JP2003011445A - Printer controller, printer, printing control method, printing control program and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable surely and automatically collecting information when a printing job error is brought about which is necessary for specifying the cause of generation of a printing job, and make a person in charge of the printer maker side easily analyze the printing job error by reproducing a state of the printing job error at any time. SOLUTION: When an error is generated while a PDL data 104 in the printing job received by a controller 106 is being processed, error page image data based on error page information, status image data based on status information and font list image data based on font list information printed from an engine 107 are stored to a storage 103.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a print control device, a print device, a print control method, a print control program, and a storage device which analyze a print job received from an external device via a predetermined communication medium and print the print job. It concerns media.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a printing apparatus provided with this type of printing control apparatus has a status print function for listing and printing a list of information of the printing apparatus. The status print includes a list of setting items in the printing apparatus, information about the installed memory, network settings, and the like.

Further, there has been a font list for enumerating and printing a list of fonts that can be used in a printing apparatus and samples thereof.

The status print and font list as described above are used not only by the user to confirm the status of the printing apparatus, but also by the service person of the printing apparatus manufacturer, for example, not only the user, but also the maintenance of the printing apparatus for maintenance. It is also used to check the situation.

On the other hand, when an error occurs during printing of PDL data received from a host computer in the printing device, there is a printing device that displays a message indicating the error condition.

[0006] For example, PostScript from Adobe
In a printer equipped with t (registered trademark) or its clone, when an error occurs while printing the received PDL data, an error page is printed, and the command or the command that caused the error is printed. , Error details, current stack, etc. are printed.

By referring to the above error page, status print, and font list,
It is configured so that the status of the printing device at the time of printing the PDL data can be confirmed.

[0008]

However, in the conventional method as described above, in order to confirm the status of the printing apparatus when an error occurs, the user voluntarily gives an operation instruction to print the status. And the font list must be printed. For example, if an error with low reproducibility occurs and the user tries to make a complaint to the printer manufacturer, if the user does not print the status immediately after the error occurs, Even if a status print is executed according to an instruction from the printing device manufacturer, the status of the printing device at the time of the error may have changed, and the printing device manufacturer will then reproduce the exact state of the printing device. However, there is a problem that it is difficult to reproduce the error.

Further, for example, in a printing apparatus in a network environment shared by many hosts, when an error occurs while a large number of jobs are operating, which job is printing an error It becomes difficult to determine whether the error has occurred, and if various settings related to printing are changed on the host side, the transmitted PDL data will also change, so it is difficult to reproduce the PDL data that causes an error. There was a problem that such a situation would occur.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and a first object of the present invention is to store print data generated from the print job in parallel with the processing of the print job in a storage device. When a job processing error occurs during processing of the print job, error page information listing the details of error pages, status information listing various set information, and available Font list information in which a list of fonts is enumerated is printed from the printing unit, and error page image data based on error page information printed from the printing unit, status image data based on status information, and font based on font list information By storing the list image data in the storage device, the user can receive error print operation instructions during a print job. Even if not, the information at the time of print job error necessary to identify the cause of the print job occurrence can be reliably collected automatically, and the person in charge of the printing device manufacturer can analyze the print job error. A print control device and a printing device that can easily reproduce the print job error state at any time and easily reproduce print data in which an error has occurred from a print job in which an error has occurred, and A print control method, a print control program, and a storage medium are provided.

A second object is to set whether or not to save error information associated with an error in a print job, determine whether or not to save the error information, and determine whether to start error processing or avoid error processing. A print control device, a printing device, a print control method, a print control program, and a storage device, in which a user can arbitrarily set an environment for error processing of a print job and can freely construct a highly convenient environment for coping with print job errors It is to provide a medium.

A third object is that, when a job processing error occurs in a print job, an error page based on error page information printed by a printing unit is output to an external device via the predetermined communication medium. By transmitting the image data, the status image data based on the status information, and the font list image data based on the font list information, the job error is timely sent to the administrator who manages the printing apparatus in which the print job error occurs. It is possible to remotely collect valid error information that can be reproduced, and to greatly reduce the operation burden on the user side when performing the error information notification process. Print control device, print device, print control method, print control program, and storage medium It is to provide.

