JP4586083B2 - Printer control apparatus and method, and recording medium - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a printer control apparatus for setting various information for printing in a predetermined printer, a method thereof, and a recording medium on which a computer program for setting various information for printing in a predetermined printer is recorded. .

  Generally, when a printer is connected to a computer and print data created by the computer is to be printed on the printer, it is necessary to incorporate software called a printer driver in the computer. The printer driver is a computer program that controls various printer information such as printer functions, interfaces, font information, and control codes in the computer and controls the printer, and is prepared for each printer model to be printed.

  FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram showing a paper setting dialog box in a conventional printer driver. An operator can operate a computer to start a printer driver incorporated in the computer and set various information. Paper settings for setting information relating to paper, which is one of such information, are shown in FIG. Open the dialog box.

  As shown in FIG. 19, the dialog box includes an area A1 for setting a printing purpose such as word processor and spreadsheet, an area A2 for setting a paper size, and an area A3 for an image showing a three-dimensional stereoscopic image of the printer. It is displayed. The 3D image of the printer visually informs the operator of the paper direction and lever position. For example, as shown in FIG. 19, when “A4 210 × 297 mm” is selected in the paper size column A4, the three-dimensional pattern of the printer in the area A3 is a paper set in the vertical direction. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 20, when the paper size column A4 is selected as “A4 horizontal 297 × 210 mm”, the three-dimensional image of the printer in the area A3 is a paper in which the paper is set in the horizontal direction. It becomes. The display using such a dialog box enhances the usability of the printer driver.

  However, in the conventional technique, the vertical and horizontal directions in which the paper is set can be seen at a glance, but it is not immediately known which side should be set on the front and back of the paper. It is not uncommon for paper to have a front or back side, such as postcards, envelopes, or specially treated printing surfaces. When loading these types of paper into a printer, It was difficult to see if printing was successful. In addition, when setting a paper having directionality in the vertical and horizontal directions such as “postcard” and “binder paper” in the printer, it is difficult to determine which paper should be set up or down or left and right. Therefore, the conventional technology has a problem that the usability of the printer is still insufficient.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to improve the usability of the printer by facilitating the setting of paper on the printer.

  In order to solve such a problem, the first invention is a printer control device for setting various information for printing in a predetermined printer, and a screen showing an image related to an operation for setting the various information, A work execution unit that performs the work while displaying on a display device, and a sheet information display control that displays an image indicating a sheet conveyance path during printing in the printer on the screen displayed by the work execution unit. Means.

  According to this configuration, when the operation for setting various information for printing is executed, an image indicating the sheet conveyance path during printing in the printer is displayed on the display device. Therefore, the operator can see how the front and back sides change and the paper is discharged from the printer by looking at the screen having the image. Further, it can be seen how the paper is discharged from the printer by changing the top, bottom, left and right of the paper from the transport path.

  Therefore, according to this configuration, when the paper is set in the printer, the operator can easily know which direction the front side should be set to print well on the front side. In addition, the operator can easily know which side of the paper should be set up or down. As a result, printing mistakes by the printer can be prevented, and the usability of the printer can be improved.

  In the printer control apparatus according to the first aspect of the invention, the paper information display control means can be a means for displaying an image indicating the direction of paper setting to the printer in addition to the transport path.

  According to this configuration, since an image showing the direction of paper setting to the printer is also displayed, it is possible to easily show how the paper travels along the conveyance path in order from the time of setting to the printer. It becomes.

  In the printer control apparatus having the above-described configuration, the paper information display control unit may be configured to indicate the transport path as a planar image representing a three-dimensional stereoscopic image.

  According to this configuration, the operator can visually see the conveyance path in three dimensions. For this reason, it is possible to know at a glance which direction the paper surface should be set. Therefore, this printer control device becomes even easier to use.

  In the printer control apparatus having the above-described configuration, the image related to the operation for setting the various information may include a data input field for receiving data for setting the various information from the input device.

  According to this configuration, in the operation of setting various information for printing in the printer, the sheet conveyance path and the sheet setting direction are displayed. For this reason, at the time of setting various information, the operator can know in which direction the paper surface should be directed.

  A second invention is a printer control method for setting various information for printing in a predetermined printer, wherein (a) a screen showing an image related to the operation for setting the various information is displayed on a display device. A step of performing the work; and (b) a step of displaying an image showing a paper conveyance path during printing in the printer on the screen displayed in the step (a). To do.

