JP6642210B2 - Printing system, driver program, and printer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing system in which a printer performs a printing operation according to an instruction from an information processing terminal.

  The host described in Patent Literature 1 generates print data after instructing the printer to perform pre-print preparation, and transmits the generated print data to the printer. Further, the printer described in Patent Literature 1 performs head maintenance according to a pre-print preparation instruction from a host, and performs printing according to print data received from the host.

JP 2000-163225 A

  The printer described in Patent Literature 1 describes only an example of head maintenance as a pre-print process. However, it is not necessary to perform head maintenance when ink is ejected immediately before. Further, if the paper feeding operation can be performed as the pre-printing process, there is an effect that the printing time can be further reduced. That is, in the technique of Patent Document 1, the effect of shortening the FPOT (abbreviated for First Print Out Time), which is the time required from the input of the print operation execution instruction to the ejection of the first sheet from the printer, is limited. It is.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a printing system in which FPOT is further reduced.

  The printing system described in the present specification includes a driver program readable by an information processing terminal having a first communication interface, and a printer. The driver program causes the information processing terminal to execute a print instruction receiving process of receiving a print instruction from an OS of the information processing terminal. The print instruction indicates that the user has input an instruction to cause the printer to execute a print operation in accordance with the execution condition specified by the user. The driver program transmits, to the information processing terminal, a first preparation instruction process of transmitting first preparation instruction information to the printer through the first communication interface in response to receiving the print instruction in the print instruction reception process. Let it run. The first preparation instruction information includes, among a plurality of pre-print operations for printing an image of a specific quality on a sheet in the print operation, execution of the first pre-print operation in which the operation content does not change depending on the execution condition of the print operation. Is the information for instructing. The driver program determines, in a plurality of the execution conditions specified by the user, a determination process of determining whether or not a confirmed determination condition already exists, and determining that the determination condition exists by the determination process. Accordingly, the information processing terminal causes the information processing terminal to execute a second preparation instruction process of transmitting second preparation instruction information to the printer via the first communication interface. The second preparation instruction information is information for instructing execution of a second pre-print operation in which the operation content changes according to the determination condition among a plurality of the pre-print operations. The driver program determines from the image data specified by the user that the printing operation is to be performed, in response to the determination processing determining that the determination condition does not exist or executing the second preparation instruction processing. The information processing terminal executes a generation process of generating data and a print instruction process of transmitting print instruction information to the printer via the first communication interface. The print instruction information is information for causing the print operation to be performed on the print data generated in the generation processing according to the execution condition. The printer includes an operation unit that executes the pre-printing operation and the printing operation, a second communication interface, and a controller, wherein the controller transmits the first information from the information processing terminal to the first communication interface through the second communication interface. A first reception process for receiving preparation instruction information; and a first pre-print process for causing the operation unit to execute the first pre-print operation in response to receiving the first preparation instruction information in the first reception process. And a second receiving process of receiving the second preparation instruction information from the information processing terminal through the second communication interface; and performing the operation in response to receiving the second preparation instruction information in the second receiving process. A second pre-printing process that causes the unit to execute the second pre-printing operation, and a second pre-printing process that receives the print instruction information from the information processing terminal through the second communication interface. A print process for receiving the print instruction information in the third reception process and performing all the pre-print operations in the third reception process, and causing the operation unit to execute the print operation in accordance with the print instruction information. And processing.

  According to the configuration, in parallel with the generation of the print data by the information processing terminal, in addition to the first pre-print operation in which the operation content does not change according to the execution condition of the printing operation, the information processing terminal responds to the execution condition of the printing operation. FPOT can be further shortened because the printer can execute the second pre-printing operation whose operation content changes.