[0013]

A first aspect of the present invention is a print control apparatus which analyzes a print job received from an external device via a predetermined communication medium and causes a print section to print the print job. A data storage unit (corresponding to the storage device 103 shown in FIG. 1) that stores print data generated from the print job in the storage device in parallel with the processing of the job, and a job processing error occurs during the processing of the print job. In addition to printing error page information listing the details of error pages, status information listing various set information, and font list information listing the available fonts from the printing unit, Error page image data based on error page information printed from the copy, status image data based on status information, and font list information And having an error processing means for storing font list image data to the storage device (corresponding to the controller 106 shown in FIG. 1).

The second aspect of the present invention is a setting means (corresponding to a configuration based on a command from the panel operation section 110 or the host computer 108 shown in FIG. 1) for setting whether or not to save error information associated with an error in a print job. )When,
And a deciding unit (corresponding to the controller 106 shown in FIG. 1) for deciding whether to save the error information set by the setting unit and deciding whether to start error processing or avoid error processing by the error information processing unit. And

According to a third aspect of the present invention, when a job processing error occurs in a print job, the error information processing means assigns a unique error number to the job processing error and prints it from the printing section. The error page image data based on the error page information, the status image data based on the status information, and the font list image data based on the font list information are stored in the storage device.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, when a job processing error occurs in a print job, error page information printed by the printing unit is output to an external device via a predetermined communication medium. It is characterized by having a transmitting means (corresponding to the controller 106 and the external interface 102 shown in FIG. 1) for transmitting the error page image data based on the status information, the status image data based on the status information, and the font list image data based on the font list information.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the transmitting means is
An XML file including error page image data based on error page information printed from the printing unit, status image data based on status information, and font list image data based on font list information is transmitted to a pre-registered URL. To do.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the transmitting means is
To simultaneously send an XML file containing error page image data based on error page information printed from the printing section, status image data based on status information, and font list image data based on font list information to a plurality of pre-registered URLs. Is characterized by.

A seventh invention according to the present invention is a plurality of URLs.
Includes a URL for the management server of the user who manages the job processing status of the printing unit, and a URL for the management server of the manufacturer of the printing apparatus including the printing unit.

An eighth invention according to the present invention has a data discarding means for discarding the print data stored in the storage device by the data storage means when no job processing error occurs during the processing of the print job. It is characterized by

A ninth invention according to the present invention is characterized in that the print data is PDL data.

A tenth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the predetermined communication medium includes a wired or wireless network.

An eleventh invention according to the present invention is a print control method in a print control device for analyzing a print job received from an external device via a predetermined communication medium and causing the print unit to print the print job. A data accumulation step of accumulating print data generated from a print job in parallel with the processing in a storage device (the storage device 103 shown in FIG. 1), and an error page when a job processing error occurs during the processing of the print job. Error page information that enumerates the details of the status information and status information that enumerates various set information (Fig. 2
(Information required for status print), and font list information that lists the available fonts (Fig. 3
The information necessary for printing the font list shown in 1) is printed from the printing section, and error page image data based on error page information printed from the printing section, status image data based on status information, and a font list based on font list information. It is characterized by having an error information processing step (steps S507 to S511 shown in FIG. 5) of accumulating image data in a storage device.

A twelfth aspect of the present invention relates to a setting step (not shown) for setting whether or not to save error information associated with an error in a print job, and an error information savability state set by the setting step. A determining step (step S50 shown in FIG. 5) for determining whether to start error processing or avoid error processing by the error information processing step.
3) and are included.

In a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the error information processing step, when a job processing error occurs in a print job, a unique error number is given to the job processing error and printing is performed from the printing section. The error page image data based on the error page information, the status image data based on the status information, and the font list image data based on the font list information are stored in the storage device.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, when a job processing error occurs in a print job, the error page information printed by the printing unit is output to an external device via a predetermined communication medium. Error page image data based on
It is characterized by including a transmitting step (step S713 shown in FIG. 7) for transmitting the status image data based on the status information and the font list image data based on the font list information.

