JP2006302302A - Apparatus, method and recording medium for setting print conditions - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information processing apparatus capable of easily setting print functions of a printer when print data are printed by a printer device. <P>SOLUTION: According to a printer driver, a CPU of a personal computer displays a list of one-click icons in an icon display area a1, each icon representing one or more print functions, selects one one-click icon out of the list of one-click icons displayed in the icon display area a1, and automatically sets a plurality of print functions corresponding to the selected one-click icon. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, a printing condition setting method, and a computer-readable recording medium storing a program for executing the method, and more specifically, represents a plurality of printing conditions. An information processing apparatus capable of creating an icon, selecting the created icon, and setting a plurality of printing conditions, a printing condition setting method, and a program for executing the method are stored. The present invention relates to a computer-readable recording medium.

  Recently, printer devices have become increasingly functional and sophisticated, and printer settings have become complicated and difficult for users. Specifically, it is difficult for the user to set printing conditions on the printer driver screen. Such a printer driver is a software program designed to allow a specific program to be operated by another program without bothering the printer hardware and internal "language", and for controlling the printer. In this case, the output data is processed. Different printers require different codes and commands to operate the printer correctly and use their special functions and capabilities. Application programs can interact accurately with a variety of printers using printer drivers that handle all the slightly different functions of each printer instead of application programs. In Windows 95/98, MacOS, and the like, the printer driver is managed by the OS.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an information processing apparatus, a printing condition setting method, and an information processing apparatus capable of easily setting a printing function of a printer when printing data is printed by the printer. An object of the present invention is to provide a computer-readable recording medium characterized by storing a program for executing the method.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 1 is the information processing apparatus for setting the print function when printing the print data with the printer device on the display screen displayed on the display unit. First display control means for displaying a list of symbols representing the printing function in the first display area on the display screen, and one symbol from the list of symbols displayed in the first display area. First selection means for selecting, and print function setting means for setting a plurality of print functions represented by the symbols selected by the first selection means.

  According to the above invention, the first display control means displays a list of symbols each representing a plurality of printing functions in the first display area on the display screen, and the first selection means One symbol is selected from the list of symbols displayed in the display area, and the print function setting means sets a plurality of print functions represented by the symbols selected by the first selection means.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the second display control means for displaying a second display area for selecting a plurality of print functions on the display screen; A printing function selecting means for selecting a plurality of printing functions in a second display area; a symbol creating means for creating a symbol representing a plurality of printing functions selected by the printing function selecting means; and the printing function selection. A plurality of printing functions selected by the means, and symbol registration means for registering the symbols representing the plurality of printing functions created by the symbol creation means in association with each other.

  According to the above invention, the second display control means displays a second display area for selecting a plurality of print functions on the display screen, and the print function selection means is the second display area. The plurality of printing functions are selected, the symbol creating means creates symbols representing the plurality of printing functions selected by the printing function selecting means, and the symbol registration means is the plurality of printing functions selected by the printing function selecting means. And symbols representing a plurality of printing functions created by the symbol creating means are registered in association with each other.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the third display control means for displaying the symbol created by the symbol creating means in a third display area on the display screen in the invention according to the second aspect. It is equipped with. According to the above invention, the display control means of the table 3 displays the symbol created by the symbol creating means in the third display area on the display screen.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the second display control means displays a symbol group representing a single printing function in the second display area. The printing function selection unit selects a plurality of symbols from the symbol group displayed in the second display area, and selects a printing function represented by the selected plurality of symbols. According to the above invention, the second display control means displays a symbol group representing a single print function in the second display area, and the print function selection means is displayed in the second display area. A plurality of symbols are selected from the symbol group, and a printing function represented by each of the selected plurality of symbols is selected.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to any one of claims 2 to 4, further comprising storage means for registering a plurality of images representing the print function for each print function. The symbol creating means synthesizes images registered in the storage means representing the printing function selected by the printing function selecting means to create a symbol representing a plurality of printing functions. According to the above invention, a plurality of images representing printing functions are registered in the storage means for each printing function, and the symbol creating means is registered in the storage means representing the printing function selected by the printing function selection means. Combine images to create symbols that represent multiple printing functions.

  The invention according to a sixth aspect is the invention according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the print function includes a paper direction, a double-sided function, an aggregation function, a bookbinding function, a staple function, and a punch function. , And an enlargement / reduction function and the like. According to the above invention, the paper direction, the duplex function, the aggregation function, the bookbinding function, the staple function, the punch function, the enlargement / reduction function, and the like can be selected as the print function.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, a rearrangement designating unit for designating rearrangement of symbols displayed in the first display area; Rearrangement means for rearranging symbols displayed in the first display area in the rearrangement order designated by the rearrangement designation means.

  According to the above invention, the rearrangement designation unit designates rearrangement of the symbols displayed in the first display area, and the rearrangement unit includes the first display area in the rearrangement order designated by the rearrangement designation unit. Sort the symbols displayed in.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the printing condition setting method for setting a printing function when printing data is printed by the printer device on the display screen displayed on the display unit, each represents a plurality of printing functions. A first display step of displaying a list of symbols in a first display area on the display screen; a selection step of selecting one symbol from the list of symbols displayed in the first display area; And a printing function setting step for setting a plurality of printing functions represented by the symbol selected by the first selection means.

  According to the above invention, a list of symbols each representing a plurality of printing functions is displayed in the first display area on the display screen, and one symbol is selected from the list of symbols displayed in the first display area. And a plurality of printing functions represented by the symbols selected by the first selection means are set.

