JP2008027216A - Printing system capable of changing order of displaying list of printable paper size - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem of a high likelihood that a paper size different from a printing paper size set in a printer as printing paper may be selected. <P>SOLUTION: This printing system is provided with a means for obtaining, from a printer driver, character sequences showing a list of printable paper sizes arranged in such a way that paper sizes set in the ASF of a printer currently in connection are displayed at the top, when a list of paper sizes are displayed for an application, and for changing the order of displaying the results on a menu for setting the paper size of the application. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to setting of printing conditions when an image is printed by a printer from an application via a printer driver.

As an auxiliary function when the user selects printing paper on the UI, a printing apparatus capable of detecting the paper width of the recording paper in the paper feed tray reflects the detection result on the UI of the printer driver and can perform printing. Some display only paper candidates. (For example, see JP2003-140859)
In addition, there is a method of changing the display method so that the paper size that can be supported by the printer and the paper size that is not supported can be identified in the list display of recording paper. (For example, JP2002-127566)
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-140859 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-127566

  When the user creates a new document, the paper size of the document is generally selected from the paper size list in the paper size setting window of the application rather than from the paper size list of the printer driver. The technology related to the auxiliary function at the time of selecting two papers as described above is to change the paper size list in the printer driver. In the paper size list of the application, the paper supported by the selected printer driver is used. All sizes are displayed, and the display order is always the same regardless of the presence or absence of printing paper. Therefore, there is a high possibility that a paper size different from the printing paper size set in the printer is selected as the printing paper.

  When displaying a list of paper sizes in the application, the printer displays a character string indicating a list of printable paper sizes arranged so that the paper size set in the ASF of the currently connected printer is displayed at the top. Means are provided for changing the order of obtaining the result from the driver and displaying the result in a menu for setting the paper size of the application.

  This allows you to select a paper size that is not set in the printer and the print result does not become as expected, or change the paper size to the paper set in the printer immediately before printing, and change the data created in the application. The user does not have to perform extra work such as being forced.

  FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram in this embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of an information processing apparatus and a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is an example of a system in which a host computer PC and a printer 105 can communicate bidirectionally via a predetermined interface 106. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 101 denotes a display device, which includes a CRT device or an LCD display. A control unit 102 controls access to an FD drive, a CD-ROM drive, an input / output device such as a keyboard 103 and a pointing device 104 connected via a bus on a control board (not shown). The control unit 102 includes an external storage device such as a hard disk, and a print control program such as a printer driver and an application are installed, and print information is transmitted to the printer 105 via the printer driver according to a print request from the application. Is configured to forward to. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the ASF of the printer. The user sets printing paper on the ASF 201 of the printer, and moves the paper guide 202 to align with the left end of the printing paper. The printer detects the position of the paper guide 202, and uses the distance from the right end of the ASF obtained from the detection result as the width of the printing paper.

  A procedure for displaying a list of paper sizes so that the display size in the list of paper sizes displayed by the application can be easily selected from the paper sizes set in the ASF is described. In this embodiment, since the position of the paper guide of the ASF of the printer is a mechanism that can detect that the paper guide is within a certain range, the value that can be detected by the printer is a group number as shown in FIG. . FIG. 3 shows an application and printer driver when the user is instructed to open the paper setting dialog in an application that inquires the printer driver of the supported paper size when the user is instructed to open the paper setting dialog. , Shows the transition of information between printers.

  When the user is instructed to open the paper setting dialog, the application inquires the printer driver of the number of paper sizes that the printer can currently print (301). The inquiry at this time uses a function that specifies what number is desired in the argument, in this case, selectable paper sizes, and returns the number. This function is provided as an interface for the printer driver, and it can be conveniently used if there are other supported paper sizes, paper types, etc. as argument types.

  The printer driver requests and acquires the detection result from the ASF to the printer (303). The printer driver returns the number of supported paper sizes to the application as the number of memory preparations (302). Then, an array to be passed to the application is created (308). The order of the character strings is changed so that the paper size belonging to the group acquired from the printer is higher in the menu, and thereafter the basic arrangement order. For example, a printer driver that basically stores a list of supported paper sizes in the order shown in FIG. 5a, and a printer having a relationship between the ASF position shown in FIG. 4 and the paper sizes belonging to it. When the group number 3 is returned from the printer, the printer driver returns “14” as the number of memories prepared for the application. Then, the order of the character strings to be passed to the application is changed so that the paper size belonging to group 3 is moved to the upper position as shown in FIG.

  The application passes the address of the reserved memory area to the printer driver (309), and the printer driver writes the character string whose order has been changed to the area (310). The application uses the character string received from the printer driver to display the paper size in the paper size setting dialog of the application (311).

  In this embodiment, since the size of the paper set in the ASF by the group number is acquired from the printer, the paper size belonging to the detected group is moved to the top of the paper size list, and the rest is the same as the basic arrangement order. However, if the ASF has a device that can accurately detect the width of the paper, a means of rearranging the list of paper sizes in order from the detected width can be considered.

  If the correct print paper is not set when the print paper is reset or when the print setting dialog is opened, the information from the printer driver is updated by closing and reopening the print setting dialog.

System configuration diagram of this embodiment Enlarged view of printer ASF The figure which shows an example of the flow of the data in a present Example The figure which shows an example of grouping of the detection result of ASF in a present Example The figure which shows an example of the arrangement order of the paper size in a present Example

Explanation of symbols

PC host computer
105 Printer
106 Interface

Claims (2)

  In a printing system in which a printing apparatus having means for detecting the width of a sheet set on a paper feeding apparatus of a printing apparatus and an information processing apparatus having control means for the printing apparatus are capable of bidirectional communication, control of the printing apparatus Based on the detected width of the sheet, the means places a list of printable sheet sizes in the order of priority of display on the user interface. The sheet size is approximately equal to the detected sheet width. The application has a means for inquiring the printing apparatus control means about a printable paper size when creating a display for allowing a user to select a paper size of a document to be created. In response to an inquiry from the application, the means is such that a paper size substantially equal to the paper size set in the paper feeding device is higher. The application has a means for returning the list of changed paper sizes, and the application changes the display contents for allowing the user to select the paper size of the document of the application in the order of the list of paper sizes returned from the print control means. A printing system characterized by having a display means.   In the means for detecting the width of the paper set in the paper feeding device of the printing apparatus, the position of the paper guide moved by the user along the edge of the paper opposite to the reference position for setting the printing paper of the paper feeding device is determined. 2. The printing system according to claim 1, wherein a distance from the reference position where the printing paper is set to the paper guide is calculated and used as a width of the printing paper.

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