JP2010017909A - Printer and printing system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a user or a service person to easily reproduce defective printing by only a printer without using a host PC, and to shorten a time and labor required for the detection of a cause of defective printing. <P>SOLUTION: The printer receives printing data including its printing setting information and operation environment information together with drawing information from the outside and stores the data in a memory. On a display built in or connected to the printer, a printer UI screen 600 is displayed. The printing data stored in the memory part are selected according to an indication from an input part built in or connected to the printer, and the printing setting information and operation environment information corresponding to the printing data are displayed on the display screen. The printing data selected on the display screen can be printed by a printing part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention is a printing system that performs printing on a recording medium using a printing apparatus, and is capable of communicating with drawing information printed on the recording medium, print setting information of the printing apparatus, operating environment information, and the printing apparatus. The present invention relates to a technique for storing, managing, and reusing print setting information and operating environment information of a host PC in a printing apparatus.

  Conventionally, when printing is performed by a printer, drawing data created by an application operating on an OS of a host PC (personal computer) is converted into a command by a printer driver and sent to the printer. The printer interprets the commanded drawing data and prints it on the recording medium with the recording head.

  In such a printing system, a print result desired by the user is realized by a complicated operation setting of the user. However, when the drawing information created by the user himself / herself on the application is printed in an undesired state as the printing result, it is difficult for the user to easily grasp the problem in the printing system from the printing result. is there.

  Further, as means for preventing a print result not desired by the user, there is already a means for preventing erroneous printing in advance by the user's visual recognition using the print preview function of the printer driver (see, for example, Patent Document 1). However, when printing a large number of pages for industrial use, it is inefficient to print after confirming the preview for each page.

Furthermore, regarding the determination of the cause of fraud, there is also a method of notifying the user of a countermeasure when the error case is hit by registering the error case in advance (Patent Document 2, Patent Document). 3). However, this is useful when handling fixed set values such as specific devices, but it is difficult to distinguish unique data such as image data.
JP 2003-67153 A JP-A-7-191960 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-28195

  When a defect occurs in a result of printing on a recording medium in a printing system, generally, a user or a service person tries to determine the cause of the defective printing from the printing result.

  As a process of determining the cause of unauthorized output, a user or a service person tries to reproduce the unauthorized output. To this end, a complicated operation such as an OS (operating system), an application, or a printer driver is performed on the host PC. There is a problem that it is necessary to perform the setting again, which requires time and effort.

  Furthermore, in the process of performing the above reproduction, there is a problem that it becomes more difficult to specify the cause of the unauthorized output because the unauthorized output is not reproduced due to an erroneous operation by the user or serviceman or an incorrect setting due to a memory difference. In particular, the time loss and the labor for fraud that occurs when printing a large number of pages, such as industrial applications, are immeasurable.

  The present invention has been made in such a background, and a user or a service person can easily reproduce defective printing only with a printing apparatus without using a host PC, and can save time and effort required for determining the cause of defective printing. The purpose is to reduce.

  A printing apparatus according to the present invention includes a receiving unit that receives print data including drawing setting information and operating environment information together with drawing information from the outside, a printing unit that prints the drawing information according to the print setting information, and the drawing information And a storage unit for storing the print setting information and the operating environment information, an input unit for receiving an instruction or information input by a user, and selecting the print data stored in the storage unit in accordance with an instruction from the input unit And display means for displaying the print setting information and operating environment information corresponding to the print data on a display screen, and control means for printing the print data selected on the display screen by the printing unit. It is a thing.

  In the present invention, by storing the drawing information and the print setting information and the operating environment information in the storage unit in the printing apparatus, defective printing can be easily reproduced only by the printing apparatus when an error or the like occurs. In addition, print setting information and operating environment information can be confirmed.

  The “display unit” in the present invention is a unit for displaying information on a display screen, and includes a display unit when the printing apparatus includes a display unit. However, when the display unit is connected to the printing apparatus via a cable or the like, the “display unit” does not include the display unit, and is provided in the printing apparatus for causing the display unit to perform display. Means a display control unit or the like.

  The “input unit” in the present invention is a unit for inputting a user's instruction and information to the printing apparatus, and includes an input unit when the printing apparatus includes an input unit. However, when the input unit is connected to the printing apparatus via a cable or the like, the “input unit” does not include the input unit, and refers to a unit such as an input control unit that interfaces with such an input unit. .

