JP2011028502A - Plug-in software - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the following problem: when a borderless printing function is used, it is troublesome for a user to set a borderless sheet in an application, and set borderless print in a printer driver. <P>SOLUTION: By using plug-in software embedded in a general application, and configured to extend a function cooperatively with a printer driver, borderless printing is performed through plug-in so that there is no need for a user to consider the setting of an application and a printer driver. Thus, it is possible to perform simple borderless printing from the general application. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to plug-in software that is incorporated in a general-purpose application and extends functions in cooperation with a printer driver that controls a printing apparatus.

  When data edited or displayed by an application is printed using a printer, printing is generally performed via a printer driver corresponding to the printer. At this time, in order to obtain a printed matter desired by the user from the printer, it is necessary for the user himself to appropriately change the application setting and the printer driver setting for printing. For example, when a user performs borderless printing from Microsoft Word (Microsoft Corporation, USA), which is one of typical applications, it is necessary to take the following steps.

1. Change the current paper size to borderless paper size (for example: A4 size → A4 borderless size)
2. 2. Create a document full of manuscript paper for the application. Perform borderless print settings for the printer driver (* Borderless print settings: Print settings for performing borderless printing in the printer driver)
4). Execute printing

On the other hand, there are many applications that disclose means for extending their functions. For example, there are applications such as Microsoft Office (Microsoft USA), Microsoft Internet Explorer (Microsoft USA), and Netscape Navigator (Netscape USA). In these applications, it is possible to provide an additional function to the user by registering an additional program in accordance with a public means. An additional program for providing an additional function to the application described above is generally called plug-in software.
("Microsoft", "MICROSOFT OFFICE", "§e∞Microsoft \ Internet \ Explorer" and "NETSCAPE" are registered trademarks)

  Among the prior arts, there are several techniques that simplify complicated operations such as borderless printing by using plug-in software. For example, a technique has been proposed in which plug-in software incorporated in a web browser directly enlarges and lays out print data downloaded from the web, and performs borderless printing using an extension API dedicated to a printer driver. (See Patent Document 1)

  As a result, the user can perform borderless printing directly from the plug-in software without opening the printer driver setting dialog. However, there is a problem that the plug-in software can be applied only to an application that can pass print data to plug-in software such as a web browser.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-216366

  In order to perform borderless printing, the conventional plug-in software has received a print data from an application, and the plug-in software itself appropriately expands and lays out the print data. Therefore, it can be applied only to an application that can pass print data to plug-in software, such as a web browser, and it has been difficult to perform borderless printing from a general-purpose application that cannot pass print data to plug-in software.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is characterized by having the following configuration.

In other words, it is plug-in software that is incorporated into a general-purpose application and expands functions in cooperation with a printer driver that controls a printing apparatus,
Borderless printing designation means for designating borderless printing from the plug-in software;
Application setting means for changing the paper size of the application to a borderless paper size when the borderless printing function is designated by the borderless printing means;
The printer driver includes printer driver setting means for performing borderless print setting.

  According to the present invention, even for a general-purpose application that cannot pass print data to plug-in software, by appropriately operating both the application setting and the printer driver setting from the plug-in software embedded in the application. This makes it possible to easily perform borderless printing.

It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the plug-in software in one Example of this invention. It is the block diagram which showed the connection of the internal structure of PC in the one Example of this invention, and the exterior. It is an example of the starting screen of Microsoft Word incorporating the plug-in software in the present invention. 4 is an example of a print dialog displayed when plug-in software is activated in the first embodiment. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating borderless printing. FIG. 10 is an example of a print dialog after borderless printing is selected in Embodiment 1. FIG. The operation | movement at the time of starting of plug-in software is shown with the flowchart.

Example 1
FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a system having plug-in software according to an embodiment of the present invention, and includes a PC 101 and a printer 102 represented by a large format printer.

  Reference numeral 103 denotes an application that operates on a PC. In this embodiment, Microsoft Word (hereinafter referred to as a word) is taken up as a general-purpose application. Microsoft Word is an application of Microsoft Corporation in the United States, and is an application that is used to create general documents and printed manuscripts.