  The driver program described in this specification can be read by an information processing terminal having a communication interface. The driver program causes the information processing terminal to execute a print instruction receiving process of receiving a print instruction from the OS of the information processing terminal. The print instruction indicates that the user has input an instruction to cause the printer to execute a print operation in accordance with the execution condition specified by the user. The driver program causes the information processing terminal to execute a first preparation instruction process of transmitting first preparation instruction information to the printer via the communication interface in response to receiving the print instruction in the print instruction reception process. . The first preparation instruction information includes, among a plurality of pre-print operations for printing an image of a specific quality on a sheet in the print operation, execution of the first pre-print operation in which the operation content does not change depending on the execution condition of the print operation. Is the information for instructing. The driver program determines, in the execution conditions specified by the user, a determination process of determining whether or not a confirmed determination condition already exists, and determining that the determination condition exists in the determination process. Accordingly, the information processing terminal causes the information processing terminal to execute a second preparation instruction process of transmitting second preparation instruction information to the printer via the communication interface. The second preparation instruction information is information for instructing execution of a second pre-print operation in which the operation content changes according to the determination condition among a plurality of the pre-print operations. The driver program determines from the image data specified by the user that the print operation is to be performed, in response to the determination processing determining that the determination condition does not exist or executing the second preparation instruction processing. The information processing terminal executes a generation process of generating data and a print instruction process of transmitting print instruction information to the printer via the communication interface. The print instruction information is information for causing the print operation to be performed on the print data generated in the generation processing according to the execution condition.

  The printer described in this specification includes an operation unit that executes a pre-print operation and a print operation, a communication interface, and a controller. The printing operation is an operation of printing an image represented by print data on a sheet. The pre-print operation is an operation executed prior to the print operation in order to print an image of a specific quality on a sheet. The controller, in response to receiving the first preparation instruction information in the first reception processing and receiving the first preparation instruction information from the information processing terminal through the communication interface the first preparation instruction information, the operation unit And a first pre-print process for executing a first pre-print operation. The first pre-print operation is the pre-print operation in which the operation content does not change depending on the execution condition of the print operation among the plurality of pre-print operations. The controller includes: a second reception process for receiving second preparation instruction information from the information processing terminal via the communication interface; and the operating unit, in response to receiving the second preparation instruction information in the second reception process. And a second pre-print process for causing the second pre-print operation to be performed. The second pre-printing operation is the pre-printing operation of which the content of the operation changes depending on the determination condition among the plurality of pre-printing operations. The controller receives a print instruction information from the information processing terminal through the communication interface, and receives the print instruction information in the third reception process and executes all the pre-print operations. Accordingly, a print process for causing the operation unit to execute the print operation according to the print instruction information is executed.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the printer 10. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the sheet facing area as viewed from above. FIG. 3A is a block diagram of the information processing terminal 50, and FIG. 3B is a diagram illustrating condition information stored in the data storage area 62B. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the queue areas 67A to 67C. FIG. 4A shows the correspondence between the printers 10A and 10B and the queue areas 67A to 67C, and FIG. 4B shows the print instruction information. (C) shows the queue area 67A in which the preparation instruction information is stored. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the print instruction process. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the StartDoc process. FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the StartPage process. FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the preparation instruction process. FIG. 9A is a flowchart of the finalization determination process A, and FIG. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of the printing process. FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the pre-print processing. FIG. 12A is an example of an editing screen, and FIG. 12B is a diagram illustrating a state in which a sheet has been discharged from the printer 10. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a display example of the standard setting screen.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate. The embodiment described below is merely an example of the present invention, and the embodiment of the present invention can be appropriately changed without changing the gist of the present invention. For example, the execution order of each process described below can be appropriately changed without changing the gist of the present invention.

  The system according to the present embodiment includes, for example, the printer 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 and the information processing terminal 50 illustrated in FIG. The printer 10 and the information processing terminal 50 are configured to be able to communicate with each other through a communication network, for example. A specific example of the communication network is not particularly limited, but may be a wired LAN, a wireless LAN, a USB cable, or the like. Further, the information processing terminal 50 may be capable of communicating with a plurality of printers 10A and 10B, for example, as shown in FIG.

  The manufacturer provides the user with a set of the printer 10 shown in FIG. 1 and a driver program 66 that can be installed in the information processing terminal 50, for example. Then, the system according to the present embodiment is configured by the driver program 66 being installed in the information processing terminal 50 by the user. The driver program 66 may be provided, for example, in the form of a CD-ROM or the like bundled with the printer 10, or may be made downloadable through a manufacturer's WEB site.