  Also according to the second invention, similarly to the first invention, when setting paper in the printer, the operator can easily know which side should be set so that printing can be successfully performed on the surface. In addition, the operator can easily know which side of the paper should be set up or down. As a result, printing mistakes by the printer can be prevented and the usability of the printer can be improved.

  A third invention is a recording medium recording a computer program for setting various information for printing in a predetermined printer, and (a) a screen showing an image related to an operation for setting the various information, A step of executing the work while displaying the image on a display device; and (b) displaying an image indicating a paper conveyance path during printing in the printer on the screen displayed in the step (a). A computer program for causing a computer to execute is recorded.

  According to the third invention, similarly to the first invention, when setting paper in the printer, the operator can easily know which side should be set so that printing can be successfully performed on the surface. In addition, the operator can easily know which side of the paper should be set up or down. As a result, printing mistakes by the printer can be prevented and the usability of the printer can be improved.

  The present invention can take other forms as follows. A first aspect is a printer control apparatus that sets various information for printing in a predetermined printer, and displays a screen showing an image related to an operation for setting the various information while displaying the screen on the display device. And a paper information display control means for displaying a printable area on the paper at the time of printing as a plane image representing a three-dimensional stereoscopic image on the screen displayed by the work execution means. Is provided.

  According to the first aspect, when performing a predetermined work, the operator can visually view the printable area on the paper at the time of printing three-dimensionally. Therefore, the operator can easily know the printable area on the paper by looking at the screen having the image.

  A second aspect is a printer control device that sets various information for printing in a predetermined printer, and displays the screen showing an image related to the operation for setting the various information on the display device while the operation is being performed. And a paper information display control means for displaying on the screen displayed by the work execution means, the number of allocated pages on the paper at the time of printing as a planar image representing a three-dimensional stereoscopic image. Is provided.

  According to the second aspect, when performing a predetermined work, the operator can visually recognize the number of allocated pages on the paper at the time of printing three-dimensionally. Therefore, the operator can easily know the number of allocated pages on the sheet by looking at the screen having the image.

  In order to further clarify the configuration and operation of the present invention described above, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on examples. FIG. 1 is an external view of a computer system to which one embodiment of the present invention is applied. This computer system includes a computer 10 and a CRT display 12 and a printer 14 as peripheral devices. The computer 10 includes a computer main body 16, a keyboard 18, and a mouse 20. The computer main body 16 is equipped with a floppy disk drive 24 that reads the contents of the floppy disk 22.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of hardware of the computer system. As shown in the figure, the computer main body 16 includes a ROM 31, a RAM 33, a mouse interface 34, a keyboard interface 35, an FDC 36, an HDC 37, a CRTC 38, a printer interface 39, and a CPU 31 as a central processing unit. An I / O port 40 is provided.

  The ROM 32 is a read-only memory that stores various built-in programs and the like. The RAM 33 is a readable / writable memory that stores various data. The mouse interface 34 is an interface that manages data exchange with the mouse 20. The keyboard interface 35 is an interface that manages key input from the keyboard 18. The FDC 36 is a floppy disk controller that controls the floppy disk drive (FDD) 24. The HDC 37 is a hard disk controller that controls a hard disk drive (HDD) 41. The CRTC 38 is a CRT controller that controls signal output to the CRT display 12 that displays necessary data and the like. The printer interface 39 is an interface that controls the output of data to the printer 14. The I / O port 40 includes a serial output port, and is connected to a modem 44, and is connected to a public telephone line 46 via the modem 44. The computer 10 is connected to an external network via a modem 44 and can be connected to a specific server 48.

  In this computer system, the operating system is stored in the HDD 41. When the computer main body 16 is turned on according to the loader written in the boot block of the HDD 41, it is loaded into a predetermined area of the RAM 33. A printer driver prepared for each model of the printer 14 is stored in advance on the floppy disk 22 and is installed in the computer main body 16 from the floppy disk drive 24 by starting a predetermined installation program. The installed printer driver is stored in the HDD 41, and is loaded into a predetermined area of the RAM 33 together with the operating system when the computer main body 16 is turned on.