  The display unit preferably displays a user interface screen including a drawing information display area of the print data. The user can directly instruct the printing apparatus from the input unit on the user interface screen.

  The user interface screen may further include a selection column for the print data and a selection column for a page to be printed on the display screen.

  For the print data received from the outside, the storage unit may further comprise means for the user to set whether or not to store the print setting information and the operating environment information together with the drawing information.

  The print setting information is, for example, at least one of the name of an application program that generates the print data, printer driver setting information, and OS version information.

  The operating environment information is, for example, at least one of hardware version information, memory usage, storage device remaining capacity, CPU information, communication interface information, and communication speed information that is built in or depends on the host PC that generates the print data It is. The operating environment information may include operating environment information of the printing apparatus. In that case, the operating environment information of the printing apparatus is acquired from inside the printing apparatus.

  These pieces of information are useful for determining the cause of defective printing and can be confirmed by the printing apparatus alone.

  A printing system according to the present invention is a printing system in which a host PC that generates print data and a printing apparatus are connected via a communication interface. The host PC includes drawing information in print data transmitted to the printing apparatus. In addition, the printing apparatus includes means for transmitting to the printing apparatus including the operating environment information and print setting information of the host PC when drawing information is generated. The printing apparatus prints the print data received from the host PC and stores the storage area of the printing apparatus. The stored print data can be viewed on the display unit, and the viewable print data can be printed again.

  Other configurations and operational effects of the present invention are as described below.

  According to the present invention, defective printing can be easily reproduced with only a printing apparatus without using a host PC, and the printing environment information and print setting information in addition to the drawing information when defective printing occurs can be easily recognized. It is possible to easily determine the cause of the error and reduce the time and labor required for determining the cause.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  First, FIGS. 1A and 1B show a schematic configuration of a printing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The printing system includes a host PC 101 that is an information processing apparatus that generates print data, and a printer (printing apparatus) 201 that prints the print data in accordance with an instruction from the host PC 101. The host PC 101 and the printer 201 are connected by a connection cable 301. The printer 201 performs printing on a printing medium 302 such as paper. The printer 201 is connected to or has a display 207a or 207b and an input unit 209a or 209b. A display 207a indicates what is connected to the printer 201 with a cable, and a display 207b indicates what is provided in the printer 201. Further, a pointing device (mouse in the figure) is shown as the input unit 209a, and a keyboard (or a group of keys) is shown as the input unit 209b. However, the input unit may be any input means that can input a user instruction or information. For example, a touch panel superimposed on a display screen may be used. The recording method of the printer 201 is not particularly limited.

  In the present embodiment, the host PC 101 transmits the print data to be transmitted to the printer 201 to the printing apparatus including the drawing environment as well as the operating environment information and print setting information of the host PC when drawing information is generated.

  Next, FIG. 2 shows a hardware configuration example of each of the host PC 101 and the printer 201.

  The host PC 101 includes a CPU 102, ROM 103, RAM 104, interface (I / F) 105, HDD (storage device) 106, display 107, and keyboard 108.

  A CPU (Central Processing Unit) 102 is a processing unit that controls the overall operation of the host PC 101 by executing a computer program.

  The ROM 103 is a non-volatile memory having a storage area for storing programs such as a printer driver and an application for generating print data.

  The RAM 104 is a memory that provides a temporary data storage area and work area for the CPU 102.

  The interface (I / F) 105 is a communication interface such as USB or LPT that is necessary for communication with the host PC 101.

  The HDD 106 is a non-volatile storage device having a large capacity storage area for storing programs and data. Programs such as the printer driver and application described above may be stored in the HDD 106 and read into the RAM 104 and executed when necessary.

  The display 107 is a display unit capable of displaying information that the host PC 101 has.

  The keyboard 108 is an input unit that allows a user to input instructions and information to the host PC 101.

  The printer 201 includes a CPU 202, ROM 203, RAM 204, interface 205, HDD (storage device) 206, display 207, recording head 208, and input unit 209.

  The CPU 202 constitutes a control unit of the present invention, and is a processing unit that controls the overall operation of the printer 201 by executing a computer program.

  The ROM 203 is a nonvolatile memory that stores a program (firmware program) for processing print data transmitted from the host PC 101.