  Reference numeral 104 denotes an expansion unit (hereinafter referred to as a plug-in) that expands the function of a word, which operates on an application and operates in cooperation with a printer driver that controls application settings and a printer, as will be described later. . The main part of the embodiment of the present invention is included in the plug-in 104.

  A printer driver 105 requests printing via an operating system (hereinafter referred to as OS). The printer driver interprets a print command received via the OS and generates print data that can be interpreted by the printer. It also accepts print setting changes from plug-ins.

  Here, in this embodiment, the word is taken up as a general-purpose application. However, the application is not limited to this, and the application of the present invention can be applied to all applications that provide expansion means equivalent to the word. Plug-ins are applicable.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the connection between the internal structure of the PC and the outside.

  This PC has a general configuration, such as a central processing unit 201 with a CPU, a storage device 202 such as a RAM, an input device 203 such as a mouse or keyboard, a display device 204 such as a CRT or LCD, a hard disk or a magneto-optical disk, etc. Auxiliary storage devices 205, each of which is connected by an internal bus line IB.

  The input device 203 performs various inputs from the user to icons, menus, and other objects displayed by the word or plug-in on the display device.

  The auxiliary storage device stores the plug-in, word, OS, and other program information of the present invention, and is appropriately called from the central processing unit and stored in the storage device.

  Further, the internal bus line IB of the PC is connected to the printer 102 by the external bus line BL, and job registration can be performed from the PC to the printer 102.

  Hereinafter, the plug-in of the present invention will be described in accordance with the operation of the plug-in registered in the word.

  FIG. 3 shows a screen in which a word is activated. The word screen includes a title bar 301 that displays the title and application name of the document currently being created, a menu bar 302 that displays the functions provided by the word in a menu format, and functions and plug-in software provided by the word such as icons. A tool bar 303 arranged in the control format, and a document display area 304 for displaying a document currently being created.

  The document display area 304 displays a document 305 that is currently being edited by the user. Here, the paper size of the original 305 is set to A4 (width 210 mm × length 297 mm), which is a general setting in a word, and the original is drawn to perform borderless printing. Shall.

  Reference numeral 306 denotes an icon displayed on the word toolbar 303 when the plug-in of the present invention is registered in the word. Here, it is assumed that the plug-in of the present invention is already registered in the word. Plug-in system registration for general-purpose applications such as words is well known and will not be described.

  FIG. 4 shows a plug-in print dialog 401 displayed when the user presses the plug-in activation icon 306 of the present invention.

  Reference numeral 402 denotes a print display area for displaying how the original 305 is printed. Reference numeral 403 denotes an output paper. Reference numeral 404 denotes a print area when the original 305 is printed on the output paper 403. However, here, roll paper is used as the output paper 403. Incidentally, the output paper 403 is not limited to roll paper, and can be cut paper, for example.

  Reference numeral 405 denotes a “paper type” combo box, 406 denotes a “borderless printing” check box, 407 denotes a “print” button, and 408 denotes a “cancel” button.

  The paper type combo box 405 is a control for setting the type of paper to be printed. Here, it is assumed that plain paper is set as the paper type. The borderless printing check box 406 is a control for determining whether or not to execute borderless printing. Here, it is assumed that the setting is off. Borderless printing, unlike normal printing, is a function that allows printing without a border when printing without a margin (border) such as a photograph is desired.

  The user can perform printing with print settings designated by the plug-in by making print settings with 405 and 406 and pressing a print button 407. Further, by pressing a cancel button 408 during the print setting, the print setting set on the plug-in can be canceled.

  With the above processing, the plug-in printing process is completed.

  FIG. 5 illustrates the borderless printing process.

  When the word document 305 is printed borderlessly, the print data is enlarged as indicated by 501, and is drawn in a state slightly outside the output paper 502. Thereafter, an output result 503 is output from the printer 102. However, in the figure, roll paper is taken as an example of output paper, but the same processing is performed on cut paper.

  Next, FIG. 6 shows a plug-in print dialog when the user turns on the borderless print check box 406 in FIG.