  Various constituent requirements of the present invention are realized by the CPU 30 executing the printer driver. As described above, the printer driver software program is stored in the floppy disk 22, but instead of this, other portable recording media such as a CD-ROM, a magneto-optical disk, and an IC card. It is good also as a structure stored in (portable recording medium). The software program described above can also be obtained by downloading program data provided via a network from a specific server 48 connected to an external network and transferring it to the RAM 32 or HDD 41. .

  Next, how printing is performed by the computer system having the hardware configuration described above will be described. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a state of processing from image information handled by the computer main body 16 until printing is performed. As shown in the figure, an image is displayed on the CRT display 12 via the video driver 52 while processing an image by an application program 51 operating inside the computer main body 16. When the application program 51 issues a print instruction, the printer driver 53 in the computer main body 16 receives the image information from the application program 51 and converts it into a signal that can be printed by the printer 14.

  In the example shown in FIG. 3, the printer driver 53 includes a rasterizer 54 that converts image information handled by the application program 51 into color information in dot units, and image information (floor level) converted into color information in dot units. A color correction module 55 that performs color correction on the tone data) according to the color development characteristics of the printer 14, so-called expressing density in a certain area depending on the presence or absence of ink in dot units from image information after color correction. A halftone module 56 for generating halftone image information is provided. In addition, an information setting module 57 for setting various information for printing by the printer 14 is provided inside the printer driver 53. Various information for printing includes information related to basic settings such as print resolution and color correction, and information related to paper settings such as paper size and paper orientation. The color correction information set by the information setting module 57 is sent to the color correction module 55. The information setting module 57 displays an image indicating the setting contents on the CRT display 12 via the video driver 52. Since the operation of each module except the information setting module 57 is well known, the description thereof will be omitted in principle, and the information setting module 57 will be described below.

  The printer driver 53 can control various printing by the printer 14 by changing the setting, but the operator needs to perform such setting in advance. The information setting module 57 executes such an operation for setting various information for printing. Here, the operation performed by the operator by the operation of the information setting module 57 will be described first. In this description, Windows (registered trademark) 95 will be described as an example of an operating system on which the printer driver operates. The description will be made assuming that the name of the printer 14 is “XXX PRT100”.

  The operator first operates the computer 10 as follows to open a dialog box for setting various information for printing. That is, a “printer” window is opened by performing an operation of [start] → [setting] → [printer]. Then double-click on the icon of the desired printer on that window to open the window for that printer. Thereafter, a [printer] → [property] operation is performed from the window to display a dialog box for setting various information about the printer.

  FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the dialog box DB when it is opened. As shown in the figure, in the dialog box DB, six types of cards of “information”, “detail”, “share”, “basic setting”, “paper setting”, and “utility” are prepared. The operator selects a “paper setting” card and sets various information about the paper.

  FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a dialog box DB in which a “paper setting” card is opened. As shown in the figure, the “paper setting” card has data input fields E1, E1 for setting “paper size”, “number of copies”, “printing direction”, “printable area”, and “paper feeding method”, respectively. E2, E3, E4, and E5 and a display field E6 that shows a three-dimensional stereoscopic image of the printer 14 as a planar image are provided.

  The “paper size” data entry field E1 is used to set the paper size to be used together with the type of paper. For example, “A4 210 × 297 mm”, “A4 width 210 × 297 mm”, “Western envelope 120 × 235”, “Postcard 100 × 147 mm” or the like is prepared as an option.

  The “number of copies” data entry field E2 is used to set the number of copies to be printed. In addition to the number of copies, whether the printing order is to be printed or not is printed in the normal or reverse order. Can also be specified by clicking the checkbox.

  The “printing direction” data input field E3 indicates the printing direction on the paper, and “vertical” and “horizontal” can be selected. The “printable area” data input field E4 is used to set a printable area on the paper, and “normal” and “centering” can be selected. “Normal”, as shown in FIG. 6A, defines the printable area AR1 so that a large margin is left between the lower end and the right end of the paper P. “Centering” refers to FIG. ), The printable area AR2 is determined so that the margins are equally spaced in the four directions of the top, bottom, left, and right of the paper P. Note that the lower and right margins of the paper P in FIG. 6A are blanks generated mechanically by the printer 14, and the lower end is not covered by the paper feed roller of the printer 14, so the right end is a carriage return. Arise.

