handler of the UWP application 201 will be described later. The above is the print initialization process of the UWP application in the photo print mode.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a print setting screen of MPD203 displayed in the photo print mode. The print setting screen 601 displays a printer selection unit 602 that specifies a printer to print, and a print setting unit 603 that allows the user to specify print settings. The item displayed in the print setting unit 603 is the print setting specified by the UWP application 201 in S504. Further, as the initial value of the print setting at the time of starting the print setting screen 601, the selection value specified in S505 and S506 is selected.

Returning to the explanation of the flow of FIG. When the document print button 409 is pressed by the user (“document print” in S503), the UWP application 201 determines that the print mode is the document print mode, and proceeds to S507. In the document print mode, the UWP application 201 specifies paper size, print orientation, double-sided printing, number of pages per sheet, number of copies to print, and color mode as print settings to be displayed (S507). Next, the UWP application 201 specifies a letter as the default print setting value for the paper size (S508), and specifies plain paper as the default print setting value for the paper type (S509). In this way, by specifying the print settings and the initial values that are generally used in document printing as in the case of photo printing, it is possible to reduce the user's unsuccessful printing and improve the convenience. Finally, the UWP application 201 executes the process of S512 as in the photo print mode. The above is the print initialization process of the UWP application in the document print mode.

When the disc label print button 410 is pressed by the user (“disc label print” in S503), the UWP application 201 determines that the print mode is the disc label print mode, and proceeds to S510. In the disc label print mode, the UWP application 201 specifies the paper size and the paper type as the print settings to be displayed (S510). The paper size and paper type to be specified in disc label printing are independently defined by the printer vendor, and the UWP application 201 cannot specify such print setting values in this initialization process. .. Therefore, in the disc label print mode, the UWP application 201 executes the process of S512 and ends the process without specifying the initial values of the paper size and the paper type.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a print setting screen of the MPD 203 displayed in the disc label print mode. The item displayed on the print setting unit 703 of the print setting screen 701 is the print setting specified by the UWP application 201 in S510.

By the above processing, only the print settings necessary for the printing purpose specified by the user in the UWP application 201 are displayed on the print setting screen displayed by the MPD 203, and the initial values of the suitable print settings are set. As a result, it is possible to reduce the user from changing inappropriate print settings, and usability is improved. The three print modes described with reference to FIG. 5, the print settings to be displayed when each print mode is selected, and their initial values are examples, and are not limited thereto.

<Pagination processing of UWP application>
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the contents of the padging process among the event handlers registered by the UWP application 201 in S501. Hereinafter, the UWP application 201 may be described as the subject of each process, but in reality, the corresponding function is realized by executing the corresponding program by the CPU 111.

This pagination process is called from the print manager 204 when the user changes the print settings on the MPD 203. The print settings specified on the MPD are passed from the print manager 204 to the UWP application 201. First, the UWP application 201 saves the paper size and the printable area passed from the print manager 204 in the RAM 113 (S801). The paper size is selected by the user on the MPD 203, and there are set values such as Letter and 4x6. The printable area is information indicating the origin of the area in which the printing apparatus 102 can print in the paper size and the size thereof. This information is included in the Print Capabilities returned when the print manager 204 inquires of the printer driver 206 based on the print setting information selected by the user on the MPD 203. By forming the drawing data so as to fit in the printable area obtained from the Print Capabilities, the application realizes the optimum printing that fits in the desired printable area of each printing device even if the printing device is changed. be able to. Further, the UWP application 201 saves other print settings passed from the print manager 204 in the RAM 113 (S802).

