JP2022025757A - Program and information processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a technique to improve the convenience of printing in a printer that can perform printing on a long-sized cut sheet and a continuous form, such as a roll sheet.SOLUTION: A printer driver 23 causes a CPU 11 of a PC 1 to acquire a paper size used for printing in a printer 2, when a paper length included in the acquired paper size is longer than a predetermined length, causes the CPU to perform guidance that indicates using an MP tray 43, and when the paper length included in the acquired paper size is not longer than the predetermined length, does not cause the CPU to perform the guidance. The printer 2 includes a plurality of paper feed trays, and the plurality of paper feed trays include the MP tray 43 corresponding to a long-sized sheet in which the length in a sheet conveyance direction is longer than the predetermined length, and a standard tray 41 and an additional tray 42 not corresponding to the long-sized sheet.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The technical fields disclosed herein relate to programs and information processing devices that accept print settings.

In an information processing device such as a personal computer, there is known a technique of accepting print settings used for printing on a printer and instructing the printer to print based on the print settings. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique relating to printing settings used for printing on a printer capable of printing on continuous paper such as roll paper.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-115528

When a printer that supports standard size cut paper supports continuous paper such as roll paper or long cut paper, there are the following problems. That is, when using continuous paper such as roll paper or long cut paper, those papers can be conveyed due to restrictions on the paper feed mechanism such as the physical size of the paper feed tray and the capacity of the rollers for paper transport. Paper trays may be limited. Patent Document 1 does not describe the use of a paper feed tray when printing on continuous paper such as roll paper, and there is room for improvement.

This specification discloses a technique for improving the convenience of printing in a printer capable of printing on continuous paper such as roll paper or long cut paper.

The program made for the purpose of solving this problem is a program that can be executed by the computer of the information processing apparatus, and causes the computer to execute an acquisition process for acquiring the paper size used for printing on the printer, and the paper size is obtained. Includes a paper length, which is the size of the paper in the transport direction in the printer, and a paper width, which is the size in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction. The printer includes a plurality of paper feed trays, and the plurality of paper feed trays are provided. The paper feed trays include a first paper feed tray corresponding to long paper having a length longer than a predetermined length in the paper transport direction, and a second paper feed tray not corresponding to the long paper. , And further, the computer is instructed to use the first paper feed tray when the paper length included in the paper size acquired in the acquisition process is longer than the predetermined length. It is characterized in that the guidance process is executed and the guidance process is not executed when the paper length included in the paper size acquired in the acquisition process is not longer than the predetermined length.

According to the program disclosed herein, the information processing apparatus prints on long paper such as roll paper or long cut paper when the paper length included in the paper size is longer than a predetermined length. , Guidance is given to indicate that the first paper feed tray, which is a paper feed tray corresponding to long paper, is used. As a result, a paper feed tray that is not compatible with long paper can be used, the possibility of paper transport failure can be reduced, and convenience when printing on long paper can be improved.

An information processing device that realizes the function of the program, a control method for realizing the function of the program, and a storage medium that can be read by a computer that stores the program are also new and useful.

According to the technique disclosed in the present specification, a technique for improving the convenience of printing in a printer capable of printing on continuous paper such as roll paper or long cut paper is realized.

It is a schematic block diagram of the PC which concerns on embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the paper transport path in a printer. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of a print setting process. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the print setting screen. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the size input screen of the user-defined size. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the guidance screen. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of a print process.

Hereinafter, embodiments in which the program is embodied will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. This embodiment discloses a program executed by a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as "PC") that can be connected to a printer that is a device having a printing function.

As shown in FIG. 1, for example, the PC 1 of the present embodiment is connected to the printer 2 so as to be communicable with each other. The PC 1 is a device capable of executing various application programs (hereinafter referred to as "applications") for causing the printer 2 to perform various functions. PC1 is an example of an information processing device. Instead of PC1, for example, a smartphone or a tablet computer may be used.

As shown in FIG. 1, the PC 1 includes a controller 10 including a CPU 11 and a memory 12. Further, the PC 1 includes a user interface (hereinafter referred to as “user IF”) 13 and a communication interface (hereinafter referred to as “communication IF”) 14, which are electrically connected to the controller 10. .. The controller 10 in FIG. 1 is a general term for hardware and software used for controlling the PC 1, and does not necessarily represent a single hardware that actually exists in the PC 1.

The CPU 11 executes various processes according to the program read from the memory 12 and based on the user's operation. The CPU 11 is an example of a computer. The memory 12 is, for example, a ROM, a RAM, an HDD, or a flash memory, and is used as an area for storing various programs, image data, document data, setting information, and other data. The buffer included in the CPU 11 is also an example of the memory.

An example of memory may be a computer-readable storage medium. A computer-readable storage medium is a non-transitional medium. In addition to the above examples, the non-transitory medium also includes recording media such as a CD-ROM and a DVD-ROM. The non-transitory medium is also a tangible medium. On the other hand, an electric signal that carries a program downloaded from a server on the Internet is a signal medium that can be read by a computer, which is a kind of medium that can be read by a computer, but is a storage that can be read by a non-transitory computer. Not included in the medium.