  The invention according to claim 9 is the invention according to claim 8, further comprising: a second display step of displaying a second display area for selecting a plurality of print functions on the display screen; A printing function selecting step for selecting a plurality of printing functions in the second display area; a symbol creating step for creating a symbol representing a plurality of printing functions selected by the printing function selecting means; And a step of registering the created symbol representing the plurality of printing functions in association with each other. According to the above invention, the second display area for selecting a plurality of print functions is displayed on the display screen, the plurality of print functions are selected in the second display area, and the plurality of selected prints are selected. A symbol representing the function is created, and the plurality of selected printing functions and the created symbols representing the plurality of printing functions are registered in association with each other.

  The invention according to claim 10 is the invention according to claim 9, further comprising a third display step of displaying the created symbol in a third display area on the display screen. According to the above invention, the created symbol is displayed in the third display area on the display screen.

  The invention according to claim 11 is the invention according to claim 9 or 10, wherein in the display step, a symbol group representing a single print function is displayed in the second display area, and the printing is performed. In the function selection step, a plurality of symbols are selected from the symbol group displayed in the second display area, and a printing function represented by each of the selected plurality of symbols is selected.

  According to the above invention, a symbol group representing a single print function is displayed in the second display area, a plurality of symbols are selected from the symbol group displayed in the second display area, and the selected plurality of symbols are displayed. The print function represented by each symbol is selected.

  According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the ninth to eleventh aspects, in the symbol creating step, a plurality of images representing the print function are registered for each print function. An image representing the selected printing function is read out from the storage means and synthesized to create a symbol representing a plurality of printing functions. According to the above invention, for each printing function, the image representing the selected printing function is read out from the storage means in which a plurality of images representing the printing function are registered, and a symbol representing the plurality of printing functions is created. To do.

  The invention according to claim 13 is the invention according to any one of claims 8 to 12, wherein the print function includes a paper direction, a duplex function, an aggregation function, a bookbinding function, a staple function, and a punch function. , And an enlargement / reduction function and the like. According to the above-described invention, the paper direction, the duplex function, the aggregation function, the bookbinding function, the staple function, the punch function, the enlargement / reduction function, and the like can be selected as the print function.

  The invention according to claim 14 is the invention according to any one of claims 8 to 13, further comprising the step of designating the rearrangement of symbols displayed in the first display area; Rearranging symbols displayed in the first display area in accordance with a designated rearrangement. According to the above invention, the rearrangement of the symbols displayed in the first display area is designated, and the symbols displayed in the first display area are rearranged according to the designated rearrangement.

  The invention according to claim 15 stores a program for executing the steps of the invention according to any one of claims 8 to 14 by a computer. According to the above invention, each step of the invention according to any one of claims 8 to 14 is realized by executing a program stored in a recording medium by a computer.

  As described above, according to the first aspect of the invention, the first display control means displays a list of symbols each representing a plurality of printing functions in the first display area on the display screen, The first selection unit selects one symbol from the list of symbols displayed in the first display area, and the print function setting unit selects a plurality of prints represented by the symbols selected by the first selection unit. Since the function is set, it is possible to easily set the print function of the printer device when printing the print data with the printer device.

  According to the invention of claim 2, in the invention of claim 1, the second display control means displays a second display area for selecting a plurality of print functions on the display screen. The printing function selection means selects a plurality of printing functions in the second display area, the symbol creation means creates symbols representing the plurality of printing functions selected by the printing function selection means, and the symbol registration means Since the plurality of printing functions selected by the printing function selection means and the symbols representing the plurality of printing functions created by the symbol creation means are registered in association with each other, in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 1 Thus, the user can create a symbol representing a plurality of desired printing functions, and can select a created symbol to set a plurality of printing functions, thereby improving user convenience.

  According to the invention of claim 3, in the invention of claim 2, the third display control means displays the symbol created by the symbol creation means in the third display area on the display screen. As a result, in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 2, the user can confirm the process of creating symbols representing a plurality of printing functions.

  According to the invention according to claim 4, in the invention according to claim 2 or claim 3, the second display control means displays a symbol group representing a single printing function in the second display area. Then, the printing function selection means selects a plurality of symbols from the symbol group displayed in the second display area, and selects the printing function represented by each of the selected plurality of symbols. Alternatively, in addition to the effect of the invention according to the third aspect, the user can easily select the print function.

  Further, according to the invention according to claim 5, in the invention according to any one of claims 2 to 4, a plurality of images representing printing functions are registered in the storage means for each printing function, and a symbol is created. Since the means synthesizes the images registered in the storage means representing the printing function selected by the printing function selection means to create a symbol representing a plurality of printing functions, the second to fourth aspects are provided. In addition to the effect of the invention according to any one of the above, it is possible to create a symbol representing a plurality of printing functions by a simple method.

  According to the invention according to claim 6, in the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 5, the print function includes a paper direction, a duplex function, an aggregation function, a bookbinding function, a staple function, and a punch. Since the function and the enlargement / reduction function are included, in addition to the effects of the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 5, the printing function includes a paper direction, a duplex function, an aggregation function, A bookbinding function, a staple function, a punch function, an enlargement / reduction function, and the like can be selected.

  According to the invention according to claim 7, in the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 6, the rearrangement designating unit designates rearrangement of symbols displayed in the first display area. Then, the rearrangement means rearranges the symbols displayed in the first display area according to the rearrangement designated by the rearrangement designation means. Therefore, according to any one of claims 1 to 6. In addition to the effects of the present invention, symbols can be rearranged according to the user's usage frequency and the like, and the user's convenience is improved.