  The RAM 204 is a memory that provides a work area for the CPU 202 and a temporary data storage area.

  The interface 205 is a communication interface such as USB or LPT necessary for communication with the host PC 101, and constitutes a receiving unit that receives print data including print setting information and operating environment information together with drawing information from the outside.

  The HDD 206 is a nonvolatile storage device that constitutes a storage unit of the present invention and has a large-capacity storage area for storing programs and data.

  The display 207 corresponds to the display 207a or 207b shown in FIG. 1, and is a display unit having a display screen capable of displaying various types of information.

  The recording head 208 constitutes a printing unit in the present invention and is an element that executes the printing function of the printer 201. Specifically, the drawing information is printed on the print medium according to the print setting information.

  The input unit 209 corresponds to the input unit 209a or 209b illustrated in FIG. 1 and is a part where a user can input instructions and information to the printer 201.

  Next, FIG. 3 shows a flowchart showing the processing of the host PC 101. This process is a process for generating print data, and is realized by the CPU 102 in the host PC 101 reading and executing a program in the ROM 103.

  First, in step S100, if the host PC 101 communicates with the printer 201 immediately before the start of print data creation, there is a print setting information save command and an operation environment save command set in the printer 201. Is acquired in advance and stored in the host PC 101.

  In step S101, generation of print data to be transmitted to the printer 201 in units of jobs is started.

  Steps S102 and S103 are steps for determining what page of data in one print data job is to be processed, and the processing after step S103 is performed in units of pages. A print target page is represented by a variable N.

  Step S104 is a step of generating drawing information of the print target page. This drawing information is generated based on a drawing command that can be interpreted by a program in the ROM 203 of the printer 201.

  Step S105 is a step of adding (storing) the drawing information created in step S104 to the print data. Up to this point, there is no difference from normal print data processing.

  In step S106, based on the information stored in the host PC 101 in step S100, it is determined whether or not a print setting information storage command is set for the printer. Thus, it is determined whether or not the print setting information is stored in the printer 201 corresponding to the print data. The information included in the print setting information is setting information that can be acquired mainly by a program stored in the ROM 103. The name of the print application program in the host PC, printer driver setting information (paper size, paper type, etc.), OS For example, version information.

  If the print setting information storage command is not set in the printer 201, the process proceeds to step S109.

  If a print setting information storage command is set in the printer 201, the print setting information is acquired from the host PC in step S107. The acquired print setting information is added to the print data in step S108.

  Step S109 is a step of determining whether or not an operation environment information storage command is set in the printer based on the information stored in the host PC 101 as described above. The information included in the operating environment information is information related to hardware that is built in or depends on the host PC 101 that can be acquired by the program in the ROM 103, and includes version information, memory usage, HDD (storage device) remaining capacity, CPU information, Examples include communication interface information and communication speed information.

  If the operating environment information storage command is not set in the printer 201, the process proceeds to step S112.

  If the operating environment information storage command is set in the printer 201, the operating environment information of the host PC is acquired in step S110.

  In step S111, the operating environment information of the host PC is added to the print data.

  Step S112 is a step of determining whether or not the current processing target page N set in step S103 is the last page in one job. If it is the last page, the process proceeds to step S113. If it is not the last page, the process returns to step S103, the process target page N is advanced to the next page, and the processes after S104 are repeated.

  Step S113 is a step of transmitting the print data that has been created in the above step from the host PC 101 to the printer 201.

  In steps S106 and S109, whether or not to add information to the print data is determined based on “whether or not a print setting information storage command is set in the printer”, but the initial setting previously set by the user is determined. The determination may be made based on the information. Alternatively, the user may determine each time a print instruction is given.

  Next, FIG. 4 shows a flowchart showing processing of the printer 201. This process is a process for extracting necessary information from the print data received from the host PC 101 and storing it in the HDD 206, and is realized by the CPU 202 in the printer 201 reading and executing the program in the ROM 203. The print data is transmitted from the host PC 101 by the processing of FIG.

  In step S <b> 201, the printer 201 receives print data transmitted from the host PC 101 via the communication interface 205 in units of jobs.

  Steps S202 and S203 are steps for determining which page of data in the print data 1 job is to be processed, and the processing after step S203 is performed in units of pages. A print target page is represented by a variable N.