Next, the UWP application 201 determines whether or not the printable area has a specified size (S803). If the size is specified, the UWP application 201 saves in the RAM 113 that the driver currently selected by the MPD 203 is a support driver (S804). If the size is not specified, the UWP application 201 saves in the RAM 113 that the driver currently selected by the MPD 203 is not a supported driver (S805). As described above, since the printable area differs depending on the type of the printing device 102, whether or not the printing device 102 is a specific printing device depends on whether or not this value is a specific value, for example, the UWP application 201 supports. It is possible to judge whether or not it is a target. By using this information, the UWP application 201 can change the process depending on whether or not the printer driver selected by the MPD 203 is supported. This process will be described later. Here, the printable area is used to determine whether or not the printing device and the printer driver are supported, but the determination may be made based on other information that can identify the printer driver. Finally, the UWP application 201 specifies the total number of pages in this print to the print manager 204 (S806). For example, when printing two images as shown in FIG. 4, the total number of pages is 2. The above is the content of the padding process of the UWP application 201.

(UWP application preview generation process)
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the contents of the preview generation process among the event handlers registered by the UWP application 201 in S501. Hereinafter, the UWP application 201 may be described as the subject of each process, but in reality, the corresponding function is realized by executing the corresponding program by the CPU 111.

This preview generation process is called from the print manager 204 in order to display a print preview showing an outline of the print result on the MPD 203. First, the UWP application 201 acquires the request page number from the print manager (S901). The UWP application 201 needs to return a print preview of this page number to the print manager 204. By doing so, the print preview of the page specified by the user is correctly displayed on the MPD 203. Next, the UWP application 201 determines whether the color mode in the print setting passed from the print manager 204 is monochrome (S902). When the UWP application 201 determines that the color mode is color (No in S902), the print content corresponding to the request page number acquired in S901 is drawn on the Canvas object (S903). For example, in the case of printing two images as shown in FIG. 4, if the request page number acquired in S901 is 2, the second image 407 is drawn on the Canvas object. Depending on the printing that the UWP application 201 wants to realize, for example, the image 407 may be drawn in a form that fits the printable area acquired in S801. When the determination in S902 is Yes, that is, when the color mode is monochrome, the print content corresponding to the request page number acquired in S901 is monochrome and drawn on the Canvas object (S903). With this configuration, the print preview on the MPD 203 is displayed in color when the color mode is color, and in monochrome when the color mode is monochrome. As a result, the user can confirm the print preview on the MPD 203, which is closer to the actual print result.

Next, the UWP application 201 determines whether the printer driver selected by the MPD 203 is a supported driver (S905). This determination is based on the information stored in the RAM in S804 and S805. If it is determined that the driver is not supported, the UWP application 201 draws an error message on the Canvas object indicating that printing cannot be continued because the supported driver is not selected (S906). Subsequently, the UWP application 201 passes the Canvas generated as the page data of the request page to the print manager 204 (S915).

FIG. 10 shows a print setting screen generated by the MPD 203 by such a preview generation process. On the print setting screen 1001, Printer B is selected for the printer selection unit 1002. Here, it is assumed that Printer B is a driver (unsupported driver) that is not supported by the UWP application 201. In the print preview area 1003 on the print setting screen 1001, a print preview in which an error message indicating that the support driver is not selected and printing cannot be continued drawn by the UWP application 201 in S906 is drawn is drawn. Is displayed. The printer selection section on the print setting screen is automatically displayed by MPD203, and all the printer drivers installed in OS202 are listed. Therefore, the UWP application 201 cannot normally be configured to allow printing only to a particular printer driver. However, in the present embodiment, when an unsupported driver is selected by the processing of the UWP application 201, the user may be notified by displaying in the print preview on the MPD 203 that the printer is not supported. it can. Further, by the process described later, the UWP application 201 controls so that printing fails even if the user instructs printing while the unsupported driver is selected. By these processes, the UWP application 201 is configured to be printable only for a specific printer driver even when all the printer drivers are selectively configured in the MPD 203, and the user is correctly informed of this. I can tell. The UWP application 201 can control the display contents of the print setting screen generated by the MPD 203 to some extent by the above-mentioned processing, but cannot display its own pop-up window while the MPD 203 is processing. .. Even under such conditions, the UWP application 201 of the present embodiment can convey information such as an error to the user by drawing a message on the Canvas object to be displayed in the print preview area 1003. If the UWP application 203 can display its own pop-up window during the processing of the MPD 203, an error message indicating that printing cannot be continued may be notified in a form different from the print preview, for example, a pop-up window. ..