The user IF 13 includes hardware that displays information on the screen and hardware that accepts input operations by the user. The user IF 13 may be a combination of a display for display, a keyboard, a mouse, or the like, or may be a touch panel having a display function and an input reception function.

The communication IF 14 includes hardware for communicating with an external device such as a printer 2. The communication method of the communication IF14 may be any standard method such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), and USB. Further, the communication IF 14 may support a plurality of communication methods.

As shown in FIG. 1, the memory 12 of the PC 1 of the present embodiment incorporates an operating system (hereinafter referred to as “OS”) 21, a print application 22, and a printer driver 23. OS21 is, for example, Windows (registered trademark), macOS (registered trademark), iOS (registered trademark), Android (registered trademark), Linux (registered trademark).

The print application 22 is a program that receives a user's instruction regarding printing. The print application 22 is an example of an external program. The print application 22 accepts, for example, designation of a device for printing, designation of an image to be printed, an instruction to edit print settings, and an instruction to execute printing, by a user operation. The print application 22 may further accept a type of paper to be printed, a paper size, a print quality, a margin setting instruction, and the like.

The printer driver 23 is a program corresponding to the model of the printer 2 and includes a function of controlling the operation of the printer 2. The printer driver 23 is an example of a program. The printer driver 23 is activated, for example, when an instruction to execute printing on the printer 2 or an instruction to edit detailed print settings is received from the print application 22 or the like, or when an instruction to set the properties of the printer 2 is received from the OS 21. To. Further, the printer driver 23 receives, for example, a print job from the OS 21, and generates print data based on the image data specified in the print job.

The printer driver 23 accepts the user's selection regarding the print settings related to printing by the printer 2. The print settings include multiple items, and accept selection from the parameters that can be set for each item. The print setting items include, for example, paper type, paper size, print quality, color setting, and paper feed method. The printer driver 23 accepts selection of, for example, a standard size such as A4, a user-defined size, and registration of a user-defined size as parameters of a paper size item. In the following, among the paper size information included in the print settings, the size in the paper transport direction in the printer 2 is referred to as “paper length”, and the size in the direction orthogonal to the paper length is referred to as “paper width”.

The printer 2 is a device having at least a printing function and a communication function for communicating with the PC 1. When the printer 2 receives a print command from the PC 1 or the like, the printer 2 executes printing based on the print settings included in the received print command. For example, the printer 2 feeds paper from a paper feed tray designated as a paper feed method by a print command, and carries out paper transfer and printing on the paper being transferred.

The printer 2 of the present embodiment is provided with a printing engine 40 inside, for example, as outlined in FIG. 2, a plurality of paper feed trays for supplying paper to the printing engine 40, and a plurality of paper feed trays for discharging printed paper. It is provided with one output tray 45 for printing. The printer 2 of this embodiment includes a standard tray 41, an expansion tray 42, and a multipurpose paper feed tray (hereinafter referred to as “MP tray”) 43 as a paper feed tray. In the following, as shown by an arrow in FIG. 2, the side where the output tray 45 is open (the left side in FIG. 2) is referred to as the front, and the opposite side is referred to as the rear. The operation panel of the printer 2 of the present embodiment is provided on the front side surface of the printer 2, and the user who uses the printer 2 is likely to operate from the front side of the printer 2.

The standard tray 41 is a tray provided by the printer 2 from the time of shipment from the factory. The extension tray 42 is, for example, a tray added below the standard tray 41 after shipment from the factory. The standard tray 41 and the extension tray 42 are provided with a storage box capable of storing a bundle of paper, and the storage box can be used by inserting the storage box from the front to the rear of the printer 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the standard tray 41 and the extension tray 42 are provided with paper feed rollers 411 and 421, respectively. The standard tray 41 and the extension tray 42 push up the paper bundle stored in each storage box, and feed one sheet of paper from the top of the paper bundle toward the printing engine 40 by the paper feed rollers 411 and 421. Paper.

The standard tray 41 and the extension tray 42 can feed various types of paper as long as they can be stored in the storage box and have a size that can be conveyed by the paper feed rollers 411 and 421. The standard tray 41 and the extension tray 42 can feed, for example, standard size cut paper such as A4 and B5, and photo paper such as postcards, reciprocating postcards, and L size. In the printer 2 of this embodiment, the storage box included in the standard tray 41 and the extension tray 42 can store paper up to the Ledger size, for example. On the other hand, the standard tray 41 and the extension tray 42 cannot feed paper having a paper size that cannot be stored in the storage box. That is, in the printer 2 of this embodiment, paper having a paper length longer than the Ledger size paper length of 431.8 mm cannot be fed from the standard tray 41 or the extension tray 42. The standard tray 41 and the extension tray 42 are examples of the second paper feed tray.