  In step S <b> 204, it is determined whether to save print setting information in the storage area of the printer 201. This determination is made based on information set in the printer 201. If the print setting information is not stored, the process bypasses steps S205, S206, and S207 and proceeds to step S208.

  Step S205 is a step of determining whether or not print setting information is included in the print data. If the print setting information is not included, steps S206 and S207 are bypassed, and the process proceeds to step S208.

  If print setting information is included, the print setting information added by the host PC 101 is extracted from the print data in step S206.

  In step S207, the print setting information extracted in step S206 is stored in the storage area 501 in the HDD 206.

  In step S <b> 208, it is determined whether or not an operating environment information storage command is set in the storage area of the printer 201. This determination is made based on information set in the printer 201. If the operating environment information is not stored, the process proceeds to step S214 bypassing steps S209 to S213.

  If the operating environment information is to be stored, it is determined in step S209 whether or not the operating environment information added by the host PC 101 is included in the print data. If the operating environment information is not included, steps S210 and S211 are bypassed and the process proceeds to step S212.

  If the operating environment information is included, the operating environment information acquired by the host PC 101 is extracted from the print data in step S210. In step S211, the operating environment information extracted in step S210 is stored in the storage area 501 in the HDD 206.

  In step S212, if it is determined that the operating environment information is stored in step S208, the operating environment information of the printer 201 is acquired. The information included in the operating environment information is information related to a device that is built in or depends on the printer 201 and can be acquired by the program in the ROM 203. Firmware information, memory usage, HDD remaining capacity, CPU information, communication interface information, communication For example, speed information.

  In step S213, the operating environment information of the printer 201 acquired in step S212 is stored in the storage area 501 in the HDD 206.

  Step S214 is a step of extracting drawing information from the print data, and is also performed in normal print processing.

  In step S215, it is determined whether to save drawing information in the storage area of the printer 201. Information set in the printer 201 is acquired, and subsequent processing is switched based on this information. If the operating environment information is not stored, the process bypasses step S216 and proceeds to step S217.

  In step S216, the drawing information extracted in step S214 is stored in the storage area 501 in the HDD 206.

  In step S217, the drawing information extracted in step S216 is printed on the paper.

  Step S218 is a step of determining whether or not the current processing target page N set in step S203 is the last page in one job. If it is the last page, the step process ends. If it is not the last page, the process returns to step S203, the process target page N is advanced to the next page, and the processes after step S204 are repeated.

  As described above, since the print setting information, the operating environment information, and the drawing information are stored before the actual print output in step S217, even if the print output is interrupted or an error occurs for some reason, the print setting information is stored. The operating environment information and the drawing information remain in the printer.

  Note that the determination steps S204 and S208 are not necessarily required. Without making these determinations, if the information is included in steps S205 and S209, the information may be stored.

  Next, FIG. 5 shows a configuration of data stored in the storage area 501 in the HDD 206 by the printer 201. This figure shows an example in which information regarding three jobs J001, J002, and J003 is stored in the storage area 501 as a data block for each job.

  Job data J001 shows an example of data storage of a job having 10 pages of data in one job, and drawing information, print setting information, and operating environment information are stored in data blocks D101 and D102 to D109 in page units, respectively. .

  Job data J002 shows an example of data storage of a job having 5 pages of data in one job, and drawing information, print setting information, and operating environment information are stored in page-based data blocks D201 and D202 to D205, respectively. . Job data J003 indicates an example of data storage of a job having 9 pages of data in one job, and drawing information, print setting information, and operating environment information are stored in data blocks D301 and D302 to D310 for each page. .

  If the data area designated by the program can be read, the data stored in the storage area 501 is continuous in the job order such as J001, J002, and J003, and the page order such as D101 and D102. There is no need to adopt a typical data storage method. In consideration of the efficiency of the storage data area, it is also possible to compress the data at the time of saving and to decompress the data at the time of reading. For data blocks of a plurality of pages of the same job, the print setting information and the operating environment information may be omitted if they have the same contents as those of the previous page (if there is no change).

  Although not shown, when a plurality of host PCs can be connected to the printer, host PC information is also stored in the storage area 501, and jobs can be managed for each host PC.