  1 and 2, the printer 10 mainly includes a power supply unit 11, a display 13, an input I / F 14, a communication I / F 15, an operation unit 20, and a controller 40. The components of the printer 10 are interconnected via a communication bus. Although not shown, the printer 10 includes a first feed tray that supports the sheet, a second feed tray that supports the sheet, and a discharge tray that supports the sheet on which the image is printed.

  The first feeding tray can support all sheets of a plurality of sizes “A4” and “B5” on which the printer 10 can print an image. On the other hand, the second feeding tray can support only a sheet of a specific size (for example, “A4”) among a plurality of sheets of a size “A4” and “B5” on which the printer 10 can print an image. . Further, the first feeding tray can support all of a plurality of types of sheets of “plain paper” and “glossy paper” on which the printer 10 can print an image. On the other hand, the second feed tray can support only sheets of a specific type (for example, “plain paper”) among a plurality of types of “plain paper” and “glossy paper” on which the printer 10 can print an image. it can.

  In the printer 10, one of the first feed tray and the second feed tray is designated as a "priority tray". The printer 10 prints an image on a sheet supported by the priority tray in response to receiving print instruction information in which “Auto” is set in tray information described later. On the other hand, when the image cannot be printed on the sheet supported by the priority tray, the printer 10 prints the image on a sheet supported by a tray different from the priority tray. Further, the printer 10 can operate in a state where both the first and second feed trays are mounted, or can operate in a state where only the first feed tray is mounted.

  In the present embodiment, an example of the ink jet printer 10 will be described. However, the printing method of the printer 10 is not limited to the ink jet printer, and may be a known printer such as an electrophotographic printer. The basic configuration of the printers 10A and 10B shown in FIG. 4A may be the same as the printer 10 shown in FIGS.

  The power supply unit 11 supplies electric power supplied from an external power supply through a power plug to each component of the printer 10. More specifically, the power supply unit 11 outputs the power acquired from the external power supply to the operation unit 20 as drive power (for example, 24 V) and outputs it to the controller 40 as control power (for example, 5 V). Although not shown, the power supply unit 11 also supplies power to the display 13, the input I / F 14, and the communication I / F 15.

  Further, the power supply unit 11 can switch between a driving state and a sleep state based on a power signal output from the controller 40. More specifically, the controller 40 switches the power supply unit 11 from the sleep state to the drive state by outputting a high-level power signal (for example, 5 V). In addition, the controller 40 switches the power supply unit 11 from the driving state to the sleep state by outputting a low-level power signal (for example, 0 V).

  The driving state is a state in which driving power is being output to the operation unit 20. In other words, the drive state is a state in which the operation unit 20 can operate. The dormant state is a state in which drive power is not output to the operation unit 20. In other words, the sleep state is a state in which the operation unit 20 cannot operate. On the other hand, the power supply unit 11 outputs control power to the controller 40 irrespective of whether it is in a driving state or a sleep state. Although not shown, the input I / F 14 can output an operation signal according to a user operation regardless of whether the power supply unit 11 is in a driving state or a sleep state. Further, the communication I / F 15 can receive information from an external device regardless of whether the power supply unit 11 is in a driving state or in a sleep state.

  The display 13 is a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, or the like, and has a display surface on which various information is displayed.

  The input I / F 14 is a user interface that receives an input operation by a user. More specifically, the input I / F 14 has a button, and outputs various operation signals associated with the pressed button to the CPU 41. Further, the input I / F 14 may include a film-shaped touch sensor superimposed on the display surface of the display 13. The operation of specifying an object displayed on the display surface of the display 13 and the operation of inputting a character string or a number string are examples of a user operation. The “object” is, for example, a character string, an icon, a button, a link, or the like displayed on the display 13.