The MP tray 43 of the printer 2 is a tray provided with an openable / closable insertion slot 431 at the rear of the printer 2 and can be used by opening the insertion slot 431. The MP tray 43 draws the loaded sheets one by one into the printer 2 from the open insertion slot 431 and feeds them to the printing engine 40.

The MP tray 43 of this embodiment is provided not only with paper having a size that can be fed from the standard tray 41 and the extension tray 42, but also with long-cut paper having a long paper length and roll paper that is continuous paper rolled into a roll. It is a paper feed tray that can also use paper. The MP tray 43 is a paper feed tray corresponding to long paper having a length in the paper transport direction longer than the Ledger size. The Ledger size paper length of 431.8 mm is an example of a predetermined length, and the MP tray 43 is an example of a first paper feed tray.

The long cut paper is, for example, a cut paper having a paper width equal to the standard size and a paper length longer than the standard size. As the long cut paper, for example, there are those having a paper length of 600 mm or 1200 mm. The long cut paper is an example of paper whose length in the transport direction is longer than a predetermined length. The roll paper is a continuous roll-shaped paper, and the printer 2 unwinds the paper from the roll and conveys the paper when printing on the roll paper. The MP tray 43 of the printer 2 of this embodiment is a paper feed tray in which roll paper can be set. When using roll paper, the paper length is defined by the user, so a paper length longer than the predetermined length may be specified. Therefore, the roll paper is an example of paper whose length in the transport direction of the paper is longer than a predetermined length. In the following, long cut paper and roll paper will be collectively referred to as "long paper".

As shown in FIG. 2, the printer 2 has a resist roller 401 at a position upstream of the printing engine 40 in the paper transport direction, and when printing is executed, the paper fed from one of the paper feed trays is fed. , Is conveyed to the printing engine 40 via the resist roller 401. Regardless of which paper tray is used to feed the paper, the transport path from the resist roller 401 to the output tray 45 via the printing engine 40 is the same. In the printer 2 of the present embodiment, the transport path from the resist roller 401 to the output tray 45 is a substantially straight path from the rear to the front of the printer 2.

On the other hand, the paper transport path from the paper feed tray to the resist roller 401 is different for each paper feed tray. As shown by the alternate long and short dash line A and the alternate long and short dash line B in FIG. 2, the transport path for the paper fed from the standard tray 41 and the extension tray 42 is located between the paper feed rollers 411 and 421 and the resist roller 401. Includes U-turn pass. The U-turn pass is a path that changes the traveling direction of the paper at an angle larger than 90 degrees. Specifically, the paper fed from the standard tray 41 is conveyed from the front to the rear immediately after the start of feeding by the paper feed roller 411, and is directed from the rear to the front on the downstream side of the resist roller 401. Will be transported to. The paper transport path fed from the standard tray 41 or the extension tray 42 is an example of the second path. The U-turn path may be composed of, for example, one roller or two or more rollers. Further, the U-turn pass includes a route in which a U-turn is performed only once, and a route in which a U-turn is performed a plurality of times such as an S-shaped route.

Further, the transport path of the paper fed from the MP tray 43 of the printer 2 of the present embodiment does not include the U-turn path as shown by the alternate long and short dash line C in FIG. Since the insertion slot 431 of the MP tray 43 is provided behind the printer 2, the paper loaded in the MP tray 43 travels from the rear to the front of the printer 2 and reaches the resist roller 401. .. The paper fed from the MP tray 43 is conveyed from the rear to the front from immediately after the start of feeding until the paper is ejected, and is not conveyed from the front to the rear. The paper transport path fed from the MP tray 43 is an example of the first path.

In the printer 2 of this embodiment, the paper size that can be fed from the standard tray 41 or the extension tray 42 has an upper limit depending on the size of the storage box, and the standard tray 41 or the extension tray 42 is suitable for transporting long paper. Not. Further, the U-turn path is included in the transport path for the paper fed from the standard tray 41 and the extension tray 42. When long paper is conveyed to a route including a U-turn pass, problems such as paper misalignment and jam may occur. For these reasons, it is not preferable to select the standard tray 41 or the extension tray 42 as the paper feed tray when instructing printing on long paper. However, a user who does not know this may mistakenly instruct printing on long paper with the print setting in which the standard tray 41 or the extension tray 42 is selected. The printer driver 23 of the present embodiment notifies the user that it is preferable to use the MP tray 43 when long paper is selected as the paper size.

Subsequently, the processing by the printer driver 23 of this embodiment will be described. The following processing and each processing step in the flowchart basically indicate the processing of the CPU 11 according to the instruction described in the printer driver 23. That is, the processes such as "judgment", "extraction", "selection", "calculation", "decision", "specification", "acquisition", "acceptance", and "control" in the following description are the processes of the CPU 11. Represents. The processing by the CPU 11 also includes hardware control using the API of the OS 21 of the PC 1. In this specification, the operation of each program will be described by omitting the description of OS21. That is, in the following description, the description to the effect that "program B controls hardware C" may refer to "program B controls hardware C using the API of OS21". Further, the processing of the CPU 11 according to the instruction described in the program may be described in abbreviated wording. For example, it may be described as "performed by the CPU 11" or "performed by the program".