  According to the invention of claim 8, a list of symbols each representing a plurality of printing functions is displayed in the first display area on the display screen, and the list of symbols displayed in the first display area is displayed. Since one symbol is selected from among them and a plurality of printing functions represented by the symbols selected by the first selection means are set, printing of the printer device is easy when printing the print data with the printer device. It is possible to set functions.

  According to the invention according to claim 9, in the invention according to claim 8, the second display area for selecting a plurality of print functions is displayed on the display screen, and the second display area, Select multiple printing functions, create symbols that represent the selected printing functions, and register the selected printing functions and the symbols that represent the created printing functions in association with each other. Therefore, in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 8, a user can create a symbol representing a plurality of desired printing functions, and a plurality of printing functions can be set by selecting the created symbols. Become.

  According to the invention of claim 10, in the invention of claim 9, the created symbol is further displayed in the third display area on the display screen. In addition to the effects of the invention, the user can confirm the process of creating symbols representing a plurality of printing functions.

  According to the invention of claim 11, in the invention of claim 9 or claim 10, a symbol group representing a single printing function is displayed in the second display area, and the second display area is displayed. Since a plurality of symbols are selected from the displayed symbol group and the printing function represented by each of the selected plurality of symbols is selected, in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 9 or claim 10, Makes it easy to select a print function.

  According to a twelfth aspect of the invention, in the invention according to any one of the ninth to eleventh aspects, for each print function, from the storage means in which a plurality of images representing the print function are registered, Since the image representing the selected printing function is read and combined to create a symbol representing a plurality of printing functions, in addition to the effects of the invention according to any one of claims 9 to 11, It is possible to create a symbol representing a plurality of printing functions by a simple method.

  According to a thirteenth aspect of the invention, in the invention according to any one of the eighth to twelfth aspects, the print function includes a paper direction, a duplex function, an aggregation function, a bookbinding function, a staple function, a punch function. In addition to the effects of the invention according to any one of claims 8 to 12, since the function and the enlargement / reduction function are included, as a printing function, a paper direction, a duplex function, an aggregation function, A bookbinding function, a staple function, a punch function, an enlargement / reduction function, and the like can be selected.

  According to the invention of claim 14, in the invention according to any one of claims 8 to 13, the rearrangement of symbols displayed in the first display area is designated, and the designated arrangement is specified. Since the symbols displayed in the first display area are rearranged according to the change, in addition to the effect of the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 6, according to the use frequency of the user, etc. Symbols can be rearranged, and user convenience is improved.

  According to the fifteenth aspect of the invention, the steps of the invention according to any one of the eighth to fourteenth aspects are realized by executing a program stored in a recording medium by a computer. As a result, when the print data is printed by the printer device, it is possible to easily set the print function of the printer device.

  Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, preferred embodiments of an information processing apparatus and a printing condition setting method according to the present invention will be described as [print system according to the present embodiment], [personal computer], [printer apparatus], [ Details will be described in the order of “printer driver of personal computer”. In this specification, “printing condition” and “printing function” are used as synonymous terms. The “symbol” is used as a broad concept term including an image such as an icon.

[Print System According to this Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration example of a print system according to the present embodiment. A print system 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a personal computer 1 that sends print data and a print job that includes print conditions for printing the print data, and a printer device 2 that prints the print data via a cable 3. Connected and built.

  The personal computer 1 prints print data corresponding to a created document and print condition data (paper orientation, double-sided, aggregation, bookbinding, staple, punch, enlargement / reduction, etc.) set for printing this document as a print job. Send to 2.

  The printer device 2 prints print data in accordance with a print job sent from the personal computer 2. Specifically, the printer 4 transfers the print data included in the print job to a medium such as paper in accordance with the print condition data included in the print job (paper orientation, duplex, aggregation, bookbinding, staple, punch, enlargement / reduction, etc.). Print on.

  Hereinafter, specific configurations of the personal computer 1 and the printer apparatus 2 will be described in order.

[Personal computer]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the personal computer 1 shown in FIG. 2, the personal computer 1 includes an input unit 11 for inputting data, a display unit 12, a communication unit 13 for performing data communication, a CPU 14 for controlling the entire apparatus, and a work area for the CPU 14. The RAM 15 is used, a recording medium access device 16 that reads / writes data on the recording medium 17, and a recording medium 17 that stores various programs for operating the CPU 14.

  The input unit 11 includes a keyboard having cursor keys, numeric input keys, various function keys, and the like, a mouse for selecting keys on the display screen of the display unit 12, a slice pad, and the like. This is a user interface for giving operation instructions and inputting data.

  The display unit 12 is configured by a CRT, LCD, or the like, and displays according to display data input from the CPU 12. The communication unit 13 is for data communication with the outside. For example, the communication unit 13 is for data communication with the printer device 2 and the like via the cable 3.

  The CPU 14 is a central control unit that controls the entire apparatus according to a program stored in the recording medium 17. The CPU 14 includes an input unit 11, a display unit 12, a communication unit 13, a RAM 15, and a recording medium access device 16. Connected and controls data communication, reading of application programs by accessing the memory, reading / writing of various data, data / command input, display, and the like. In addition, the CPU 14 sends the print data input from the input unit 11 and the print condition data of the print data to the printer device 2 as a print job via the communication unit 13.

  The RAM 15 includes a work memory that stores designated programs, input instructions, input data, processing results, and the like, and a display memory that temporarily stores display data to be displayed on the display screen of the display unit 12.