  The input I / F 14 implemented as a touch sensor outputs position information indicating a position on the display surface touched by the user. Note that “touch” in this specification includes all operations for bringing an input medium into contact with a display surface. Even if the input medium does not touch the display surface, bringing the input medium close to a position where the distance between the input medium and the display surface is very small may be included in the concept of the “touch” described above. Further, the input medium may be a user's finger, a touch pen, or the like. The user operation of tapping the position of the icon displayed on the display 53 is an example of a specifying operation for specifying the icon.

  The communication I / F 15 is an interface capable of communicating with an external device via a communication network. That is, the printer 10 outputs various information to the external device through the communication I / F 15 and receives various information from the external device through the communication I / F 15. The communication I / F 15 may be, for example, one that transmits and receives wireless signals in a communication procedure according to Wi-Fi (a registered trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance), or an interface to which a LAN cable or a USB cable is connected. There may be.

  The operation unit 20 performs a printing operation and a pre-printing operation according to an instruction from the controller 40. The printing operation is an operation of printing an image on a sheet. The pre-printing operation is an operation executed prior to the printing operation in order to print a specific quality image on a sheet in the printing operation. Details of the printing operation and the pre-printing operation will be described later. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the operation unit 20 includes a feed motor 21, a transport motor 22, a carriage motor 23, feed rollers 24 and 25, a transport roller 26, a carriage 27, It mainly includes a head 28, a maintenance mechanism 30, an ink receiving section 33, and a driving force transmission mechanism 35.

  The feed roller 24 is an example of a first feed roller that feeds the sheet supported by the first feed tray to a position where the sheet reaches the transport roller 26 via a transport path (not shown). The feed roller 25 is an example of a second feed roller that feeds the sheet supported by the second feed tray to a position where the sheet reaches the transport roller 26 via a transport path (not shown). The feed rollers 24 and 25 are rotated by the rotational driving force of the feed motor 21 transmitted through the driving force transmission mechanism 35.

  The transport roller 26 transports the sheet fed by the feed rollers 24 and 25 in the transport direction toward the sheet facing area shown in FIG. The sheet facing area refers to an area in the main scanning direction where the sheet and the carriage 27 can face each other. The transport direction and the main scanning direction are directions orthogonal to each other. The transport roller 26 transports the sheet on which the image has been printed by the recording head 28 in the transport direction toward the discharge tray. The transport roller 26 is rotated by the rotational driving force of the transport motor 22 transmitted through the driving force transmission mechanism 35. The transport roller 26 may be composed of a plurality of rollers.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the carriage 27 moves in an area including the sheet facing area in the main scanning direction. More specifically, the carriage 27 moves between a cap position deviated to the right in the main scanning direction from the sheet facing area and a flushing position deviated to the left in the main scanning direction from the sheet facing area. The carriage 27 moves by the rotation driving force of the carriage motor 23 being transmitted. The recording head 28 is mounted on the carriage 27. A plurality of nozzles are formed on the lower surface of the recording head 28 (hereinafter, referred to as “nozzle surface”). The recording head 28 discharges ink from the nozzles when a driving element such as a piezo element vibrates.

  In the process of moving the carriage 27 from one side to the other in the main scanning direction, ink droplets are ejected from the recording head 28 to a print area of a sheet located in the sheet facing area. Thereby, an image is printed on the sheet. The sheet is divided into a plurality of print areas adjacent to the sheet in the lateral direction. Then, the operation unit 20 sequentially prints an image on each of the plurality of print areas in a printing operation described later.

  The maintenance mechanism 30 performs maintenance on the recording head 28. More specifically, the maintenance mechanism 30 performs a so-called purge operation of sucking ink in the nozzles. As shown in FIG. 2, the maintenance mechanism 30 is disposed at a position deviated to the right in the main scanning direction from the sheet facing area. The maintenance mechanism 30 mainly includes a cap 31 and a pump 32, as shown in FIG.