  When the borderless printing check box is set to ON, the print area 404 is drawn with the output paper 403 being enlarged to the full width. The paper type combo box 405 does not change particularly when a borderless printable paper is already selected. However, when a paper that cannot be borderlessly printed is selected, the user can again request a borderless paper. Processing such as having you select is entered.

  However, this process itself is not limited. For example, when the user decides whether to perform borderless printing first, after the borderless printing is decided, the paper type combo box 405 Processing such as selecting only the types of paper capable of borderless printing is also conceivable.

  Hereinafter, detailed operations of the plug-in software of the present invention will be described with reference to a flowchart.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the plug-in program representing the operation from start to end in the plug-in of the present invention.

  First, when the user presses the plug-in icon 306 on the word toolbar 303, the operation of the plug-in program starts, and the process proceeds to S701.

  In S701, the above-described plug-in print dialog 401 is displayed, the process proceeds to S702, and a user input wait state is entered.

  Here, when the user sets the borderless printing check box 406 to ON, the process proceeds to S703, and as shown in FIG. 6, the print area 404 is redrawn to the borderless print area full of the output paper width. In the paper type combo box 405, a borderless paper is set.

  On the other hand, when the user presses the print button 407 or the cancel button 408 in a state where the borderless print check box 406 is not ON or the processing in S703 is completed, the type of the pressed button is confirmed in S704, If the pressed button is the cancel button 408, the plug-in print dialog 401 is closed and the plug-in program is terminated.

  On the other hand, if the pressed button is the print button 407, the process proceeds to S705, where it is determined whether the borderless print check box is set to ON.

  As a result, if the borderless printing check box is not set to ON, the process proceeds to S708, and if it is set to ON, the process proceeds to S706.

  In S706, the paper size “A4” currently set in the word is changed to “A4 borderless”.

  The method for changing the paper size of the word is not performed by opening the page setting dialog of the word but by a method in which the plug-in program internally performs the processing on the word. As a means, the currently set paper size is obtained from the word via the interface published by the word, and if the paper size is not a borderless paper size, the word paper size is obtained via the interface. Change to a borderless paper size. Here, the paper size is not limited to A4, and can be changed to a borderless paper in the case of other standard size or custom size paper. Further, since the interface published by Word is publicly known, a description thereof will be omitted.

  When S706 ends, next, in S707, the borderless printing function of the printer driver is set to ON.

  Here, the printer driver setting change is not performed by opening the printer driver setting dialog, but is performed internally by the plug-in program for the printer driver. This method is not particularly limited, and for example, a method using a dedicated extension API possessed by the printer driver can be considered.

  When the processing of S707 ends, in S708, the paper type set in the printer driver is changed to the paper type set in the paper type combo box 406 using the same means as in S707.

  Finally, in S709, printing is executed with the print settings set by the plug-in using the print function of the application.

  Here, printing is not performed by opening the word print dialog, but the word print function is executed from the plug-in via the interface published by the word as in S706.

  When S709 ends, the plug-in print dialog closes and the plug-in program ends.

  As a result, the user can easily perform borderless printing from the plug-in without opening the word page setting dialog or the printer driver setting dialog.

101 Host device (PC)
102 Printer
103 Application
104 Plug-in software
105 Printer driver
201 Central processing unit
202 storage
203 Input device
204 Display device
205 Auxiliary storage
301 Title bar
302 Menu bar
303 Toolbar
304 Document display area
305 Original
306 Plug-in launch icon
401 Plug-in print dialog
402 Print display area
403 output paper
404 print area
405 Paper type setting section
406 Borderless print setting section
407 Print button
408 Cancel button
501 Enlarged print data
502 output paper
503 output result

Claims (1)

In plug-in software that is embedded in a general-purpose application and expands functions in cooperation with a printer driver that controls the printing device.
Borderless printing designation means for designating borderless printing from the plug-in software;
Application setting means for changing the paper size of the application to a borderless paper size when the borderless printing function is designated by the borderless printing means;
Plug-in software comprising printer driver setting means for performing borderless print setting on the printer driver.

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