  The recording medium 17 stores various programs and data such as an OS program 17a (for example, WINDOWS 95 and WINDOWS 98) executable by the CPU 14, a document creation application program 17b, a printer driver 17c corresponding to the printer apparatus 1, and the like. The recording medium 17 includes, for example, an optical / magnetic / electric recording medium such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, an MO, and a PC card. The various programs are stored in the recording medium 17 in a data format that can be read by the CPU 14. The various programs may be recorded in advance on a recording medium or downloaded via a communication line and stored on the recording medium. The various programs can be distributed via a communication line.

[Printer]
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the printer apparatus 2 shown in FIG. 3, the printer apparatus 2 includes a communication unit 21 that performs data communication, a CPU 22 that controls the entire printer apparatus 2, a ROM 23 that stores various control programs for operating the CPU 22, and a work area for various control programs. RAM 24 for temporarily storing print data and print condition data of a print job input from personal computer 1 or the like, printer engine 25 for printing the print data on transfer paper, and stapling the paper on which the print data is printed The printer unit 2 includes a double-sided function, a punching function, a stapling function, and the like.

  The communication unit 21 is for performing data communication with the outside. For example, the communication unit 21 performs data communication with the personal computer 2.

  The CPU 22 is a central control unit that controls the entire apparatus according to various control programs stored in the ROM 23. The CPU 22 is connected to a communication unit 21, a ROM 23, a RAM 24, a printer engine 25, a stapling unit 26, and a punching unit 27, and controls data communication, printer operation, and the like.

  The ROM 23 stores various control programs for operating the CPU 21, parameters used for the processing, and the like. The RAM 24 includes a work memory for storing a designated control program, processing results, received print data, and the like.

  The printer engine 25 is composed of an electrophotographic printer engine, and is a unit that prints print data on transfer paper.

[Printer driver for personal computer]
Next, the printer driver 17c of the personal computer 1 will be described. In accordance with the printer driver 17c, the CPU 14 performs setting of printing conditions described later, registration of a one-click icon, transfer of print data created by the document creation application 17b to the printer device 2, and the like.

  The printer driver 17c has image data indicating each printing condition in a bitmap file format. The printer dry 17c stores printing conditions and image data files indicating the printing conditions in association with each other. FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are diagrams showing the correspondence between printing conditions, image data files indicating the printing conditions, and image data. 4 and 5, the printer driver 17 c includes (1) document base, (2) aggregation partition line, (3) aggregation printing order arrow, (4) stamp, (5) staple, punch, ( 6) Image data for each printing condition such as double-sided is registered.

  In the printer driver 17c, (1) document base, (2) aggregation partition line, (3) aggregation printing order arrow, (4) stamp, (5) staple, punch, (6) duplex, (7) scaling. By overlaying the image data, an icon is created and displayed on the display screen.

(1) Outline of One-Click Icon Registration Procedure An outline of the one-click icon registration procedure in the printer driver will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining an outline of the one-click icon registration procedure in the printer driver 17c.

  In FIG. 6, a reference icon is selected on the print function setting screen of the printer driver displayed on the display unit (step S1). Next, on the one-click icon setting screen (standard printing condition setting screen, editing condition setting screen, finishing condition setting screen), the printing condition is selected (step S2), and the selected printing condition is set based on the reference icon. A one-click icon representing the corresponding print result is created (step S3). Select one or more of the basic condition setting screen, editing condition setting screen, and finishing condition setting screen, and select and select the printing conditions (paper orientation, duplex, consolidation, bookbinding, staple, punch, enlargement / reduction, etc.) A one-click icon indicating the printing result of the plurality of printing conditions is created.

  Then, the setting name and comment of the created one-click icon are input (step S4), and the setting name, the comment, the created one-click icon, and the selected printing condition are associated with each other and registered in the recording medium (step S5). The registered one-click icon is then displayed on the printer driver screen, and when the displayed one-click icon is selected, the printing conditions are automatically set.

(2) Printer Driver Display Screen Next, a printer driver display screen will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 is a print function setting screen (No. 1) of the printer driver, FIG. 8 is a print function setting screen (No. 2) of the printer driver, FIG. 9 is an edit condition setting screen of a one-click icon, and FIG. FIG. 11 shows a one-click icon finishing condition setting screen, FIG. 12 shows a one-click icon registration screen, and FIG. 13 shows a one-click icon management screen.

  The print function setting screen of the printer driver 17c shown in FIG. 7 is a screen that is displayed when activation of the printer driver 17c is selected on the display screen of the document creation application, the startup screen of the OS, or the like.

  In the print function setting screen shown in the figure, a1 indicates an icon display area where a list of registered one-click icons is displayed. The icon displayed in the icon display area a1 is displayed by superimposing image data (see FIGS. 4 and 5) stored in the recording medium 17. In the icon display area a1, there are a vertical document icon I1, a document length, aggregation 1/2 (printing order from left to right), a partition line icon I2, a document length stamp (COPY) icon I3, and both sides of the document length. An icon I4, document length, aggregation 1/2 (print order left to right), divider line, double-sided icon I5, and the like are displayed. In this icon display area a1, an icon serving as a reference for creating a one-click icon is selected.

  Here, a case where the icon I2 is created will be described as an example. The icon I2 indicates the content of the document that is vertical, consolidated 1/2 (prints two documents on one sheet), prints the document from left to right, and prints with divider lines. This icon I2 includes (1) document base (image data of I2MP.bmp in FIG. 4), (2) aggregation partition line (image data of ILin2P.bmp in FIG. 4), and (3) aggregation printing order arrow (FIG. 4). IArr2AP.bmp image data) in this order.