Note that "acquisition" is used as a concept that does not require a request. That is, the process of receiving the data without the CPU 11 requesting is also included in the concept of "the CPU 11 acquires the data". Further, the "data" in the present specification is represented by a computer-readable bit string. Data having the same substantial meaning and different formats are treated as the same data. The same applies to "information" in the present specification. Further, "requesting" and "instructing" are concepts indicating that information indicating that a request is being made or information indicating that an instruction is being given is output to the other party. Further, the information indicating that the request is made or the information indicating the instruction is simply described as "request" or "instruction".

Further, the process of determining whether or not the information A indicates that the information A is the matter B by the CPU 11 is conceptually described as "determining whether or not the information A is the matter B". There is. The process of determining whether the information A indicates that the information A is the matter B or the matter C by the CPU 11 is "determined from the information A whether the information A is the matter B or the matter C." It may be described conceptually as in.

Hereinafter, the procedure of the print setting process by the printer driver 23 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The print setting process is executed by the CPU 11 of the PC 1 when the printer 2 is selected by an application such as the print application 22 and the print setting edit instruction or the print execution instruction is received. If the printer driver 23 has been started in advance, the print application 22 or the like instructs the running printer driver 23 to start executing the print setting process.

First, the CPU 11 acquires the selected print setting (S101). When the printer driver 23 is started, the CPU 11 reads out the print settings stored in the storage area for the printer driver 23 of the memory 12 and stores them in a predetermined data structure. This data structure is an area shared by an application such as the print application 22 and the printer driver 23, and may be edited by either the application and the printer driver 23. The data structure is an area that is temporarily used only while the application such as the print application 22 is being executed, and is destroyed when the application is terminated. In S101, the CPU 11 reads out the print settings stored in this data structure. In the subsequent processing, the CPU 11 refers to the read print setting and edits it.

On the other hand, the storage area for the printer driver 23 is an area provided when the printer driver 23 is installed on the PC 1, and is, for example, a registry and a setting file. The storage area for the printer driver 23 is an area held regardless of the execution status of applications such as the printer driver 23 and the print application 22, and is used permanently. When the printer driver 23 is installed, the installer of the printer driver 23, the OS21, the printer driver 23 immediately after the installation, and the like store various information in the storage area. The information stored in the storage area for the printer driver 23 includes, for example, print settings and model information, and also information to be edited after installation.

The print setting acquired in S101 is information used for instructing the printer 2 to print, and includes a plurality of items and parameters set for each item. The print settings include, for example, items such as paper type, paper size, print quality, color settings, and paper feed method. S101 is an example of the process of acquiring the paper size information, and is an example of the acquisition process. The parameter of the paper size item is the information of the set of the paper length and the paper width.

Then, the CPU 11 causes the user IF 13 to display a print setting screen showing the print settings acquired in S101 (S102). That is, on the print setting screen displayed in S102, the default print setting of the printer driver 23 or the print setting accepted by the application such as the print application 22 is displayed.

An example of the print setting screen is shown in FIG. The print setting screen 50 shown in the example of FIG. 4 includes a paper size selection field 51, a paper feed method selection field 52, an OK button 53, and a cancel button 54. The print setting screen 50 includes a selection field for accepting various print settings in addition to the paper size selection field 51 and the paper feed method selection field 52. The CPU 11 accepts operations for each selection field and each button displayed on the print setting screen 50. The print setting screen 50 is an example of the setting screen.

The CPU 11 determines whether or not the instruction to change the paper size has been accepted by operating the paper size selection field 51 on the print setting screen 50 being displayed (S110). When it is determined that the operation to the paper size selection field 51 has been accepted (S110: YES), the CPU 11 determines whether or not the paper length of the changed paper size is longer than the predetermined length (S111). In S111, the CPU 11 determines whether or not the paper length of the selected paper size is longer than the maximum paper length that can be accommodated in the standard tray 41, for example, based on the model information of the printer 2. In the present embodiment, the CPU 11 determines that the paper length is long when a paper size having a paper length longer than the Ledger size paper length of 431.8 mm is selected.

When the paper size selected in the paper size selection field 51 is a user-defined size, the CPU 11 causes the user IF 13 to display a screen for accepting user input of the paper length and the paper width, and the paper length and the paper width. Accepts the numerical specification of. FIG. 5 shows an example of a size input screen of a user-defined size. The input screen 60 shown in the example of FIG. 5 includes an input field 61 for accepting numerical input of paper width, an input field 62 for accepting numerical input of paper length, an OK button 63, and a cancel button 64. The CPU 11 accepts input of a numerical value into the input field 61 or the input field 62 within the range of the displayed numerical value. Then, when the operation to the OK button 63 is accepted, the CPU 11 closes the input screen 60 and makes a determination of S111 based on the numerical value input in the input field 62. The input screen 60 is an example of a setting screen. The operation to the OK button 63 is an example of an instruction to close the setting screen.