In a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in the transmitting step (step S713 shown in FIG. 7), error page image data based on error page information printed by the printing unit, status image data based on status information, and font It is characterized in that an XML file containing font list image data based on list information is transmitted to a pre-registered URL.

In a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, in the transmitting step (step S713 shown in FIG. 7), the error page image data based on the error page information printed by the printing unit, the status image data based on the status information, and the font A plurality of URs in which XML files including font list image data based on list information are registered in advance
It is characterized by transmitting to L simultaneously.

The seventeenth invention according to the present invention is a plurality of URs.
L includes a URL for a management server of a user who manages a job processing state of the printing unit, and a URL for a management server of a maker of a printing apparatus including the printing unit.

The eighteenth invention according to the present invention is, when a job processing error does not occur during processing of a print job,
It is characterized by having a data discarding step of discarding the print data stored in the storage device by the data storing step.

A nineteenth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the print data is PDL data.

The twentieth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the predetermined communication medium includes a wired or wireless network.

In a twenty-first aspect of the present invention, a print control device that analyzes a print job received from an external device via a predetermined communication medium and causes the print unit to print the print job is printed in parallel with the processing of the print job. A data accumulation step of accumulating print data generated from a job in a storage device (the storage device 103 shown in FIG. 1) and details of error pages when a job processing error occurs during processing of a print job. Error page information (not shown), status information listing various set information (information necessary for status printing shown in FIG. 2), font list information listing a list of usable fonts (see FIG. 3) (Information necessary for printing the font list shown) is printed from the printing section, and the error page based on the error page information printed from the printing section is printed. Di image data, step S507~S shown in the error processing step (FIG. 5 for storing status image data based on the status information, a font list image data based on the font list information in the storage device
A computer-readable storage medium recording a program for executing 511).

A twenty-second aspect of the present invention relates to a setting step (not shown) for setting whether or not to save error information due to an error in a print job, and an error information savability state set by the setting step. A determining step (step S50 shown in FIG. 5) for determining whether to start error processing or avoid error processing by the error information processing step.
3) and are included.

In a twenty-third aspect of the present invention, in the error information processing step, when a job processing error occurs in a print job, a unique error number is given to the job processing error and printing is performed from the printing section. The error page image data based on the error page information, the status image data based on the status information, and the font list image data based on the font list information are stored in the storage device.

In a twenty-fourth aspect of the present invention, when a job processing error occurs in a print job, error page information printed by the printing unit is output to an external device via a predetermined communication medium. Error page image data based on
It is characterized by including a transmitting step (step S713 shown in FIG. 7) for transmitting the status image data based on the status information and the font list image data based on the font list information.

In a twenty-fifth aspect of the present invention, in the transmitting step (step S713 shown in FIG. 7), the error page image data based on the error page information printed by the printing unit, the status image data based on the status information, and the font It is characterized in that an XML file containing font list image data based on list information is transmitted to a pre-registered URL.

In a twenty-sixth aspect of the present invention, the transmission step (step S713 shown in FIG. 7) is: error page image data based on error page information printed by the printing unit, status image data based on status information, font A plurality of URs in which XML files including font list image data based on list information are registered in advance
It is characterized by transmitting to L simultaneously.

The twenty-seventh aspect of the present invention is a plurality of URs.
L includes a URL for a management server of a user who manages a job processing state of the printing unit, and a URL for a management server of a maker of a printing apparatus including the printing unit.

A twenty-eighth aspect of the present invention is directed to a case where no job processing error occurs during processing of a print job,
It is characterized by having a data discarding step of discarding the print data stored in the storage device by the data storing step.

The twenty-ninth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the print data is PDL data.

The thirtieth invention of the present invention is characterized in that the predetermined communication medium includes a wired or wireless network.