  Reference numeral a2 denotes a document direction selection area for selecting a document direction. In the document orientation selection area a2, “Vertical” or “Horizontal” of the document is selected. In accordance with the selection of “vertical” or “horizontal” of the document, the vertical and horizontal icons are switched in the icon display area a1. The display example of the icon display area a1 in FIG. 7 shows a case where “vertical” is selected in the document direction selection area a2. When “horizontal” is selected in the original direction selection area a2, the icon display area a1 displays an icon in the original horizontal direction as shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 7, a3 is a print number selection area for selecting the number of copies, a4 is a document size selection area for selecting a document size, and a5 is a print sheet size selection area for selecting a print sheet size. Is shown.

  b1 is an “icon management” key for selecting an icon management screen display, and b2 is a “one-click setting new creation / change” key for displaying a screen for registering a one-click icon. , B3 indicate an “OK” key for selecting a print execution instruction.

  When a reference icon is selected from the icons displayed in the icon display area a1 on the print function setting screen in FIG. 7 and then the "new / change one-click setting" key b2 is selected, one-click The icon editing condition setting screen is displayed.

  Next, the one-click icon editing condition setting screen will be described with reference to FIG. In the editing condition setting screen shown in the figure, b11 is a “basic” key for selecting the display of the basic condition selection screen (see FIG. 10), and b12 is the display of the editing condition selection screen (see FIG. 9). An “edit” key b13 for indicating the “finishing” key for selecting display of a finishing condition selection screen (see FIG. 11).

  a10 is an icon setting name display area in which the setting name of the icon selected in the icon display area a1 is displayed; a11 is a one-click icon display area for displaying a one-click icon corresponding to the selected print function; d10 is a radio button for selecting aggregation / enlarged continuous shooting, a12 is an aggregation / enlarged continuous shooting type selection area for selecting the type of aggregation / enlarged continuous shooting, and a13 is an aggregation / enlarged continuous shooting type selection. An aggregation / enlarged continuous shooting part icon display area for displaying a list of icons (parts) corresponding to the type selected in the area a12 is shown.

  d1 indicates a radio button for selecting double-sided / bookbinding, and a14 indicates a double-sided / bookbinding part icon display area for displaying double-sided / bookbinding printing condition icons (parts). d4 is a radio button for selecting a partition line, d1 is a radio button for selecting a stamp, and a15 is a stamp type selection area for selecting the type of stamp. In the stamp display type selection area a15, items such as “DRAFT”, “Maruhi”, and “Confidential” can be selected. b18 shows a "save as" key for selecting display of a registration screen for registering a one-click icon.

  The one-click icon display area a11 includes a printing function (icon) selected in the consolidation / enlarged continuous shooting type selection area a13, a printing function (icon) selected in the duplex / binding part icon display area a14, and a stamp type selection area. A one-click icon corresponding to the stamp selected in a15 is synthesized and displayed.

  Next, a basic condition setting screen for a one-click icon will be described with reference to FIG. In the basic condition setting screen shown in the figure, b11 is a “basic” key for selecting display of the basic condition selection screen (see FIG. 10), and b12 is selection of display of the editing condition selection screen (see FIG. 9). An “edit” key b13 for indicating the “finishing” key for selecting display of a finishing condition selection screen (see FIG. 11).

  a10 is an icon setting name display area in which the setting name of the icon selected in the icon display area a1 is displayed; a11 is a one-click icon display area for displaying a one-click icon corresponding to the selected print function; b21 is a radio button for selecting magnification, a21 is a magnification designation area for selecting the type of magnification (paper designated magnification, zoom, independent magnification), and a22 is a magnification for selecting a magnification. A magnification selection area is shown. b18 shows a "save as" key for selecting display of a registration screen for registering a one-click icon.

  In the one-click icon display area a11, a one-click icon corresponding to the print function selected in the scaling specification area a21 is synthesized and displayed.

  FIG. 11 shows a display example of a finishing condition setting screen for setting finishing printing conditions for the one-click icon. In the finishing condition setting screen shown in the figure, b11 is a “basic” key for selecting display of the basic condition selection screen (see FIG. 10), and b12 is “edit” for selecting display of the editing condition selection screen. The “” key and b <b> 13 indicate a “finishing” key for selecting display of the finishing condition selection screen (see FIG. 11).

  a10 is an icon setting name display area in which the setting name of the icon selected in the icon display area a1 is displayed; a11 is a one-click icon display area for displaying a one-click icon corresponding to the selected print function; d31 is a radio button for selecting staples, a31 is a staple (parts) icon display area for displaying a list of icons (parts) indicating various staple functions, d32 is a radio button for selecting punches, a4 Shows a punch (parts) icon display area for displaying icons (parts) indicating various punch functions. b18 shows a "save as" key for selecting display of a registration screen for registering a one-click icon.

  In the one-click icon display area a11, a one-click icon corresponding to the print function selected in the staple display area a21 and the print function selected in the punch display area a4 is synthesized and displayed.

  FIG. 12 shows a display example of the one-click registration screen that is displayed when the “Save As” key is selected on the screens of FIGS. 9 to 11. In the one-click registration screen shown in the figure, a41 is a one-click setting name input area for inputting a setting name of a one-click icon, and a42 is a one-click setting comment input for inputting a comment regarding the one-click icon. An area b41 indicates an “OK” key for registering a one-click icon.

  When a one-click setting name is input in the one-click setting name input area a41, and a comment related to the one-click icon is input in the one-click setting comment input area, the "OK" key b41 is selected. The created one-click icon and the selected printing condition are associated with each other and registered in the recording medium 17.