On the input screen 60, the CPU 11 may accept an operation on the OK button 63 while accepting a numerical input of only the paper width. That is, the CPU 11 may accept the operation to the OK button 63 in a state where the numerical input to the input field 61 is accepted and the numerical input to the input field 62 is not accepted. In that case, the CPU 11 may automatically determine, for example, the paper length to the maximum size that can be selected.

When it is determined that the paper length of the selected paper size is long (S111: YES), the CPU 11 determines whether or not the MP tray 43 is selected as the paper feed method on the print setting screen 50 being displayed. (S112). For example, in the example of FIG. 4, since "automatic selection" is displayed in the paper feed method selection field 52, the MP tray 43 is not selected. When a print command is received in the print setting in which automatic selection is set as the paper feed method, the printer 2 cannot determine the paper feed tray, so that an error is displayed on the operation panel and printing is not executed.

When it is determined that the MP tray 43 is not selected as the paper feeding method (S112: NO), the CPU 11 causes the user IF 13 to display the guidance screen (S113). S113 is an example of guidance processing.

An example of the guidance screen is shown in FIG. On the guidance screen 70 shown in the example of FIG. 6, a message urging the user to load paper in the MP tray 43 and a message indicating how to use the MP tray 43 are displayed together with an illustration showing the position of the MP tray 43 of the printer 2. .. The guidance screen 70 further includes an OK button 71 and a cancel button 72. The message indicating how to use the MP tray 43 includes, for example, a message instructing the orientation when loading the paper and a message instructing the paper to be loaded one by one. The method of giving guidance is not limited to the display of a message such as the guidance screen 70, and may be a voice notification, a moving image reproduction, or a combination thereof.

The CPU 11 waits until the operation to the OK button 71 or the cancel button 72 is accepted on the guidance screen 70 being displayed. The OK button 71 is a button that accepts the selection of the paper tray to be the MP tray 43, and the cancel button 72 is a button that accepts the instruction not to set the paper tray to the MP tray 43, that is, to cancel the selection of the paper size. be.

Then, the CPU 11 determines whether or not the operation to the OK button 71 has been accepted (S114). If it is determined that the paper has been accepted (S114: YES), the CPU 11 changes the paper feed method to the MP tray 43 (S115). S115 is an example of the setting process. Further, the CPU 11 closes the guidance screen 70 and notifies that the paper feed tray has been changed (S116). S116 is an example of notification processing. Further, the CPU 11 causes the user IF 13 to display the print setting screen 50 in a state where the MP tray 43 is selected in the paper feed method selection field 52.

When it is determined that the operation to the cancel button 72 is accepted instead of the OK button 71 (S114: NO), the CPU 11 cancels the selection of the paper size accepted in S110 (S117). The CPU 11 closes the guidance screen 70 and causes the user IF 13 to display the print setting screen 50 as a state before accepting an operation on the paper size selection field 51. After S116 and S117, the CPU 11 returns to S110 and accepts an operation on the print setting screen 50.

On the other hand, when it is determined that the operation on the paper size selection field 51 is not accepted (S110: NO), the CPU 11 determines whether or not the operation on various selection fields other than the paper size selection field 51 is accepted. (S120). When it is determined that the operation for each selection field has been accepted (S120: YES), or when it is determined that the paper length of the paper size selected in the paper size selection field 51 is not long (S111: NO), or If it is determined that the MP tray 43 is selected as the paper feeding method even when a paper size having a long paper length is selected (S112: YES), the CPU 11 displays the display contents based on the user's operation. The print setting screen 50 in which the above is changed is displayed on the user IF 13 (S121). Then, the CPU 11 returns to S110 and accepts an operation on the print setting screen 50.

When it is determined that the operation to the selection column other than the paper size selection column 51 is not accepted (S120: NO), the CPU 11 determines whether or not the operation to the OK button 53 is accepted (S130). When it is determined that the operation to the OK button 53 is not accepted (S130: NO), the CPU 11 determines whether or not the operation to the cancel button 54 is accepted (S140). When it is determined that the operation to the cancel button 54 is not accepted (S140: NO), the CPU 11 returns to S110 and waits until the operation to each selection field or the button is accepted.

When it is determined that the operation to the OK button 53 has been accepted (S130: YES), the CPU 11 determines whether or not the paper length of the paper size selected in the paper size selection field 51 is long (S131). The operation to the OK button 53 is an example of an instruction to close the setting screen. When it is determined that the paper length is long (S131: YES), the CPU 11 determines whether or not the MP tray 43 is selected as the paper feeding method (S132). When it is determined that the MP tray 43 is not selected (S132: NO), the CPU 11 causes the user IF 13 to display the guidance screen 70 (see FIG. 6) (S133). S133 is an example of guidance processing. S133 is the same process as S113.