A thirty-first aspect of the present invention is a means (corresponding to the storage device 103 shown in FIG. 1) for storing the print data in a storage device when the print data is processed and printed.
The printing apparatus is characterized by having a transmission unit (corresponding to the controller 106 and the external interface 102 shown in FIG. 1) that transmits the print data stored in the storage device together with the error information when the printing is unsuccessful.

A thirty-second invention according to the present invention comprises a step (step S706 shown in FIG. 7) of storing the print data in a storage device when the print data is processed and printed.
And a transmission step (step S713 shown in FIG. 7) of transmitting the print data stored in the storage device together with the error information when the printing is unsuccessful.

A thirty-third aspect of the present invention is to process the print data and store the print data in a storage device when printing (step S706 shown in FIG. 7),
A printing control program comprising: a transmission step (step S713 shown in FIG. 7) of transmitting the print data stored in the storage device together with the error information when the printing is unsuccessful.

A thirty-fourth aspect of the present invention is a step of processing the print data and storing the print data in a storage device when printing (step S706 shown in FIG. 7),
A storage medium having a transmission step (step S713 shown in FIG. 7) of transmitting print data stored in the storage device together with error information when printing is unsuccessful.

[0047]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [First Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of a print control apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The configuration and operation will be described below.

In FIG. 1, the printing apparatus 101 has a host computer 10 via an external interface 102.
8 to receive print data 109.
In this embodiment, when the print data 109 is printed, printing is performed while storing PDL data in the storage device 103 in parallel.

The storage device 103 stores PDL data 104 and data such as error pages, statuses and font lists, which will be described later. Further, when the error job storage flag 111 is turned on, the PDL data 104 is stored in the storage device 103 in parallel with the print processing.
Will be temporarily stored in. At that time, when an error occurs, a specific error number that is uniquely set for the error is added, and the PDL data where the error occurred, the error print, the status print at the time when the error occurred, the font list Is executed and the image data is stored in the recording device 103.

Reference numeral 106 denotes a controller, which is an external I / F 10
The print data received via 2 is analyzed, rasterized and output to the engine 107.

Reference numeral 110 denotes a panel operation unit, and the user can freely change various settings of the printing apparatus 101 by operating the panel operation unit 110.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a status print printed by the printing apparatus 101 shown in FIG. 1. Hardware information, RAM capacity, printer sharing settings, print adjustment, paper feed, layout, automatic switching. , PD
6 is an example of a status print that enumerates and prints various types of information including L settings and the like.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a font list for enumerating and printing a list of usable fonts printed by the printing apparatus 101 shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing an example of the first data processing procedure in the print control apparatus according to the present invention. Note that S401 to S408 indicate each step.

First, in step S401, when the print data 109 is received by the external interface 102, the PDL data 104 in the received print data 109 is transferred to the storage device 103 in step S402, as will be described later. When the flag for parallel storage is set to ON, the same PDL is stored in the storage device 407 in parallel with normal printing including intermediate processing, rendering by the rendering 404, and printing processing.
The data 406 is temporarily stored.

Here, if the above-described normal printing process is successful, the extracted PDL data is temporarily stored in step S407, and then the printing process is normally completed in step S405. In the PDL
Since it is not necessary to retain the data 104 in the storage device 103, the data 104 is discarded in step S408, and the process ends.

On the other hand, P extracted in step S403
The controller 106 analyzes the DL data, executes intermediate processing for generating intermediate data and rendering processing for the intermediate data in step S404, and then executes step S404.
At 405, the rendered print data (bitmap data) is output from the engine 107 and printed, and the process ends.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing an example of the second data processing procedure in the print control apparatus according to the present invention. Note that S501 to S513 indicate each step.

First, when the process is started in step S501, print data is received in step S502. In step S503, it is determined in step S503 whether or not the error job can be saved (error job save flag is set to On). If it is determined that it is not stored, normal printing is performed in step S504, and this processing ends.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S503 that the data is to be saved, the controller 106 prints the received PDL data 104 in step S505 and, in step S506, stores it in the storage device 103. The same PDL data 104 is stored.