  The cap 31 is disposed at a position facing the recording head 28 mounted on the carriage 27 at the cap position. The cap 31 is configured to be movable between a coating position and a separation position that are vertically separated. The cap 31 at the covering position is in close contact with the recording head 28 of the carriage 27 at the cap position and covers the nozzle surface. The cap 31 at the separated position is separated from the nozzle surface. The lifting mechanism (not shown) moves the cap 31 between the covering position and the separating position by the rotational driving force of the feeding motor 21 transmitted through the driving force transmitting mechanism 35. The pump 32 sucks the ink in the nozzles through the cap 31 at the covering position, and discharges the sucked ink to a waste ink tank (not shown). The pump 32 is driven by the rotational driving force of the transport motor 22 transmitted through the driving force transmission mechanism 35.

  The driving force transmission mechanism 35 transmits the driving force of the feed motor 21 and the transport motor 22 to the feed rollers 24 and 25, the transport roller 26, the raising and lowering mechanism of the cap 31, and the pump 32. The driving force transmission mechanism 35 is configured by combining all or a part of a gear, a pulley, an endless annular belt, a pendulum gear mechanism, a one-way clutch, and the like. Further, the transmission destination of the driving force of the feed motor 21 and the transport motor 22 by the driving force transmission mechanism 35 is switched by the carriage 27. The driving force transmission mechanism 35 is configured to be switchable between a first state, a second state, and a third state to which the transmission destination of the driving force is different.

  The first state is a state in which the driving force of the feed motor 21 is transmitted to the feed roller 24 and is not transmitted to the feed roller 25 and the elevating mechanism of the cap 31. The second state is a state in which the driving force of the feed motor 21 is transmitted to the feed roller 25 and is not transmitted to the feed roller 24 and the elevating mechanism of the cap 31. The third state is a state in which the driving force of the feed motor 21 is transmitted to the elevating mechanism of the cap 31 and is not transmitted to the feed rollers 24 and 25. The first state and the second state are states in which the driving force of the transport motor 22 is transmitted to the transport roller 26 and not transmitted to the pump 32. The second state is a state in which the driving force of the transport motor 22 is transmitted to both the transport roller 26 and the pump 32.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the driving force transmission mechanism 35 includes a slide member 36 that extends to a position where it can come into contact with the carriage 27. The slide member 36 is moved toward and away from the carriage 27 in the main scanning direction. The state of the driving force transmission mechanism 35 is switched by a slide member 36 that moves in the main scanning direction. More specifically, when the slide member 36 moves in the main scanning direction, the meshing state of the gears constituting the driving force transmission mechanism 35 changes.

  First, when the carriage 27 that has moved rightward to the cap position contacts the slide member 36, the driving force transmission mechanism 35 is switched to the third state. When the carriage 27 that has moved leftward from the cap position is separated from the slide member 36, the driving force transmission mechanism 35 is switched from the third state to the first state. Further, when the carriage 27 that has moved rightward to the position just before the cap position contacts the slide member 36, the driving force transmission mechanism 35 is switched from the first state to the second state. However, the driving force transmission mechanism 35 according to the present embodiment cannot directly switch from the third state to the second state.

  The controller 40 controls the overall operation of the printer 10. The controller 40 is a microcomputer mainly including a CPU 41, a ROM 42, a RAM 43, an EEPROM 44, and an ASIC 45, as shown in FIG.

  The ROM 42 stores a program for the CPU 41 to control the operation of the printer 10. The RAM 43 is used as a storage area or a work area for temporarily recording various data used when the CPU 41 executes a program. The EEPROM 44 stores settings, flags, and the like that should be retained even after the power is turned off. The CPU 41 controls the operation of the printer 10 by reading the program from the ROM 42 and executing the program. The display 13, the input I / F 14, the communication I / F 15, the feed motor 21, the transport motor 22, the carriage motor 23, and the recording head 28 are connected to the ASIC 45. The ASIC 45 operates each component of the printer 10 according to an instruction from the CPU 41.

  The ROM 42, the RAM 43, and the EEPROM 44 may be computer-readable storage media. The computer-readable storage medium is a non-transitory medium. Non-transitory media include recording media such as CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs in addition to the above examples. Further, a non-transitory medium is also a tangible medium. On the other hand, an electric signal that carries a program downloaded from a server or the like on the Internet is a computer-readable signal medium that is a kind of computer-readable medium, but is a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. Not included in the medium. The same applies to the memory 62 of the information processing terminal 50 described later.