  A data input field E5 of “paper feeding method” is used to set a paper feeding method to the printer 14, and “automatic paper feeder (ASF)”, “tractor feeder”, and “manual” are prepared as options. ing.

As described above, the display column E6 shows the three-dimensional stereoscopic image of the printer 14 as a planar image, and is a planar image that shows the state of printing by the printer 14. Specifically, it is a flat image that can be understood as follows.
(1) Paper type and size (2) Paper orientation (3) Paper transport path during printing (4) Printing direction on paper (5) Printable area on paper

  The above-described planar images showing (1) to (5) are changed each time the setting contents of the data input fields E1 to E5 are changed. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when the “paper size” data input field E1 is set to “A4 210 × 297 mm”, the planar image in the display field E6 has a paper size corresponding to A4. Is set in the vertical direction. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, when the “paper size” data input field E1 is set to “A4 horizontal 210 × 297 mm”, the planar image in the display field E6 has a size corresponding to A4 paper. The printer is set in the horizontal direction with respect to the printer. Details of such settings and display will be described later.

  The change of the plane image in the display field E6 is performed by the CPU 31 processing a predetermined routine in the information setting module 57 of the printer driver 53. Next, a display switching routine for changing the plane image will be described.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the display switching routine. This routine is repeatedly executed every predetermined time. As shown in the figure, when the process is started, the CPU 31 first determines whether or not the “paper setting” card is selected in the dialog box DB for the printer shown in FIG. 8, that is, the paper setting mode. Is determined (step S100). Here, when it is determined that the sheet setting mode is not set, the process returns to “RETURN” and the processing of this routine is temporarily ended.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S100 that the sheet setting mode is set, the following steps are executed. That is, in the “paper setting” card, at least one of the data input fields E1, E3, E4, and E5 for setting “paper size”, “printing direction”, “printable area”, and “paper feeding method”, respectively. It is determined whether there has been a change (steps S110 to S140). Here, when it is determined that none of the data input fields E1, E3, E4, and E5 are changed, the process returns to “RETURN” and the processing of this routine is temporarily ended. On the other hand, if it is determined that at least one of the data input fields E1, E3, E4, and E5 has been changed, the process proceeds to step S150, where “paper feeding method”, “paper size”, “printing direction”, A process of selecting image data based on the contents of the data input fields E5, E1, E3, and E4 of “printable area” is performed (step S150).

  Specifically, the process in step S150 includes the following two steps. First, the contents input in the data entry fields E5, E1, E3, E4, that is, data d5 regarding the paper feeding method, data d1 regarding the paper size, data d3 regarding the printing direction, and data d4 regarding the printable area are displayed. The name of the image data determined from these data d5, d1, d3, and d4 is specified by comparing with a map stored in advance in the ROM 32. Next, predetermined image data stored in the ROM 32 is extracted from the obtained name and stored in a predetermined work area on the RAM 33.

  FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the contents of the map stored in the ROM 32. As shown in the drawing, in this map, “automatic paper feeder (ASF)” is first prepared as data d5 regarding the paper feed method. For this “ASF”, three types of data “A4 210 × 297 mm”, “A4 width 210 × 297 mm”, and “Western envelope 120 × 235” are combined as data d1 regarding the paper size. Furthermore, for each “A4 210 × 297 mm”, “A4 width 210 × 297 mm”, and “Western envelope 120 × 235”, there are two combinations of “vertical” and “horizontal” as data d3 for the printing direction, respectively. Further, for each “vertical” and “horizontal”, two types of “normal” and “centering” are combined as data d4 for the printable area. Up to this point, there are 12 combinations of 3 × 2 × 2, and image data names “pic01” to “pic12” are associated with each.

  Next, a case where the paper feeding method d5 is “ASF”, the paper size d1 is “postcard 100 × 147”, the printing direction d3 is “vertical”, and the printable area d4 is “normal” is prepared. The name “pic13” of the image data is associated.

  In the map, “manual” is prepared as data d5 regarding the paper feeding method. For this “manual”, 13 combinations of the paper size d1, the printing direction d3, and the printable area d4, which are the same as “pic01” to “pic13” described above, are prepared. “Pic14” to “pic26” correspond to each other.