  FIG. 13 shows an example of an icon management screen that is displayed when the “icon management” key b1 is selected on the print function selection screen of FIG. In the print function selection screen, a41 is an icon display area where a list of registered one-click icons is displayed, and b51 is "move forward" for moving the icon selected in the icon display area a41 forward. The key b53 is a “move backward” key for moving the icon selected in the icon display area a41 backward, and a “one-click setting delete” key for deleting the icon selected in the icon display area a41. Is shown.

  When an icon is selected in the icon display area a41 and the “move forward” key b42 is pressed once, the display order of the selected icon is switched with the icon displayed on the left side, and the icon is moved to the previous one. Further, when an icon is selected in the icon display area a41 and the “move backward” key b42 is pressed once, the display order of the selected icon is switched with the icon displayed on the right side, and the icon is moved backward by one. . When an icon is selected in the icon display area a41 and the “delete one-click setting” key b42 is selected, the one-click setting of the selected icon is deleted.

(3) Specific Example of One-Click Icon Registration Procedure Next, a specific example of the one-click icon registration procedure will be described with reference to FIGS. FIGS. 14 to 21 are diagrams showing display examples of the printer driver screen for explaining a specific example of the one-click icon registration procedure. As an example, a specific procedure for creating a one-click icon representing the functions of aggregation 1/2 (with partition lines) and upper left staple will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, “icon I1 (setting name: normal)” is selected as a reference icon from the icons displayed in the icon display area a1 of the print function setting screen shown in FIG. 7, and the document orientation selection area a2 is selected. After selecting the “vertical” direction with, when the “create / change one-click setting newly” key b2 is selected, an editing condition setting screen shown in FIG. 9 is displayed.

  In the editing condition setting screen shown in FIG. 9, the setting name “normal” selected in the icon display area a1 of the print function setting screen shown in FIG. 7 is displayed in the one-click icon setting name display area a2. In the one-click icon display area a11, the “icon I1 (setting name: normal)” selected in the icon display area a1 in FIG. 7 is displayed.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 14, when the radio button d1 for selecting aggregation / enlarged continuous shooting is selected, and “aggregate 2 pages into 1 page” is selected in the aggregation / enlarged continuous shooting type selection area a12, In the aggregation / enlarged continuous shooting parts icon display area a13, icons I11 and I12 are displayed that indicate the print results of integrating two pages into one page. The icon I11 indicates a print result of combining two pages into one page from the left to the right, and the icon I12 indicates a print result of combining two pages into one page from the right to the left. When the icon I11 is selected in the aggregation / enlarged continuous shooting part icon display area a13, an icon I100 indicating a print result of integrating two pages into one page from the left to the right is displayed in the one-click icon display area a3. The This is a document-based image data overlaid with arrow image data.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 15, when the radio button d13 for selecting a partition line is selected, an icon I101 in which a partition line is drawn on the icon I100 (see FIG. 14) is displayed in the one-click icon display area a3. Is displayed. This is the icon I101 (see FIG. 14) overwritten with the image data of the partition lines.

  Subsequently, the “edit key” b12 is selected on the screen of FIG. 15, and the edit condition setting screen is displayed. When the radio button d31 for selecting staples is selected on the editing condition setting screen as shown in FIG. 16, an icon I21 indicating the print result of the upper left staple is displayed in the staple (parts) icon display area a31, and the upper right corner. Five icons are displayed: an icon I22 indicating a staple printing result, an oblique left staple icon I23, two left staple icons I24, and two right staple icons I25.

  When the upper left staple icon I21 is selected in the staple (parts) icon display area a31, an icon I102 in which an image of the upper left staple is drawn is displayed in the icon I101 of FIG. 15 in the one-click icon display area a31. . The icon I102 is obtained by overwriting the upper left staple image on the icon I101 (see FIG. 15). As a result, a one-click icon indicating a print result of aggregation 1/2 (printed from left to right), presence of a partition line, and upper left staple is created.

  Then, when the “save as” key b18 is selected in FIG. 16, the one-click icon registration screen shown in FIG. 12 is displayed. In the one-click setting name input area a41, the setting name is “aggregation 1/2”. Enter "staple upper left" and enter a comment related to the one-click icon in the one-click setting comment input area and then select the "OK" key b41. The setting name "aggregation 1/2 staple upper left", comment, creation The selected one-click icon I102 and the selected print function (aggregation 1/2 (print from left to right), presence of partition lines, and upper left staple) are associated with each other and registered in the printer driver 17c (recording medium 17).

  As shown in FIG. 17, the registered one-click icon is displayed in the one-click icon display area a1 of the print function setting screen. When the icon I102 of the setting name “aggregation 1/2 staple upper left” is selected, the printing conditions of aggregation 1/2 (printing from left to right), presence of dividing lines, and upper left staple are automatically set.

  Next, a specific procedure for creating one-click icons representing the functions of “both sides”, “stamp”, and “punch” will be described with reference to FIGS. A specific explanation will be given.

  First, “icon I1 (setting name: normal)” is selected as a reference icon from the icons displayed in the icon display area a1 of the print function setting screen shown in FIG. 7, and the document orientation selection area a2 is selected. After selecting the “vertical” direction with, when the “create / change one-click setting newly” key b2 is selected, an editing condition setting screen shown in FIG. 9 is displayed.