The CPU 11 determines whether or not the operation to the OK button 71 has been accepted on the guidance screen 70 being displayed (S134). When it is determined that the paper has been accepted (S134: YES), the CPU 11 changes the paper feed method to the MP tray 43 (S135). S135 is an example of the setting process. Further, the CPU 11 closes the guidance screen 70 and notifies that the paper feed tray has been changed (S136). S136 is an example of the notification process.

After S136, when it is determined that the paper length is not long (S131: NO), or when it is determined that the MP tray 43 is selected (S132: YES), the CPU 11 is displaying the print setting. The content is determined, and the determined print setting is stored in the data structure of the memory 12 (S137). S137 is an example of storage processing. The CPU 11 may store the determined print settings in the storage area for the printer driver 23. After S137, the CPU 11 closes the print setting screen 50 (S138) and ends the print setting process.

On the other hand, when it is determined that the operation to the cancel button 54 has been accepted (S140: YES), the CPU 11 discards all the edits accepted on the print setting screen 50 (S141). That is, the CPU 11 does not write the edited print settings to the data structure or the storage area for the printer driver 23, and discards the edited result information. After S141, the CPU 11 closes the print setting screen 50 (S138) and ends the print setting process.

When the printer driver 23 is started from an application such as the print application 22, when the CPU 11 executes the print setting process, even after the print setting process is completed after S144, until the print application 22 or the like is terminated. , The data structure is retained. After receiving the notification of the end of the print setting process by the printer driver 23, the print application 22 or the like receives various instructions that can be accepted by the application.

The printer driver 23 performs the print setting process not only when receiving an instruction from an application such as the print application 22, but also when receiving an instruction to edit the print setting from, for example, OS21 or a related tool provided by the manufacturer of the printer driver 23. Execute. In this case, the CPU 11 stores the print setting determined in S137 in the storage area for the printer driver 23. That is, the print settings after editing are permanent. In addition, the OS 21 or various related tools or applications may store the edited print settings in the storage area for the printer driver 23.

In addition, some print applications 22 and the like can accept paper size settings. When the print application 22 or the like receives the paper size setting instruction, it asks the printer driver 23 for selectable options. The printer driver 23 may acquire information on the selected paper size from the print application 22 or the like and execute the print setting processes S111 to S117.

Next, the procedure of the printing process by the printer driver 23 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The print process is executed by the CPU 11 of the PC 1 when the print application 22 or the like receives a print instruction instructing the printer 2 to execute printing and the print job is input from the OS 21 to the printer driver 23.

In the print process, the CPU 11 first acquires print settings from a data structure shared by an application such as the print application 22 and the printer driver 23 (S201). It should be noted that an application such as the print application 22 may accept a print execution instruction without receiving an edit instruction for print settings, that is, without executing the print setting process described above. Even in that case, the CPU 11 reads out the print settings stored in the storage area for the printer driver 23 and stores them in the data structure, as at the start of the print setting process, and in S201, prints from the data structure. Get the settings.

Then, the CPU 11 determines whether or not the paper length of the paper size specified in the print setting is longer than the predetermined length (S202). S202 is the same judgment as S111. When it is determined that the designated paper length is long (S202: YES), the CPU 11 determines whether or not the MP tray 43 is selected as the paper feed method specified in the print setting (S203). ..

When it is determined that the MP tray 43 is not specified as the paper feeding method (S203: NO), the CPU 11 causes the user IF 13 to display the guidance screen 70 (see FIG. 6) (S204). S204 is an example of guidance processing. Since the printing process has already received the instruction to execute printing, the OK button 71 in this case is a button for receiving the instruction to feed the paper from the MP tray 43 and execute printing, and is a cancel button. Reference numeral 72 is a button for receiving an instruction to stop printing. The guidance screen in this case may include a print button instead of the OK button.

Then, the CPU 11 determines whether or not the operation to the OK button 71 has been accepted (S205). When it is determined that the paper has been accepted (S205: YES), the CPU 11 changes the setting of the paper feed tray to the MP tray 43 (S206). S206 is an example of the setting process. Further, the CPU 11 closes the guidance screen 70 and notifies that the paper feed tray has been changed (S207). S207 is an example of notification processing.

After S207, when it is determined that the paper length is not long (S202: NO), or when it is determined that the MP tray 43 is selected (S203: YES), the CPU 11 is an image included in the print job. Print data is generated based on the data, and print setting information is added to generate a print command (S210). Further, the CPU 11 transmits the generated print command to the printer 2 (S211), and ends the printing process.

On the other hand, when it is determined on the displayed guidance screen 70 that the operation to the cancel button 72 is accepted instead of the OK button 71 (S205: NO), the CPU 11 notifies that the printing has been canceled (S212). , Ends the printing process.

As described in detail above, the printer driver 23 of this embodiment prints on long paper such as roll paper or long cut paper when the paper length of the paper size included in the print setting is longer than the predetermined length. If so, guidance is given to encourage the use of the MP tray 43. Guidance increases the likelihood that the user will select the appropriate paper tray for the paper tray when printing on long paper, reducing the possibility of poor paper transport and printing on long paper. Increased convenience.