Returning to the description of the flowchart of FIG. When it is determined in S905 that the driver selected by the MPD 203 is a support driver, the UWP application 201 determines whether or not the print mode is the disk print mode (S907). The determination of S907 is determined by the same method as that of S503. When it is determined that the mode is the optical disc printing mode, the UWP application 201 executes the processing for optical disc printing from S908 to S910. First, the UWP application 201 fills an area other than the printable area of the disc on the Canvas with translucent white (S908). By such processing, the user can distinguish the printable area from the other area from the preview area. Next, the UWP application 201 determines whether the print setting is set for disc printing (S909). Specifically, it is confirmed whether or not the paper size indicates the disc label in the print settings saved on the RAM in S801 or S802. If it is determined in S908 that the print setting is not for disc printing, the UWP application 201 cannot continue printing because there is a prohibition relationship between the print mode specified in the print request and the print setting. Judge that it is impossible. Therefore, an error message indicating that printing cannot be continued is drawn in Canvas (S910).

The print setting screen generated by the MPD 203 when the Canvas subjected to the processes of S908 to S910 are passed to the print manager 204 in S907 will be described with reference to FIG. 7. In the print preview 704 on the print setting screen 701 generated by the MPD 203, the area other than the printable area of the disc label, that is, the central portion and the area outside the outer shape of the disc label are filled with translucent white. As a result, the user can confirm whether the print target is printed at a desired position and size on the disc label and whether the print target is not chipped. Further, as shown by 703, if the paper size and the paper type are not set correctly for the disc label, a prohibition relationship occurs between the print mode and the print setting on the print preview 704, and printing continues. An error message is displayed stating that it is not possible. Further, by the process described later, the UWP application 201 does not return drawing data but returns an error message even if the user instructs printing under the condition that this error message is displayed. As described above, the paper size and the paper type to be specified in the disc label printing are independently defined by the printer vendor, and the UWP application 201 initializes such selection values as shown in FIG. It cannot be specified in the process. That is, the UWP application 201 cannot be controlled in advance to select a paper size and a paper type suitable for disc label printing on the print setting screen generated by the MPD 203. In the present embodiment, the user can know that the print setting suitable for disc label printing is not specified by the above-described processing, and printing cannot be continued in the state of inappropriate print setting. .. As a result, usability at the time of disc label printing can be improved, and unsuccessful printing due to a print setting error can be prevented. If the UWP application 203 can display its own pop-up window while the MPD 203 is processing and there is a prohibition relationship between the print mode and the print settings, a pop-up message inquiring whether to continue printing is displayed. May be displayed. In this case, if the user instructs to continue printing, the print data may be passed to the print manager 204, and if the user instructs to cancel printing, an error message may be returned.

Returning to the description of FIG. If the print mode is not disc printing in S907, or after the processing of S910, the UWP application 201 confirms whether double-sided printing is turned on in the print settings saved on the RAM in S805 (S911). When double-sided printing is ON (Yes in S911), the UWP application 201 draws an object indicating double-sided printing on Canvas (S912). For example, the UWP application 201 inserts an image in the lower right corner of the Canvas that appears to have the edges of the page turned. By passing such a Canvas to the print manager 204, a print preview that turns the edges of the page is displayed only when double-sided printing is turned on on the print setting screen generated by the MPD 203. As a result, the user can intuitively recognize on the print preview whether double-sided printing to be printed on the back side is ON or OFF.