Printing is performed in this way, and step S5
In 07, the controller 106 causes the step S505.
If it is determined that the print processing in step 2 has been performed normally (whether the print was successful), and if the print is successful,
In step S512, the PDL data 104 temporarily stored in the storage device 103 in step S506.
Is erased and the printing process is ended (S513).

On the other hand, in step S507, step S5
If the controller 106 determines that an error has occurred during the print processing in 05, first, for the error,
In step S508, a specific (unique) error number for managing errors is issued.

Next, based on this error number, in step S509, an error page, step S510
In step S511, the font list is executed and the print images are stored in the storage device 103, respectively, and then the process ends in step S513.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining the structure of various error information stored in the storage device 103 shown in FIG.

In FIG. 6, steps S508-S in FIG.
The PDL data, error page, status print, and font list data issued in S511 are grouped with unique error numbers E1 and E2, respectively,
It will be stored in the storage device 103.

As a result, the PDL by the user or the maintainer of the maker that supports the user.
It is possible to accurately recognize the error situation in the data and its cause.

Further, necessary information may be dynamically added to the item to be printed on the status print 201 according to the error situation and the like to print.

[Second Embodiment] In the first embodiment, the PDL data, error page, status print, issued in steps S508 to S511 of FIG.
The font list data is stored in the storage device 1 when an error occurs.
Although the case of automatically storing the data in 03 has been described,
It may be configured to transmit to an external communication device. Less than,
The configuration and operation of the embodiment will be described.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing an example of the third data processing procedure in the print control apparatus according to the present invention. Note that S701 to S714 indicate each step.

First, when the process is started in step S701, print data is received in step S702, and in step S703, it is determined in the printing apparatus 101 whether or not the error job can be saved (the error job save flag 111 is set to On. If it is determined not to save, the normal printing is performed in step S704, and this processing ends.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S703 that the data is to be saved, the controller 106 prints the received PDL data 104 in step S705 and, in step S706, stores it in the storage device 103. The same PDL data 104 is stored.

Printing is performed in this way, and step S7
In 07, the controller 106 causes the step S705.
If it is determined that the print processing in step 2 has been performed normally (whether the print was successful), and if the print is successful,
In step S712, the PDL data 103 temporarily stored in the storage device 103 in step S706.
Is erased and the printing process is terminated (S714).

On the other hand, in step S707, step S7
If the controller 106 determines that an error has occurred during the print processing in 05, first, for the error,
In step S708, a specific (unique) error number for managing errors is issued.

Next, based on this error number, in step S709, an error page, step S710
In step S711, the font list is issued, and the print images are stored in the storage device 103. Then, in step S713, the PDL data, the error page, the status print, and the font list data are stored. Through the external interface 102, for example, via the Internet, it is transmitted to the server device of the service center of the printing device manufacturer by a predetermined protocol, and in step S714,
The process ends. This allows the administrator of the server side of the service center of the printing device manufacturer to remotely check the status of each error that has occurred in the printing device of each user, and to start prompt support in a timely manner. You can

According to the above embodiment, the PDL data being printed is temporarily stored in the storage device in parallel, and when an error occurs, in addition to the above PDL data, the status print and font list are added at that time. Automatically, and print the result and store it in a storage device, or automatically send it to an external device through a network etc. to accurately reproduce the situation at the time of error and facilitate the pursuit of the cause of the error. Is possible.

Further, since various data to be saved when an error occurs is transmitted to the external device through the communication interface, it is possible to confirm the error status of the printing device remotely, and the above-mentioned is possible without actually visiting the printing device. By acquiring the information, it is possible to pursue the cause of the error at a distance.

Further, since it is possible to set whether or not the PDL data can be stored in the storage device in parallel in the printing device 101, for example, it can be turned off during normal operation and operated as a normal printer. It is also possible.

In the above embodiment, when a job processing error occurs with respect to the print job, an external device, for example, a server device of a service center of a printing device maker, is sent to the external device via the predetermined communication medium. The case where error page image data based on error page information printed from the printing unit, status image data based on status information, and font list image data based on the font list information are transmitted has been described. X including error page image data based on error page information printed by the printing unit, status image data based on status information, and font list image data based on the font list information
It may be configured to send the ML file to a pre-registered URL.