  The ASIC 45 outputs a drive signal to each of the motors 21, 22, and 23. When the motors 21, 22, and 23 rotate, the rollers 24, 25, and 26 convey the sheet, and the carriage 27 moves in the main scanning direction. The ASIC 45 outputs a drive signal to a drive element such as a piezo element. When the drive signal vibrates, the recording head 28 ejects ink droplets from the nozzles. The ASIC 45 outputs an image signal to the display 13 and causes the display 13 to display a screen. The ASIC 45 acquires an operation signal output from the input I / F 14. The ASIC 45 receives information from an external device through the communication I / F 15 and transmits information to the external device through the communication I / F 15. Further, various known sensors are connected to the ASIC 45. The controller 40 detects the position of the sheet conveyed by the conveyance roller 26, the position of the carriage 27, the position of the cap 31, and the like based on the detection signal output from the sensor.

  The information processing terminal 50 mainly includes a display 53, an input I / F 54, a communication I / F 55, a CPU 61, a memory 62, and a communication bus 63, as shown in FIG. The display 53, the input I / F 54, the communication I / F 55, and the CPU 61 included in the information processing terminal 50 have the same configuration as the display 13, the input I / F 14, the communication I / F 15, and the CPU 41 included in the printer 10. Description is omitted.

  The information processing terminal 50 may be, for example, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a PC. The information processing terminal 50 is an example of a computer. The input I / F 54 of the information processing terminal 50 may be, for example, a combination of a mouse and a keyboard. In this case, the user operation of moving the mouse pointer to the position of the icon displayed on the display 53 and clicking the icon is an example of a designation operation for designating the icon.

  The memory 62 is configured by, for example, a RAM, a ROM, an EEPROM, an HDD, a portable storage medium such as a USB memory that is detachably attached to the information processing terminal 50, a buffer included in the CPU 61, or a combination thereof. The memory 62 has a program storage area 62A and a data storage area 62B. An OS 64, an editing program 65, and a driver program 66 are installed in the area 62A. Each program stored in the area 62A may be a single program or an aggregate of a plurality of programs. In the area 62B, data or information necessary for executing each program is stored.

  In this embodiment, Windows (registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation) Operating System will be described as a specific example of OS64. However, a specific example of OS64 is not limited to this. For example, Android (registered trademark of Google inc.) OS, iOS (Registered trademark of Cisco Systems, Inc.) or the like.

  The editing program 65 is a program for editing content data according to a user operation. For example, as shown in FIG. 12A, the editing program 65 displays an image indicated by the designated content data on the display 53, and accepts a user operation for instructing editing of the content data through the input I / F 54. Edit the content data according to the received user operation. Examples of the format of the content data include a text format, an image format, a spreadsheet format, and a presentation format. Content data may include one or more page data. The page data is data indicating the content to be printed on one sheet.

  The driver program 66 is a program for causing the printer 10 to execute a printing operation in accordance with a printing instruction received from the OS 64. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the driver program 66 according to the present embodiment includes a UI module 66A which is an example of a first module, and a rendering module 66B which is an example of a second module. However, the driver program 66 may be composed of a single module, or may further include another module. The driver program 66 may be capable of instructing a printing operation only to a single model of the printer 10, or may be capable of instructing a printing operation to a plurality of models of the printer 10.

  A plurality of functions specified by the OS 64 are defined in the driver program 66. Then, the driver program 66 can cause the printer 10 to execute a printing operation by a plurality of functions being called by the OS 64 in a specific order. The print instruction according to the present embodiment indicates, for example, that the first function “DrvDocumentEvent ()” defined in the UI module 66A is called by the OS 64 using the constant “DOCUMENTEVENT_STARTDOC” as an argument.