When double-sided printing is OFF (No in S911) or after the processing of S912, the UWP application 201 confirms whether borderless printing is ON in the print settings saved on the RAM in S805 (S913). When the UWP application 201 determines that borderless printing is ON (Yes in S913), the UWP application 201 fills the borderless protruding area with translucent white on the Canvas (S914). Normally, when the printer driver 206 realizes borderless printing, the entire paper size is set as a printable area on the Print Capabilities showing the capability information of the printer driver 206. Based on such Print Capabilities, the application arranges the print content over the entire paper size. The printer driver 206 and the printing device 102 realize borderless printing by slightly enlarging the content arranged over the entire paper size and printing the content so as to extend beyond the actual paper size. Therefore, in the printed matter generated by the printing device 102, the printed content generated by the application is printed with all sides slightly chipped. The UWP application 201 fills this missing area (borderless protruding area) with translucent white in S914. The size of the borderless protruding area differs depending on the printer driver 206 and the printing device 102. The UWP application determines in advance the size of the borderless protruding area of the support driver, or the printable area information saved in S801.

When the UWP application 201 determines that the borderless printing is OFF (No in S913) or after the processing of S914, the UWP application 201 passes the Canvas generated as the page data of the request page to the print manager 204 (S915), and ends the processing. To do. The print setting screen generated by the MPD 203 by the process of S914 will be described with reference to FIG. On the print setting screen 601 generated by MPD203, ON is selected as borderless printing. In the print preview 603, the borderless protruding area of the print content is displayed lightly by the processing of S914. As a result, the user can check the missing area during borderless printing before printing, so that unsuccessful printing can be reduced.

The above is the preview generation process of the UWP application 201. Normally, the preview generation process of the UWP application returns the content to be printed to the print manager 204 as it is, but in the present embodiment, it is returned after being processed for preview according to the specified print setting. To do. Thereby, it is possible to provide a print preview in which the specified print setting is more visually reflected on the print setting screen generated by the MPD 203. Further, the UWP application in the present embodiment can notify the user that an appropriate print setting is not specified by using the process for print preview, and can reduce unsuccessful printing. Further, the UWP application in the present embodiment can use the processing for print preview to notify the user that printing cannot be performed when an unsupported driver is selected. This allows the UWP application to be configured as a print application dedicated to a particular printer driver.

<Print data generation process for UWP applications>
FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the contents of the print data generation process among the event handlers registered by the UWP application 201 in S501. Hereinafter, the UWP application 201 may be described as the subject of each process, but in reality, the corresponding function is realized by executing the corresponding program by the CPU 111.

This print data generation process is called from the print manager 204 when the user instructs printing on the MPD 203. First, the UWP application 201 determines whether or not the printer driver to be printed is a support driver based on the information stored in the RAM 113 in S804 and S805 (S1101). If it is not a support driver, the UWP application 201 returns an error to the print manager 204 (S1102). By this process, the UWP application 201 can be configured not to print even when the user instructs printing with an unsupported driver selected.

Next, the UWP application 201 determines whether or not the print mode is the disc print mode (S1103). The determination of S1103 is determined by the same method as that of S503. When it is determined that the mode is the disc print mode, the UWP application 201 confirms whether the paper size and the paper type indicate the disc label printing in the print settings saved in the RAM in S801 and S802 (S1104). .. When the print mode is disc printing and the print setting is not disc printing (S1103 is Yes and S1104 is No), the UWP application 201 returns an error to the print manager 204 (S1102) and ends the process. To do. By this process, the UWP application 201 can be configured to stop printing when it is determined that the disc label printing is not executed correctly.