At this time, a plurality of URLs registered in advance, for example, the URL for the management server of the user who manages the job processing status of the printing unit and the URL for the management server of the manufacturer of the printing apparatus having the printing unit are simultaneously transmitted. It may be configured as follows.

Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the predetermined communication medium is a network system using a wired network or the like has been described, but the predetermined communication medium includes a wireless network and a portable terminal device (mobile phone,
A plurality of URLs registered in advance via the portable data processing device, for example, a URL for the management server of the user who manages the job processing status of the printing unit, and a URL for the management server of the printing device maker that has the printing unit are transmitted at once. You may comprise.

The configuration of the data processing program that can be read by the printing system to which the print control apparatus according to the present invention is applicable will be described below with reference to the memory map shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a memory map of a storage medium that stores various data processing programs that can be read by a printing system to which the printing control apparatus according to the present invention can be applied.

Although not particularly shown, information for managing the programs stored in the storage medium, such as version information, creator information, etc., and information depending on the OS on the program reading side, such as programs, are stored. In some cases, an icon or the like for identification and display is also stored.

Further, data dependent on various programs is also managed in the above directory. In addition, a program for installing various programs in a computer, or a program for decompressing the program to be installed when it is compressed may be stored.

The functions shown in FIGS. 5 and 7 in this embodiment may be executed by the host computer by a program installed from the outside. And in that case, CD-ROM, flash memory, FD
The present invention can be applied to a case where an information group including a program is supplied to the output device from a storage medium such as the above or from an external storage medium via a network.

As described above, the storage medium recording the program code of the software that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to the system or apparatus, and the computer (or CPU or MP of the system or apparatus is supplied.
It goes without saying that the object of the present invention can also be achieved by U) reading and executing the program code stored in the storage medium.

In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the novel function of the present invention, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.

As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, C
A D-ROM, a CD-R, a magnetic tape, a non-volatile memory card, a ROM, an EEPROM or the like can be used.

Further, by executing the program code read by the computer, not only the functions of the above-described embodiment are realized, but also the OS (operating system) running on the computer based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that this also includes the case where the above) performs a part or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.

Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written in the memory provided in the function expansion board inserted into the computer or the function expansion unit connected to the computer, based on the instruction of the program code, The CPU or the like provided in the function expansion board or function expansion unit performs a part or all of the actual processing,
It goes without saying that the processing includes the case where the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized.

[0091]

As described above, the first aspect of the present invention
According to the thirty-fourth invention, print data generated from the print job is accumulated in the storage device in parallel with the processing of the print job, and when a job processing error occurs during the processing of the print job. , Error page information in which details of error pages are listed, status information in which various types of set information are listed, font list information in which a list of usable fonts is listed, and the printing unit prints the font list information. The error page image data based on the error page information printed from the printer, the status image data based on the status information, and the font list image data based on the font list information are stored in the storage device. Print job errors that are necessary to identify the cause of print job Information at the time of occurrence can be reliably collected automatically, and the person in charge of the printing device manufacturer can easily perform error analysis of a print job by reproducing the print job error status at any time and easily It is also possible to easily reproduce the print data in which an error has occurred from the print job to be generated.

Further, by setting whether or not to save the error information associated with the error of the print job, determining whether or not the error information can be saved, and determining whether to start the error processing or avoid the error processing, the error of the print job is detected. It is possible to freely construct a highly convenient print job error handling environment in which the user can arbitrarily set the environment for processing.

Further, when a job processing error occurs in a print job, error page image data and status based on error page information printed by the printing unit is sent to an external device via the predetermined communication medium. Since the status image data based on the information and the font list image data based on the font list information are transmitted, the job error can be reproduced in a timely manner to the administrator who manages the printing apparatus in which the print job error occurs. It is possible to collect various error information remotely, and to significantly reduce the operation burden on the user side in the error information notification process. It is possible to freely construct a highly convenient print job error handling environment. Play.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a print control apparatus showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a status print printed by the printing apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a font list for enumerating and printing a list of usable fonts printed by the printing apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a first data processing procedure in the print control apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a second data processing procedure in the print control apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining a configuration of various error information stored in the storage device shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a third data processing procedure in the print control apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a memory map of a storage medium that stores various data processing programs that can be read by a printing system to which the print control apparatus according to the present invention can be applied.