  In the editing condition setting screen shown in FIG. 9, the setting name “normal” selected in the icon display area a1 of the print function setting screen shown in FIG. 7 is displayed in the one-click icon setting name display area a2. In the one-click icon display area a11, the “icon I1 (setting name: normal)” selected in the icon display area a1 in FIG. 7 is displayed.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 18, when the radio button d2 for selecting double-sided / bookbinding is selected, icons I13 to I15 indicating double-sided or bookbinding printing results are displayed in the double-sided / bookbinding part icon display area a14. Is done. When the icon I21 indicating the double-sided printing result is selected in the double-sided / bookbinding part icon display area a14, the icon I200 indicating the double-sided printing result is displayed in the one-click icon display area a1. This icon I200 is obtained by overwriting a double-sided image on a document-based image.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 19, when a radio button d3 for selecting a stamp is selected, the stamp is displayed in a stamp type selection area a15 for selecting a stamp type. When the cursor key is operated in the stamp type selection area a15 to select "March", the icon I201 in which the letters of March are drawn on the icon I200 (see FIG. 18) is displayed in the one-click icon setting name display area a2. Is displayed. This icon I201 is an icon I200 (see FIG. 18) overwritten with an image of Maruhi characters.

  Next, the finishing key b13 on the screen of FIG. 19 is selected to display the drawing finishing condition setting screen. As shown in FIG. 20, when the radio button d32 for selecting a punch is selected, a punch (parts) icon is displayed. In the display area a32, an icon I25 indicating the printing result of the left punch and an icon I26 indicating the icon result of the right punch are displayed. When the icon I25 indicating the printing result of the left punch is selected, the icon I202 in which the image of the left punch is drawn is displayed on the icon I201 (see FIG. 19) in the one-click icon display area a1. This icon I202 is obtained by overwriting the left punch image on the icon I201 (see FIG. 19).

  Then, when the “Save As” key b18 is selected in FIG. 20, a one-click icon registration screen shown in FIG. 12 is displayed. Then, “double-sided stamp punch” is input as a one-click name in the one-click setting name input area a41, and a comment regarding the created one-click icon is input in the one-click setting comment input area a42. When the “OK” key b42 is selected, the setting name “double-sided stamp punch”, the comment, the created one-click icon I202, and the selected printing function (double-sided, stamp, left punch) are associated with each other and registered in the printer driver.

  As shown in FIG. 21, the registered one-click icon is displayed in the one-click icon display area a1 of the print function setting screen. When this setting name “double-sided stamp punch” icon I102 is selected, the corresponding printing function (double-sided, stamp, left punch) is automatically set.

(4) Printing Operation Using One-Click Icon Next, a procedure for printing document data using the one-click icon of the printer driver 17c will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 22 is a flowchart for explaining the procedure for printing document data using the one-click icon of the printer driver 17c.

  In FIG. 22, first, a document is created by the document creation application (step S10), the printer driver 17c is activated on the display screen of the document creation application 17b, and the printer driver print function setting screen (see FIG. 7) is displayed. (Step S11). Subsequently, when a desired one-click icon is selected from the one-click icons displayed in the icon display area a1 of the print function setting screen (step S12), printing registered in correspondence with the selected one-click icon is performed. Conditions are set automatically. Then, after setting other printing conditions (paper feed tray, paper type, paper discharge destination, number of copies, etc.) (step S13), when the OK button b3 is selected, it is registered corresponding to the one-click icon. Printing condition data such as printing conditions and other printing conditions and document data are transferred from the personal computer 2 to the printer device 2 (step S14). In response to this, the printer device prints the document data in accordance with the transferred printing condition data.

  As described above, in the printer driver 17c of the present embodiment, a list of one-click icons each representing one or a plurality of printing functions is displayed in the icon display area a1, and the one-click icons displayed in the icon display area a1. Since the one-click icon 1 is selected from the list and a plurality of print functions corresponding to the selected one-click icon are automatically set, the printer device can be easily used when printing the print data with the printer device. The print function can be set.

  In the printer driver 17c of the present embodiment, a plurality of printing functions are selected on the display screen by selecting them on the one-click icon setting screen (editing condition setting screen, finishing condition setting screen, basic condition setting screen, etc.). A one-click icon representing a plurality of printed functions is created and displayed in the one-click icon display area a11. The selected plurality of printing functions, the one-click icons representing the plurality of printing functions, and setting names are associated. The user can create a one-click icon that represents the desired multiple printing functions, and select the created one-click icon to automatically set the multiple printing functions, improving user convenience Become.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately modified without changing the gist of the invention.