  In the map, “tractor feeder” is prepared as data d5 regarding the paper feeding method. In the case of the tractor feeder, the paper size d1 is “continuous paper” and the printable area d4 is “normal”. On the other hand, as the data d3 for the print direction, two combinations of “vertical” and “horizontal” are combined. Has been. These are associated with image data names “pic27” and “pic28”.

  From the map having such a configuration, the name of the image data determined from the data d5, d1, d3, and d4 for the “paper feeding method”, “paper size”, “printing direction”, and “printable area” is obtained. Image data corresponding to this name is stored in the ROM 32 in advance.

  10 to 16 show images represented by 28 types of image data from “pic01” to “pic28”. FIG. 10 shows eight types of image data when the paper feeding method d5 is “paper feeder (ASF)” and the paper size d1 is “A4 210 × 297 mm” and “A4 horizontal 210 × 297 mm”. It is an image represented by “pic01” to “pic08”. As shown in the figure, the images represented by the image data “pic01” to “pic08” are all turned upside down inside the printer 14 so that the paper inserted from the lower stage on the front of the printer 14 is reversed. The conveyance path for discharging from the vehicle is indicated by arrows. In addition, these images are divided into those in which the paper is drawn in the vertical direction and those in the horizontal direction, depending on the paper setting direction indicated by “paper size”. Further, according to the “printing direction”, the character “A” is drawn on the paper in the vertical direction and the character is drawn in the horizontal direction. Further, depending on the “printable area”, the position of the rectangle indicated by the broken line on the paper is divided into one at the center and one shifted from the center.

  FIG. 11 shows four types of image data “pic09” to “pic12” when the paper feeding method d5 is “paper feeder (ASF)” and the paper size d1 is “Western envelope 120 × 235 mm”. It is an image represented. As shown in the figure, the images represented by the image data “pic09” to “pic12” are all turned upside down inside the printer 14 so that the paper inserted from the lower stage on the front of the printer 14 is reversed. The conveyance path for discharging from the vehicle is indicated by arrows. In addition, the images are divided into those in which the letter “A” is drawn in the vertical direction and those in the horizontal direction on the paper according to the “printing direction”. Further, depending on the “printable area”, the position of the rectangle indicated by the broken line on the paper is divided into one at the center and one shifted from the center.

  FIG. 12 shows an image represented by image data “pic13” when the paper feeding method d5 is “paper feeder (ASF)” and the paper size d1 is “postcard 100 × 147 mm”. As shown in the drawing, the image represented by the image data “pic13” is conveyed such that the paper inserted from the lower stage in front of the printer 14 is turned upside down inside the printer 14 and discharged from the front of the printer 14. The route is indicated by an arrow. In this image, postcard symbols on paper are drawn in the vertical direction.

  FIG. 13 shows eight image data “pic014” to “pic014” to “pic4” when the paper feed method d5 is “manual” and the paper size d1 is “A4 210 × 297 mm” and “A4 horizontal 210 × 297 mm”. It is an image represented by “pic21”. As shown in the figure, in all the images represented by the image data “pic14” to “pic21”, the paper inserted from the back of the printer 14 passes through the inside of the printer 14 as it is and is discharged from the front of the printer 14. The conveyance path is indicated by an arrow. In addition, these images are divided into those in which the paper is drawn in the vertical direction and those in the horizontal direction, depending on the paper setting direction indicated by “paper size”. Further, according to the “printing direction”, the character “A” is drawn on the paper in the vertical direction and the character is drawn in the horizontal direction. Further, depending on the “printable area”, the position of the rectangle indicated by the broken line on the paper is divided into one at the center and one shifted from the center.

  FIG. 14 shows four types of image data “pic22” to “pic25” when the paper feeding method d5 is “manual” and the paper size d1 is “Western envelope 120 × 235 mm”. It is. As shown in the drawing, in all the images represented by the image data “pic22” to “pic25”, the paper inserted from the back of the printer 14 passes through the inside of the printer 14 as it is and is discharged from the front of the printer 14. The conveyance path is indicated by an arrow. In addition, the images are divided into those in which the letter “A” is drawn in the vertical direction and those in the horizontal direction on the paper according to the “printing direction”. Further, depending on the “printable area”, the position of the rectangle indicated by the broken line on the paper is divided into one at the center and one shifted from the center.