[Explanation of symbols]

101 printing device 103 storage device 110 Panel operation unit 201 Status print 301 font list

Claims (34)

[Claims] 1. A print control device that analyzes a print job received from an external device via a predetermined communication medium and causes a printing unit to print the print job, the print control device being generated from the print job in parallel with processing of the print job. Data storing means for storing print data in a storage device, error page information listing details of error pages when a job processing error occurs during processing of the print job, and various set information Status information, font list information in which a list of usable fonts is listed, is printed from the printing unit, error page image data based on error page information printed from the printing unit, and status image based on status information Error information for accumulating font list image data based on data and font list information in the storage device Print control apparatus, characterized in that it comprises a processing means. 2. A setting unit that sets whether to save error information associated with an error in the print job, and an error by the error information processing unit that determines whether the error information can be saved set by the setting unit. 2. The print control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a determination unit that determines processing start or error processing avoidance. 3. The error information processing unit, when a job processing error occurs in the print job, adds a unique error number to the job processing error and adds the error page information to the error page information printed by the printing unit. The print control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein error page image data based on the status information, status image data based on the status information, and font list image data based on the font list information are accumulated in the storage device. 4. Error page image data based on error page information printed from the printing unit to an external device via the predetermined communication medium when a job processing error occurs in the print job. 2. The print control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a transmission unit that transmits status image data based on the status information and font list image data based on the font list information. 5. The XML file containing the error page image data based on the error page information printed by the printing unit, the status image data based on the status information, and the font list image data based on the font list information is printed in advance by the sending unit. The print control device according to claim 4, wherein the print control device transmits to a registered URL. 6. The XML file containing the error page image data based on the error page information printed by the printing unit, the status image data based on the status information, and the font list image data based on the font list information is previously written by the sending unit. Multiple URs registered
The print control device according to claim 4, wherein the print control device performs simultaneous transmission to L. 7. The plurality of URLs are URs to a management server of a user who manages a job processing state of the printing unit.
7. The print control device according to claim 6, wherein the print control device includes a URL for a management server of a manufacturer of a printing device including the printing unit. 8. A data discarding unit for discarding the print data stored in the storage device by the data storage unit when a job processing error does not occur during the processing of the print job. The print control device according to claim 1. 9. The print control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the print data is PDL data. 10. The print control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined communication medium includes a wired or wireless network. 11. A print control method in a print control device, wherein a print job received from an external device via a predetermined communication medium is analyzed and printed by a printing unit, wherein the printing is performed in parallel with the processing of the print job. A data accumulation step of accumulating print data generated from a job in a storage device, and error page information listing details of error pages when a job processing error occurs during processing of the print job, which is set. Status information listing various information, font list information listing a list of usable fonts is printed from the printing unit, and error page image data based on error page information printed from the printing unit, status information Status image data based on the above, and font list image data based on the font list information Print control method comprising: the error processing step of storing the 憶 device. 12. A setting step for setting whether or not to save error information due to an error in the print job, and an error by the error information processing step by determining whether or not to save the error information set by the setting step. 12. The print control method according to claim 11, further comprising a determination step of determining processing start or error processing avoidance. 13. The error information processing step, when a job processing error occurs in the print job, assigns a unique error number to the job processing error and adds error page information to the error page information printed by the printing unit. 12. The print control method according to claim 11, wherein error page image data based on the status information, status image data based on the status information, and font list image data based on the font list information are accumulated in the storage device. 14. Error page image data based on error page information printed from the printing unit to an external device via the predetermined communication medium when a job processing error occurs in the print job. 12. The print control method according to claim 11, further comprising a transmission step of transmitting status image data based on status information and font list image data based on font list information. 15. The transmitting step preliminarily prepares an XML file containing error page image data based on error page information printed from the printing unit, status image data based on status information, and font list image data based on font list information. Registered UR