1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a printer system according to an embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the personal computer of FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the printer apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a diagram (No. 1) for explaining a correspondence relationship between a printing condition, an image data file indicating the printing condition, and image data. FIG. 10 is a diagram (No. 2) for explaining a correspondence relationship between a printing condition, an image data file indicating the printing condition, and image data. 6 is a flowchart for explaining an outline of a one-click icon registration procedure of a printer driver. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a print function setting screen (part 1) of the printer driver. FIG. 10 illustrates a print function setting screen (No. 2) of the printer driver. It is a figure which shows the edit condition setting screen of a one click icon. It is a figure which shows the basic condition setting screen of a one click icon. It is a figure which shows the finishing condition setting screen of a one click icon. It is a figure which shows the one click icon registration screen. It is a figure which shows a one-click icon management screen. It is a figure which shows the example of a display screen for demonstrating the registration procedure of a one click icon concretely. It is a figure which shows the example of a display screen for demonstrating the registration procedure of a one click icon concretely. It is a figure which shows the example of a display screen for demonstrating the registration procedure of a one click icon concretely. It is a figure which shows the example of a display screen for demonstrating the registration procedure of a one click icon concretely. It is a figure which shows the example of a display screen for demonstrating the registration procedure of a one click icon concretely. It is a figure which shows the example of a display screen for demonstrating the registration procedure of a one click icon concretely. It is a figure which shows the example of a display screen for demonstrating the registration procedure of a one click icon concretely. It is a figure which shows the example of a display screen for demonstrating the registration procedure of a one click icon concretely. 10 is a flowchart for explaining a procedure when document data is printed using a one-click icon of a printer driver.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Personal computer 2 Printer apparatus 3 Cable 11 Input part 12 Display part 13 Communication part 14 CPU
15 RAM
16 Recording medium access device 17 Recording medium 17a OS program 17b Document creation application program 17c Printer driver 21 Communication unit 22 CPU
23 ROM
24 RAM
25 Printer Engine 26 Staple Section 27 Punch Section a1 Icon Display Area a2 Document Direction Selection Area a3 Print Copies Selection Area a4 Document Size Selection Area a5 Print Paper Size Selection Area a11 One-Click Icon Display Area a12 Aggregation / Enlarged Continuous Shooting Type Selection Area a13 Aggregation / enlarged continuous shooting part icon display area a14 Double-sided / bookbinding part icon display area a15 Stamp type selection area a21 Scaling specification area a22 Magnification selection area a31 Staple (parts) icon display area,
a32 Punch (parts) icon display area b1 “Manage icons” key,
b2 “New Click / Create One-Click Settings” Key b3 “OK” Key b11 “Basic” Key b12 “Edit” Key b13 “Finish” Key b18 “Save As” Key b51 “Previous Move” Key b52 “ “Move backward” key b53 “Delete one-click setting” key d1 Radio button for selecting consolidation / enlarged continuous shooting d2 Radio button for selecting duplex / binding d3 Radio button for selecting stamp d4 Divide line Radio button for selecting d10 Radio button for selecting consolidation / enlarged continuous shooting d11 Radio button for selecting duplex / binding d13 Radio button for selecting divider line d31 Radio button for selecting staples d32 Radio button for selecting a punch

Claims (15)

In an information processing apparatus for setting a print function when printing data on a display screen displayed on a display unit by a printer device,
First display control means for displaying a list of symbols each representing a plurality of printing functions in a first display area on the display screen;
First selection means for selecting one symbol from a list of symbols displayed in the first display area;
Print function setting means for setting a plurality of print functions represented by the symbols selected by the first selection means;
An information processing apparatus comprising: Second display control means for displaying a second display area for selecting a plurality of print functions on the display screen;
Printing function selection means for selecting a plurality of printing functions in the second display area;
Symbol creating means for creating a symbol representing a plurality of printing functions selected by the printing function selecting means;
A plurality of printing functions selected by the printing function selection means and a symbol registration means for registering the symbols representing the plurality of printing functions created by the symbol creation means in association with each other;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:   The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising third display control means for displaying the symbol created by the symbol creating means in a third display area on the display screen. The second display control means displays a symbol group representing a single printing function in the second display area,
3. The print function selecting unit selects a plurality of symbols from a symbol group displayed in the second display area, and selects a print function represented by each of the selected plurality of symbols. Alternatively, the information processing apparatus according to claim 3. Further, each printing function includes a storage unit in which a plurality of image data representing the printing function is registered,
The symbol creating means creates a symbol representing a plurality of printing functions by synthesizing image data registered in the storage means representing the printing function selected by the printing function selecting means. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4.   The print function includes a paper direction, a duplex function, an aggregation function, a bookbinding function, a staple function, a punch function, an enlargement / reduction function, and the like. The information processing apparatus described in 1. Reordering means for designating reordering of symbols displayed in the first display area;
Rearrangement means for rearranging symbols displayed in the first display area according to the rearrangement designated by the rearrangement designation means;
The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising: In a printing condition setting method for setting a printing function when printing data is printed by a printer device on a display screen displayed on a display unit,
A first display step of displaying a list of symbols each representing a plurality of printing functions in a first display area on the display screen;
A selection step of selecting one symbol from a list of symbols displayed in the first display area;
A print function setting step for setting a plurality of print functions represented by the symbol selected by the first selection means;
A printing condition setting method comprising: further,
A second display step of displaying a second display area for selecting a plurality of print functions on the display screen;
A printing function selection step of selecting a plurality of printing functions in the second display area;
A symbol creating step for creating a symbol representing the selected plurality of printing functions;
Registering the selected plurality of printing functions in association with the created symbols representing the plurality of printing functions;
The printing condition setting method according to claim 8, further comprising:   The printing condition setting method according to claim 9, further comprising a third display step of displaying the created symbol in a third display area on the display screen. In the second display step, a symbol group representing a single printing function is displayed in the second display area,
10. The printing function selecting step includes selecting a plurality of symbols from a symbol group displayed in the second display area, and selecting a printing function represented by each of the selected plurality of symbols. Alternatively, the printing condition setting method according to claim 10.   In the symbol creation step, for each printing function, from the storage means in which a plurality of image data representing the printing function is registered, the image data representing the selected printing function is read out, and a plurality of image data is synthesized, The printing condition setting method according to claim 9, wherein a symbol representing a plurality of printing functions is created.   The print function includes a paper direction, a duplex function, an aggregation function, a bookbinding function, a staple function, a punch function, an enlargement / reduction function, and the like. The printing condition setting method described in 1. further,
Designating rearrangement of symbols displayed in the first display area;
Rearranging symbols displayed in the first display area according to the designated rearrangement;
The printing condition setting method according to claim 8, further comprising:   A computer-readable recording medium storing a program for executing the steps of the invention according to any one of claims 8 to 14 on a computer.

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