Further, in this embodiment, since the printer driver 23 and the printing application 22 accept the setting of the paper size, the convenience when printing on long paper is further enhanced. In particular, the user needs to use the MP tray 43 because the guidance is immediately given at the timing when the paper size on the print setting screen 50 is changed and the timing when the instruction to close the print setting screen 50 is received. It is easy to grasp, and it can be expected that the MP tray 43 will be selected as the paper feed tray. Further, in this embodiment, since the usage method of the MP tray 43 is also guided, the convenience when printing on long paper is further enhanced.

Further, in this embodiment, when a print instruction is received by the print application 22 or the like, guidance is given based on the specified print setting, so that it is necessary to use the MP tray 43 in the case of long paper. It is easy for the user to understand, and it can be expected that the paper will be immediately loaded in the MP tray 43.

Further, in the present embodiment, the U-turn path is not included in the transport path of the paper fed from the MP tray 43. Further, it is more likely that the transport path not including the U-turn path can stably transport the paper than the transport path including the U-turn path. In this embodiment, when feeding long paper, guidance is given to the use of a paper feed tray that does not include a U-turn path, so that the convenience of printing on long paper is further enhanced.

Further, in this embodiment, when the use of long paper is set, the paper feed tray is automatically set in the MP tray 43, which enhances the convenience of printing on long paper. Further, since the notification that the paper tray has been changed is notified, the user can grasp the setting of the paper tray. Furthermore, since the user is asked before the paper tray is automatically changed, the setting can be set as desired by the user.

It should be noted that this embodiment is merely an example and does not limit the present invention in any way. Therefore, as a matter of course, the present invention can be improved and modified in various ways within the range not deviating from the gist thereof. For example, the printer 2 is not limited to a device having a single printing function, and may be a device having a document reading function and a fax transmission / reception function. This embodiment can be applied to a PC 1 connected to a multifunction device, a copier, a fax machine, or the like instead of the printer 2. Further, two or more printers may be connected to the PC1.

Further, for example, the number of paper feed trays is not limited to three. For example, the extension tray 42 may be omitted. Further, in the case of a printer having a paper feed tray compatible with long paper other than the MP tray 43, for example, the guidance screen displays all the paper feed trays compatible with long paper, and the user. You may accept the selection of.

Further, in this embodiment, when the print setting screen 50 accepts the selection of long paper as the paper size, when the print setting screen 50 closes the long paper is selected, and when the long paper is selected. Guidance is given when an instruction to execute printing is accepted, but it is not limited to this. For example, the guidance may be given only at one or two of these timings, or the guidance may be given at the time of starting the print application 22 or the printer driver 23. Further, in this embodiment, guidance is not provided when the MP tray is selected, but it may be provided.

Further, in the present embodiment, when the operation to the OK button is accepted on the guidance screen, the paper feeding method is automatically changed to the MP tray 43, but it is not necessary. However, if it is changed automatically, it is preferable because it saves the trouble of changing the user.

Further, for example, in the present embodiment, the transport path from the MP tray 43 is a transport path that does not include the U-turn path, but the present invention is not limited to this. Further, even if the path includes a U-turn path, any paper feed tray suitable for transporting long paper can be appropriately used when printing on long paper, not limited to the MP tray 43. That is, the guidance may guide the user to use a paper feed tray suitable for printing on long paper regardless of the presence or absence of the U-turn pass. For example, when the standard tray 41 is provided with a configuration capable of transporting long paper, for example, a storage box having a size capable of storing long paper, and a storage box having an opening capable of feeding paper from the outside. You may guide the use of the standard tray 41. However, for example, in the case of printing on roll paper, it is preferable to use a paper feed tray in a transport path that does not include a U-turn path because the remaining paper may be rewound after printing.

Further, in the present embodiment, the processing of the printer driver 23 has been described, but the program of the present invention is not limited to the printer driver. It can also be applied to a PC having a so-called driverless configuration, which is equipped with an OS having a general-purpose print program instead of a printer driver. The present invention is also applicable to, for example, a program related to printing incorporated in a PC separately from a general-purpose print program, and a program that accepts print settings in cooperation with a general-purpose print program.

Further, in any flowchart disclosed in the present embodiment, a plurality of processes in any plurality of steps can be arbitrarily changed in the execution order or executed in parallel as long as the processing contents do not conflict with each other.

Further, the process disclosed in this embodiment may be executed by a single CPU, a plurality of CPUs, hardware such as an ASIC, or a combination thereof. Further, the process disclosed in the embodiment can be realized in various aspects such as a recording medium or a method in which a program for executing the process is recorded.