When the UWP application 201 determines that the print mode is not disc printing (S1103 is No) or the print setting is disc printing (S1104 is Yes), the UWP application 201 advances the process to S1105. The UWP application 201 repeats the processes from S1105 to S1110 for the total number of pages of printing. In S1106, the UWP application 201 draws the print content corresponding to the current page number on the Canvas. Next, the UWP application 201 determines whether or not the print mode is the disc print mode (S1107). In the disc print mode (Yes in S1107), the UWP application 201 fills the area other than the printable area of the disc with white on the Canvas (S1108). If the disc print mode is not set (No in S1107), the UWP application 201 advances the process to S1109. With such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the printing device 102 from performing illegal printing on the area outside the disc label. Next, the UWP application 201 adds the created Canvas to the PrintDocument (S1109). A Print Document is an object that represents the entire printed document. The above processes from S1106 to S1109 are repeated for the total number of pages of printing. The UWP application 201 may be configured to store the Canvas generated in S907 of the preview generation process in the RAM 113 as a cache, skip the processes from S1106 to S1108, and use the generated Canvas. As a result, unnecessary processing can be skipped and printing processing can be executed at high speed. However, when processing such as S908 or S910, which is a special processing for previewing, is performed, the UWP application 201 does not use the generated Canvas and regenerates it for printing by the processing from S1106 to S1108.

Finally, the UWP application 201 instructs the completion of the creation of the PrintDocument, returns the created PrintDocument to the print manager 204 (S1111), and ends the process of FIG. 11. The above is the print data generation process of the UWP application 201.

As described above, the UWP application 201 in the present embodiment is configured to interrupt the printing process by returning an error to the print manager 204 under specific conditions. As a result, it is possible to reduce printing mistakes due to improper printing settings and to configure the printing application as a dedicated printing application for a specific printer driver. Further, in the print data generation process, the UWP application 201 generates a print Cambas different from the preview Cambas generated in the preview generation process. As a result, the UWP application 201 can issue a correct print request to the printer driver 206, which does not include a preview-only drawing such as S908 or S910.

<UWP application setting change processing>
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a main processing flow of the setting change processing of the UWP application 201 in the present printing system. Hereinafter, the UWP application 201 may be described as the subject of each process, but in reality, the corresponding function is realized by executing the corresponding program by the CPU 111. This setting change process is a process of the setting change event handler registered by the UWP application 201 in S512.

This setting change process is called from the print manager 204 when the user changes the print setting on the MPD 203. The UWP application 201 confirms whether the changed setting on the MPD 203 is the paper type (S1201). The changed setting information is passed from the print manager 204. If the changed setting is not a media type (No in S1201), the UWP application 201 checks to see if the changed setting on the MPD 203 is double-sided printing (S1202). Similarly, if the changed setting is not a double-sided print setting (No in S1202), the UWP application 201 checks if the changed setting on the MPD 203 is in color mode (S1203). If any of S1201, S1202, and S1203 is Yes, the UWP application 201 instructs the print manager 204 to redraw the print preview (S1204). By doing so, the print manager calls the paginization process (FIG. 8) and the preview generation process (FIG. 9) of the UWP application, and as a result, the print preview on the MPD 203 is redrawn. The above is the setting change process of the UWP application 201.

For example, normally, even if the paper type is changed, the print preview displayed on the MPD 203 does not change, so that the print preview does not need to be redrawn. However, in the present embodiment, the UWP application 201 may perform special drawing for the preview in order to improve the convenience of the print preview displayed on the MPD 203. By executing the setting change process shown in FIG. 12, the preview redrawing process can be reliably executed when the paper type is changed or the like.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the UWP application 201 generates different data in the preview generation process and the print data generation process. As a result, a print preview that makes it easy to intuitively understand the print result can be displayed on the MPD 203 while ensuring the correct print result. Further, the UWP application 201 determines the print setting and the type of the printer driver, notifies the user that printing cannot be continued, and controls so that printing is not executed even if printing is instructed. By the above processing, the convenience of the print setting on the MPD 203 can be improved in the architecture of the UWP application printed via the MPD 203. In addition, the UWP application can be configured as an application dedicated to a specific printer driver.

The UWP application 201 in the present embodiment has three print modes of photo printing, document printing, and disc label printing, but it goes without saying that the UWP application 201 can be configured to have other modes. Further, the UWP application 201 determines print settings such as color mode, double-sided printing, paper size, and paper type, and performs preview generation processing. Needless to say, the UWP application 201 can be applied to other print settings. For example, the UWP application 201 may generate a preview to which the allocation process has been performed when it detects that the allocation printing is specified.