  FIG. 15 shows an image represented by image data “pic26” when the paper feed method d5 is “manual” and the paper size d1 is “postcard 100 × 147 mm”. As shown in the figure, the image represented by the image data “pic26” has an arrow indicating a conveyance path in which a sheet inserted from the back of the printer 14 passes through the printer 14 as it is and is discharged from the front of the printer 14. Is shown. In this image, postcard symbols on paper are drawn in the vertical direction.

  FIG. 16 shows images represented by image data “pic27” and “pic28” when the paper feeding method d5 is “tractor feeder” and the paper size d1 is “continuous paper”. As shown in the drawing, in the image represented by the image data “pic27” and “pic28”, the paper inserted from the back of the printer 14 passes through the inside of the printer 14 and is discharged from the front of the printer 14. The conveyance path is indicated by an arrow. In addition, the images are divided into those in which the letter “A” is drawn in the vertical direction and those in the horizontal direction on the paper according to the “printing direction”.

  28 types of image data from “pic01” to “pic28” are stored in the ROM 32 in advance, and predetermined image data is selected using the name of the image data obtained from the map as a key. The selected image data is stored in a predetermined work area on the RAM 33.

  As shown in FIG. 8, after that, the process proceeds to step S160, and the CPU 31 controls the CRTC 38 to display the image data stored in the work area in the display field E6 on the screen of the CRT display 12. Thereafter, the process returns to “RETURN” to end the processing of this routine once.

  According to the display switching routine having the above configuration, a planar image indicating a three-dimensional stereoscopic image of the printer 14 is displayed in the display field E6 of the “paper setting” card in the dialog box DB indicating the printer properties. In addition, this planar image indicates the sheet conveyance path during printing with arrows. Therefore, the operator can see how the front and back sides are changed and the paper is discharged from the printer 14 by looking at the screen of the CRT display 12.

  Therefore, according to the configuration of this embodiment, when the paper is set in the printer 14, the operator can easily know which direction the front side should be set to successfully print on the front side. In addition, the operator can easily know which side of the paper should be set up or down. As a result, printing mistakes by the printer 14 can be prevented, and the usability of the printer can be improved.

  Further, in this embodiment, in addition to the transport path, the sheet setting direction is also displayed, so that it can be seen at a glance how the sheet travels along the transport path in order from the time of setting to the printer 14.

  Furthermore, since the planar image displayed in the display field E6 represents a three-dimensional stereoscopic image of the printer 14, the operator can visually see the conveyance path in three dimensions. For this reason, it is possible to know at a glance which direction the paper surface should be set. Therefore, this computer system becomes even easier to use.

  In this embodiment, an image indicating the sheet conveyance path is displayed in the [Property] operation for setting various information for printing. This display is displayed in the middle of the [Property] operation. It is not necessary to limit to the one, and a configuration may be adopted in which display is performed at any time as long as the operation by the printer driver is in progress. For example, the image shown in the display field E6 may be displayed when printing is started using the printer driver. According to this configuration, the paper conveyance path and the like are set by the operator each time printing is performed. Can let you know.

  In this embodiment, the image displayed in the display field E6 may represent the number of allocated pages on the paper at the time of printing. FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an image for drawing the number of allocated pages. As shown in the drawing, on the paper P in the image, four pages are drawn, arranged vertically and horizontally. With such a configuration, when a plurality of pages are to be allocated and printed on a single sheet of paper, it is possible to visually know how printing is performed at a glance. In addition, as shown in FIG. 17, the order of pages can be known at a glance by specifying the number of pages numerically.

  The example in FIG. 17 is an image when the printing direction is the vertical direction, but when the printing direction is switched to the horizontal direction, the image is as shown in FIG. That is, as shown in the figure, numbers “1” to “4” drawn on the paper P are displayed in the horizontal direction.

  Furthermore, the above embodiment is applied to a computer system in which the printer 14 is directly connected to the local computer 10 with a cable. Instead, a printer connected to a server on the LAN is shared by a plurality of computers. It is good also as a structure applied to the computer system to do. Alternatively, a printer connected to a server connected via the Internet may be applied to a computer system controlled by a computer via the Internet.

  As mentioned above, although one Example of this invention was explained in full detail, this invention is not limited at all to such an Example, In the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention, it can implement in various aspects. Of course.