  Next, an example of a user interface that allows the user to view and print by displaying print data only on the printer side without connecting to the host PC will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 illustrates a printer UI screen 600 that displays drawing information, print setting information, and operating environment information related to a specified page of a specified job stored in the storage area 501 on a display 207 (207a or 207b in FIG. 1) of the printer 201. An example is shown.

  On the screen of the display 207, the host PC selection field 601 is used to list the host PCs or user names that are registration sources of jobs stored in the storage area 501 as a list and allow the user to select them. The selection button 602 indicates a button for selecting the host PC from the host PC selection field 601 by moving the selection cursor.

  The job selection field 603 is for displaying all jobs stored in the storage area 501 as a list for the host PC selected in the host PC selection field 601, and allowing the user to select. A selection button 604 is a button for selecting a job from the list by moving the selection cursor. The initial value (default) of the job is a predetermined job (for example, the first job).

  A button 605 is used to give an instruction to print all pages of the job selected by the selection button 604.

  The page selection field 609 displays all pages included in the job selected from the list in the job selection field 603 as a list. The button 608 is a button for selecting a page from the page selection field 609 by moving the selection cursor. The initial value of the page is a predetermined page (for example, the first page).

  A button 606 is a button for printing the page selected by the button 608. A button 607 is a button for printing a page in a specified range from the page selection field 609.

  The drawing information area 610 is a drawing information display area for displaying the drawing information of the page specified in the page selection field 609.

  The print setting information area 611 is an area for displaying the print setting information of the page specified in the page selection field 609.

  The operating environment information area 612 is an area for displaying the operating environment information of the page specified in the page selection field 609.

  The user can easily check the drawing information area 610, the print setting information area 611, the operation environment information area 612, and the result of printing on the actual print target medium. Further, if necessary, a job or page having the drawing information can be printed again.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of printer UI processing corresponding to a user operation on the printer UI screen 600 illustrated in FIG. 6. This process is an off-line printer process in which the printer is not connected to the host PC, and is realized by the CPU 202 in the C printer 201 reading and executing the program in the ROM 203.

  In the printer, a framework (including each display field, area, and button) of the printer UI screen as shown in FIG. 6 is displayed according to a predetermined operation by the user from the input unit 209 (S301). Next, the contents of the default host PC, job, and page are read and displayed in the host PC selection column 601, job selection column 603, and page selection column 609, respectively (S302, S303, S304). Therefore, the drawing information of the designated page of the designated job of the designated host PC is read and displayed in the drawing information area 610 (S305). Next, the print setting information of the designated page of the designated job of the designated host PC is read and displayed in the print setting information area 611 (S306). Furthermore, the operating environment information of the specified page of the specified job of the specified host PC is read and displayed in the operating environment information area 612 (S307).

  Thereafter, it is monitored by the user whether one of the buttons 602, 604, and 608 has changed the designation of the host PC, job, or page (S308). If there is a designation change, the process returns to at least the corresponding step of steps S305, S306, and S307, and the display (the focus of the selected item) is updated.

  Further, it is monitored whether or not the user has issued a print instruction using any of buttons 605, 606, and 607 (S309). If there is a print instruction, the designated page (whole or part) of the designated job is printed in accordance with the instruction (S310).

  Thus, the user can browse and print the print data by the printer alone. Such an operation can be performed while checking the print setting information and the operating environment information for each page of the job. As a result, defective printing can be easily reproduced, and drawing information, operating environment information, and print setting information when defective printing occurs can be easily confirmed.

  Next, FIG. 8 shows an example of a printer initial setting screen 800 on the display 207 as a user interface for selecting and setting information to be stored in the storage area 501.

  The host PC selection column 801 is used to list the host PCs or users that are registration sources of jobs stored in the storage area 501 as a list and allow the user to select them. The selection button 805 is a button for selecting the host PC from the host PC selection field 801 by moving the selection cursor.

  A registration deletion button 803 is a button for deleting a host PC registered in the host PC selection field 801. A new registration button 804 is a button for newly registering the host PC selected in the host PC selection field 801.

  A button 806 is used to select and set whether or not to save print setting information related to printing on the host PC selected in the host PC selection field 801 in the storage area 501. The example in the figure shows a state where “Save” is selected. The print setting information area 807 is an area for displaying or selecting print setting information to be saved when the button 806 is designated to save the print setting information. As selection items, “paper size”, “paper type”, “paper orientation”, “user name”, “application name”, “color setting”, “driver Ver.”, “OS”, and “all information” are provided. .