<Other Embodiments>
The above-described embodiment is also executed by executing the following processing. That is, a recording medium on which the program code of software that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiment is recorded is supplied to the system or device. Then, the computer (or CPU or MPU) of the system or device reads and executes the program code stored in the recording medium. Thereby, the above-mentioned purpose can be achieved. 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.

As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a flexible disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a magnetic tape, a non-volatile memory card, a ROM, a DVD, or the like can be used. it can.

Further, by executing the program code read by the computer, not only the functions of the above-described embodiment are realized. It is also included that the OS or the like running on the computer performs a part or all of the actual processing based on the instruction of the program code, and the function of the above-described embodiment is realized by the processing.

Further, the program code read from the storage medium may be written in the memory provided in the function expansion board inserted in the computer or the function expansion unit connected to the computer. Then, based on the instruction of the program code, the function expansion board, the CPU provided in the function expansion unit, or the like may perform a part or all of the actual processing. By the processing, the function of the above-described embodiment is realized.

101: Host computer, 102: Printing device, 201: UWP application, 202: OS, 203: MPD, 204: Print manager, 205: WSDA, 206: Printer driver

Claims (13)

An application program that runs on the OS of an information processing device.
The first receiving means for receiving a print request from the user on the computer of the information processing device,
An acquisition means for acquiring the print setting information specified in the standard print setting dialog of the OS displayed in response to the print request, and
A first generation means for generating preview data for the print setting dialog to display a preview based on the print target data and the print setting information.
A return means for returning the preview data to the print setting dialog, and
A program characterized by functioning as. A claim characterized in that the computer of the information processing apparatus further functions as a second generation means for generating print data based on the print target data in response to a print instruction received via the print setting dialog. Item 1. The program according to item 1. The program according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the computer of the information processing apparatus further functions as a determination means for determining whether or not printing can be continued with the print settings included in the print setting information. The program according to claim 3, wherein the determination means determines whether or not printing can be continued based on the information indicating the printer driver included in the print setting information. The computer of the information processing device,
The program according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the print setting corresponding to the print request is further functioned as a second reception means for receiving from the user. The determination means is characterized in that it determines that printing can be continued when there is no prohibition relationship between the print setting information acquired by the acquisition means and the print setting received by the second reception means. The program according to claim 5. When the determination means determines that printing cannot be continued,
The program according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the first generation means generates the preview data including an error message indicating that printing cannot be continued. The determination means according to any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein an error is returned in response to a request for generating printing data when it is determined that printing cannot be continued. program. The first generation means according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the first generation means generates the preview data that has been processed so as to distinguish the printable area from the other area. Program. The first generation means is characterized in that, based on the print setting information acquired by the acquisition means, the preview data that has been processed corresponding to the printing process executed by the printing apparatus is generated. The program according to any one of items 1 to 9. Any of claims 1 to 10, wherein the acquisition means reacquires the print setting information from the print setting dialog when it is determined that the preview data is changed due to the change of the print setting information. The program described in item 1. An information processing device equipped with an OS
A receiving means for receiving a print request from a user by an application program running on the OS.
A first acquisition means for acquiring print setting information specified in the standard print setting dialog of the OS displayed in response to the print request by the program, and
A first generation means for generating preview data for the print setting dialog to display a preview based on the print target data and the print setting information by the program.
A return means for returning the preview data to the print setting dialog by the program, and
An information processing device characterized by having. A method in which an information processing device including an OS is executed by a program of an application running on the OS.
The reception process for receiving print requests from users,
The first acquisition step of acquiring the print setting information specified in the standard print setting dialog of the OS displayed in response to the print request, and
A first generation step of generating preview data for the print setting dialog to display a preview based on the print target data and the print setting information, and
A return process for returning the preview data to the print setting dialog, and
A method characterized by including.

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