1 PC
2 Printer 11 CPU
12 Memory 13 User IF
41 Standard tray 42 Expansion tray 43 MP tray

Claims (12)

A program that can be executed by the computer of the information processing device.
To the computer
An acquisition process for acquiring the paper size used for printing on the printer is executed, and the paper size is the size of the paper length in the transport direction of the printer and the size of the paper in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction. Width and the like, the printer comprises a plurality of paper feed trays, the plurality of paper feed trays correspond to long paper having a length in the transport direction of paper longer than a predetermined length. A first paper feed tray and a second paper feed tray that does not correspond to the long paper are included.
Further to the computer
When the paper length included in the paper size acquired in the acquisition process is longer than the predetermined length, a guidance process for giving guidance indicating that the first paper feed tray is used is executed, and the acquisition process is performed. If the paper length included in the obtained paper size is not longer than the predetermined length, the guidance process is not executed.
A program characterized by that. In the program according to claim 1,
To the computer
When the paper length included in the paper size acquired in the acquisition process is longer than the predetermined length, the guidance process for giving the guidance indicating that the first paper feed tray is used is executed, and the first. The 1 paper feed tray is a paper feed tray that feeds paper to a first path that does not include a U-turn path in the paper transport path, and the second paper feed tray is a second path that includes a U-turn path in the paper transport path. A paper tray for feeding paper,
A program characterized by that. In the program according to claim 1 or 2.
In the acquisition process,
A setting screen for accepting the paper size setting is displayed on the user interface of the information processing apparatus, the paper size setting is accepted by operating the setting screen, and the accepted paper size is acquired.
A program characterized by that. In the program according to claim 3,
In the acquisition process,
When the change of the paper size selected on the setting screen is accepted, the changed paper size is acquired.
To the computer
When the change of the paper size selected on the setting screen is accepted, if the paper length included in the changed paper size is longer than the predetermined length, the guidance process is executed and the changed paper size is changed. If the paper length included in the paper size is not longer than the predetermined length, the guidance process is not executed.
A program characterized by that. In the program according to claim 3,
In the acquisition process,
When the instruction to close the setting screen is received, the paper size selected on the setting screen is acquired, and the paper size is acquired.
To the computer
When the instruction to close the setting screen is received, if the paper length included in the paper size selected on the setting screen is longer than the predetermined length, the guidance process is executed and the setting screen is displayed. If the paper length included in the selected paper size is not longer than the predetermined length, the guidance process is not executed.
A program characterized by that. In the program according to claim 3,
To the computer
A storage process for storing the paper size acquired in the acquisition process in the memory of the information processing apparatus is executed.
Further to the computer
When the printer is instructed to print by an external program, the paper size is read from the memory, and if the paper length included in the read paper size is longer than the predetermined length, the guidance process is performed. If the paper length included in the paper size read out is not longer than the predetermined length, the guidance process is not executed.
A program characterized by that. In the program according to claim 1 or 2.
In the acquisition process,
When the printer is instructed to print by an external program, the paper size is acquired from the print settings included in the print instruction.
To the computer
When the printing instruction for causing the printer to print is given from an external program, if the paper length included in the paper size obtained from the printing instruction is longer than the predetermined length, the guidance process is executed and the instruction processing is executed. If the paper length included in the paper size obtained from the print instruction is not longer than the predetermined length, the guidance process is not executed.
A program characterized by that. In the program according to any one of claims 1 to 7.
To the computer
When the paper length included in the paper size acquired in the acquisition process is longer than the predetermined length, the setting process for setting the paper feed tray when causing the printer to print is set to the first paper feed tray. To execute,
A program characterized by that. In the program according to claim 8,
To the computer
When the paper feed tray is set to the first paper feed tray in the setting process, a notification process for notifying that the paper feed tray is set to the first paper feed tray is executed.
A program characterized by that. In the program according to claim 8,
To the computer
If the paper length included in the paper size acquired in the acquisition process is longer than the predetermined length, whether or not to set the paper feed tray to the first paper feed tray before executing the setting process. When the selection is accepted and the paper tray setting is selected to be the first paper tray, the setting process is executed and the paper tray setting is not set to the first paper tray. When is selected, the setting process is not executed.
A program characterized by that. In the program according to any one of claims 1 to 10.
In the guidance process,
In addition to the guidance indicating that the first paper feed tray is used, the guidance indicating how to use the first paper feed tray is also provided.
A program characterized by that. An information processing device equipped with a computer and capable of communicating with a printer.
The computer
An acquisition process for acquiring the paper size used for printing by the printer is executed, and the paper size is a size in a direction orthogonal to the paper transport direction and a paper length which is a size in the paper transport direction in the printer. The printer includes a plurality of paper feed trays, and the plurality of paper feed trays correspond to long paper having a length in the transport direction of paper longer than a predetermined length. A first paper feed tray and a second paper feed tray that does not correspond to the long paper are included.
Furthermore, the computer is
When the paper length included in the paper size acquired in the acquisition process is longer than the predetermined length, a guidance process for giving guidance indicating that the first paper feed tray is used is executed, and the acquisition process is performed. If the paper length included in the obtained paper size is not longer than the predetermined length, the guidance process is not executed.
An information processing device characterized by this.

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