  A button 808 is a button for selecting and setting whether or not to save operating environment information related to printing on the host PC selected in the host PC selection field 801 in the storage area 501. The example in the figure shows a state where “Do not save” is selected. The operating environment information area 809 is an area for displaying or selecting the operating environment information to be saved when the operating environment information is designated to be saved by the button 808. As the selection items, “firmware Ver.”, “CPU”, “ink use amount”, “memory use amount”, “communication interface”, “HDD remaining capacity”, “communication speed”, “all information” are provided.

  A button 810 is used to select and set whether or not to save drawing information related to printing on the host PC selected in the host PC selection field 801 in the storage area 501.

  The confirm button 811 is a button for confirming the information selected by the button 806, the region 807, the button 808, the region 809, and the button 810 relating to printing on the host PC selected in the host PC selection field 801 as a setting value. is there.

  The user can select an item to be saved from the button 806, the area 807, the button 808, the area 809, and the button 810 related to the host PC selected in the host PC selection field 801, and set it with the confirm button 811. .

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but various modifications and changes other than those mentioned above can be made.

1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a printing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of each of a host PC and a printer illustrated in FIG. 1. 2 is a flowchart showing processing of a host PC shown in FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing processing of the printer shown in FIG. 1. It is a figure which shows the structure of the data stored in a storage area by the printer shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the example of the printer UI screen in the printer in embodiment of this invention. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of printer UI processing in accordance with a user operation on the printer UI screen illustrated in FIG. 6. It is a figure which shows the example of the printer initial setting screen in the printer in embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

101 ... Host PC
201: Printer 203 ... ROM
205 ... Communication interfaces 207, 207a, 207b ... Display 208 ... Recording heads 209, 209a, 209b ... Input unit 301 ... Connection cable 302 ... Printed medium 501 ... Storage area 600 ... Printer UI screen 601 ... Host PC selection fields 602, 604 608 ... Select button 603 ... Job selection field 609 ... Page selection field 610 ... Drawing information area 611 ... Print setting information area 612 ... Operating environment information area 800 ... Printer initial setting screen 801 ... Host PC selection field 803 ... Registration delete button 804 ... New registration button 807 ... Print setting information area 809 ... Operating environment information area 811 ... Confirm button

Claims (9)

A receiving unit for receiving print data including drawing setting information and operating environment information together with drawing information from the outside;
A printing unit for printing the drawing information according to the print setting information;
A storage unit for storing the drawing information and its print setting information and operating environment information;
Input means for receiving user instructions or information input;
A display unit that selects the print data stored in the storage unit in response to an instruction from the input unit, and displays the print setting information and operating environment information corresponding to the print data on a display screen;
And a control unit that causes the printing unit to print the print data selected on the display screen.   The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays a user interface screen including a drawing information display area of the print data.   The printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the user interface screen further includes a selection column for the print data and a selection column for a page to be printed on the display screen.   4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for a user to set whether to store print setting information and operating environment information together with the drawing information in the storage unit for print data received from outside. A printing apparatus according to 1.   The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the print setting information is at least one of a name of an application program that generates the print data, printer driver setting information, and OS version information.   The operating environment information is at least one of hardware version information, memory usage, storage device remaining capacity, CPU information, communication interface information, and communication speed information that is built in or depends on the host PC that generates the print data. The printing apparatus according to claim 1.   The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operating environment information includes operating environment information of a printing apparatus, and the operating environment information of the printing apparatus is acquired from the inside of the printing apparatus. A printing system in which a host PC that generates print data and a printing apparatus are connected via a communication interface,
The host PC includes means for transmitting to the printing device including the drawing environment as well as the operating environment information and print setting information of the host PC when drawing information is generated in the print data to be transmitted to the printing device.
The printing device prints the print data received from the host PC, saves it in the storage area of the printing device, allows the stored print data to be viewed on the display unit, and prints the viewable print data again. Characteristic printing system.   The printing system according to claim 8, wherein the printing apparatus includes means for extracting operating environment information, print setting information, and drawing information of the host PC included in the print data and storing them in a storage area when printing the print data. .