1 is an external view of a computer system to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the hardware of a computer system. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a state of processing from image information handled by the computer main body 16 until printing is performed. It is explanatory drawing which illustrates dialog box DB which sets the various information about a printer. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a dialog box DB in which a “paper setting” card is opened; FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing printable areas when “normal” is set and when “centering” is set. It is explanatory drawing which illustrates the other state of dialog box DB with which the card | curd of "paper setting" was opened. It is a flowchart which shows the display switching routine performed with CPU31. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the content of the said map stored in ROM32. It is explanatory drawing which shows the image represented by the image data from "pic01" to "pic08". It is explanatory drawing which shows the image represented by the image data from "pic09" to "pic12". It is explanatory drawing which shows the image represented by the image data of "pic13". It is explanatory drawing which shows the image represented by the image data from "pic14" to "pic21". It is explanatory drawing which shows the image represented by the image data from "pic22" to "pic25". It is explanatory drawing which shows the image represented by the image data of "pic26". It is explanatory drawing which shows the image represented by the image data from "pic27" to "pic28". It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the image which draws the allocation page number as another aspect. It is explanatory drawing which shows the other example of the image which draws the allocation page number as another aspect. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a paper setting dialog box in a conventional printer driver. It is explanatory drawing when the content of the said dialog box is changed.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Computer, 12 ... CRT display, 14 ... Printer, 16 ... Computer main body, 18 ... Keyboard, 20 ... Mouse, 22 ... Floppy disk, 24 ... Floppy disk drive, 31 ... CPU, 32 ... ROM, 33 ... RAM, 34 ... mouse interface, 35 ... keyboard interface, 36 ... FDC, 37 ... HDC, 38 ... CRTC, 39 ... printer interface, 40 ... I / O port, 41 ... HDD, 44 ... modem, 46 ... public telephone line, 48 ... server 51 ... Application program, 52 ... Video driver, 53 ... Printer driver, 54 ... Rasterizer, 55 ... Color correction module, 56 ... Halftone module, 57 ... Information setting module.

Claims (4)

A printer control device for setting various information for printing in a printer having a plurality of paper feed positions and a single paper discharge position ,
A selection means for displaying a screen related to the operation for setting the various information and selecting a paper feeding method;
On the screen displayed by the selection unit, an arrow image along a path along which the sheet is conveyed indicating a sheet conveyance path at the time of printing in the printer is displayed on the sheet feeding method selected by the selection unit. Path information display control means for displaying from the corresponding paper feed position to the paper discharge position;
Print image display means for displaying a paper image of the paper showing a print surface at the paper discharge position of the printer on the screen displayed by the selection means;
A change unit that changes the arrow image based on the selected paper feed method when there is a change in the paper feed method according to the selection of the selection unit;
A printer control device comprising: The printer control device according to claim 1,
The paper information display control means includes:
The printer control apparatus, wherein the conveyance path is indicated by a planar image representing a three-dimensional stereoscopic image. A printer control method for setting various information for printing in a printer having a plurality of paper feed positions and a single paper discharge position ,
(A) displaying a screen related to the operation for setting the various information and selecting a paper feeding method;
(B) On the screen displayed in the step (a), an arrow image along the path along which the paper is conveyed indicating the paper conveyance path during printing in the printer is displayed in the step (a). A step of displaying from the paper feed position corresponding to the selected paper feed method to the paper discharge position; and (c) if there is a change in the paper feed method according to the step (a), Changing the arrow image based on the paper feeding method,
(D) displaying a paper image of the paper showing a printing surface at the paper discharge position of the printer on the screen displayed in the step (a);
A printer control method comprising: A recording medium recording a computer program for setting various information for printing in a printer having a plurality of paper feed positions and a single paper discharge position ,
(A) by displaying a screen according to the work of setting the various kinds of information, a step of causing select Paper,
(B) On the screen displayed in the step (a), an arrow image along the path along which the paper is conveyed indicating the paper conveyance path during printing in the printer is displayed in the step (a). A step of displaying from the paper feed position corresponding to the selected paper feed method to the paper discharge position; and (c) if there is a change in the paper feed method according to the step (a) It was based on the paper, the steps of causing change the arrow image,
(D) displaying a paper image of the paper showing a printing surface at the paper discharge position of the printer on the screen displayed in the step (a);
A recording medium on which a computer program for causing a computer to execute is recorded.

Images