The print control method according to claim 14, wherein the print control method is transmitted to L. 16. The XML file including error page image data based on error page information printed from the printing unit, status image data based on status information, and font list image data based on font list information is printed in advance in the transmitting step. 15. The print control method according to claim 14, wherein the plurality of registered URLs are simultaneously transmitted. 17. The plurality of URLs are U for a management server of a user who manages a job processing state of the printing unit.
17. The print control method according to claim 16, further comprising an RL and a URL for a management server of a manufacturer of a printing apparatus including the printing unit. 18. A data discarding step of discarding the print data stored in the storage device by the data storing step when a job processing error does not occur during processing of the print job. The print control method according to claim 11. 19. The print control method according to claim 11, wherein the print data is PDL data. 20. The print control method according to claim 11, wherein the predetermined communication medium includes a wired or wireless network. 21. A print control device that analyzes a print job received from an external device via a predetermined communication medium and causes a print unit to print the print job, the print being generated from the print job in parallel with the processing of the print job. A data storage step of storing data in a storage device, error page information listing details of error pages when a job processing error occurs during processing of the print job, and various set information Status information, font list information in which a list of usable fonts is enumerated is printed from the printing unit, error page image data based on error page information printed from the printing unit, status image data based on status information, Error information for storing font list image data based on the font list information in the storage device Recorded computer-readable storage medium storing a program for executing the process steps. 22. A setting step for setting whether or not to save error information due to an error in the print job, and an error by the error information processing step by judging whether or not to save the error information set by the setting step. 22. The storage medium according to claim 21, further comprising a determining step of determining processing start or error processing avoidance. 23. In the error information processing step, when a job processing error occurs in the print job, a unique error number is given to the job processing error and error page information printed by the printing unit is added. 22. The storage medium according to claim 21, wherein error page image data based on the status information, status image data based on the status information, and font list image data based on the font list information are stored in the storage device. 24. When a job processing error occurs in the print job, error page image data based on error page information printed from the printing unit to an external device via the predetermined communication medium. 22. The storage medium according to claim 21, further comprising a transmitting step of transmitting status image data based on the status information and font list image data based on the font list information. 25. The transmitting step preliminarily prepares an XML file containing error page image data based on error page information printed from the printing unit, status image data based on status information, and font list image data based on font list information. Registered UR
25. The storage medium according to claim 24, which transmits to L. 26. In the transmitting step, an XML file including error page image data based on error page information printed from the printing unit, status image data based on status information, and font list image data based on font list information is prepared in advance. 25. The storage medium according to claim 24, wherein the storage medium is transmitted to a plurality of registered URLs simultaneously. 27. The plurality of URLs are U for a management server of a user who manages a job processing state of the printing unit.
27. The storage medium according to claim 26, further comprising an RL and a URL for a management server of a manufacturer of a printing apparatus including the printing unit. 28. A data discarding step of discarding the print data stored in the storage device by the data storing step when a job processing error does not occur during the processing of the print job. The storage medium according to claim 21. 29. The storage medium according to claim 21, wherein the print data is PDL data. 30. The storage medium according to claim 21, wherein the predetermined communication medium includes a wired or wireless network. 31. When the print data is processed and printed,
A printing apparatus comprising: a unit that stores the print data in a storage device; and a transmission unit that transmits the print data stored in the storage device together with error information when printing is unsuccessful. 32. When processing and printing print data,
A printing control method comprising: a step of storing the print data in a storage device; and a transmission step of transmitting the print data stored in the storage device together with error information when the printing is unsuccessful. 33. When processing and printing print data,
A print control program comprising: a step of storing the print data in a storage device; and a transmission step of transmitting the print data stored in the storage device together with error information when printing is unsuccessful. 34. When processing and printing print data,
A storage medium storing a print control program, comprising: a step of storing the print data in a storage device; and a transmission step of transmitting the print data stored in the storage device together with error information when printing is unsuccessful. .