  The region 62B includes a first region 62C and a second region 62D, as shown in FIG. The first area 62C is, for example, a so-called registry which is a database of basic information on the OS 64 or setting information of the driver program. The procedure for referring to the information stored in the first area 62C is defined by the OS 64. Then, the OS 64 guarantees the correctness of the information referenced according to the reference procedure, and does not guarantee the correctness of the information referenced without following the reference procedure. On the other hand, the information stored in the second area 62D can be referred to at any timing without performing the reference procedure as described above. Hereinafter, when it is described that "the program stores information in the area 62B", it is assumed that the information is stored in the second area 62D in principle. An example of a procedure for referring to information stored in the first area 62C will be described below.

  As an example, the editing program 65 secures a specific memory area in the second area 62D. Then, the editing program 65 calls a read function defined in the OS 64 with the first pointer “DEVMODE” indicating the head address of the secured memory area as an argument. The OS 64 copies the information stored in the first area 62C to the memory area indicated by the first pointer “DEVMODE”. As a result, the editing program 65 can read or edit the information copied from the first area 62C to the memory area indicated by the first pointer "DEVMODE".

  As another example, the driver program 66 defines a function defined by the OS 64 (for example, a first function “DrvDocumentEvent ()”). The OS 64 calls the first function using the constant “DOCUMENTEVENT_FIRST” and the second pointer as arguments. The second pointer indicates the start address of the memory area where the information stored in the first area 62C is stored or the start address of the memory area where the information copied from the first area 62C to the second area 62D is stored. . Then, the driver program 66 can read or edit the information stored in the memory area indicated by the second pointer as the information stored in the first area 62C. In the present embodiment, the execution of the first function by designating the constant “DOCUMENTEVENT_FIRST” and the second pointer as arguments may be referred to as a reference instruction permitting reference to the information stored in the first area 62C. is there.

  The first area 62C stores condition information, for example, as shown in FIG. The condition information is information for indicating an execution condition of a printing operation to be executed by the printer 10. The condition information according to the present embodiment includes size information, color information, tray information, sheet information, and a color restriction flag. However, a specific example of the condition information is not limited to the example shown in FIG.

  The condition information is stored in the first area 62C when the driver program 66 is installed. Further, the driver program 66 can change the condition information stored in the first area 62C according to a user's instruction. More specifically, the driver program 66 reads condition information from the first area 62C in accordance with a reference instruction from the OS 64, and causes the display 53 to display the read condition information. Next, in response to receiving a user operation for changing the condition information through the input I / F 54, the driver program 66 overwrites the condition information stored in the first area 62C with the changed condition information.

  The condition information includes public information and private information. The public information is information that can be edited by other programs (for example, the editing program 65) installed in the information processing terminal 50. The private information is information that other programs installed in the information processing terminal 50 cannot be edited. In other words, the private information is information that can be edited only by the driver program 66. In the example of FIG. 3B, the size information and the color information are public information, and the tray information, sheet information, and color restriction flag are private information.

  The size information indicates the size of the sheet used for the printing operation (for example, “A4”, “B5”, etc.). The color information indicates the number of inks used for the printing operation (for example, “color”, “monochrome”, etc.). The tray information indicates one (for example, “Tray 1”, “Tray 2”, “Auto”, etc.) among a plurality of feeding trays provided in the printer 10. “Tray 1” corresponds to the first feeding tray of the printer 10, and “Tray 2” corresponds to the second feeding tray of the printer 10. “Auto” corresponds to the priority tray set in the printer 10. The sheet information indicates the type of sheet used for the printing operation (for example, “plain paper”, “glossy paper”, etc.). The color restriction flag indicates whether colors usable in the printing operation are restricted. As the color restriction flag, a first value “ON” corresponding to an instruction to permit use of only black or a second value “OFF” corresponding to an instruction to permit use of all colors is set.

  Although the data structure of the public information is defined by the OS 64, FIG. 3B shows only typical items. On the other hand, the data structure of the private information may be different for each printer 10 or each driver program 66. Hereinafter, the execution condition indicated by the public information may be referred to as “public condition”, and the execution condition indicated by the private information may be referred to as “private condition”.

  The area 62B includes one or more queue areas 67A, 67B, and 67C as shown in FIG. The queue areas 67A to 67C are memory areas in which information to be transmitted to the printers 10A and 10B is stored. The queue areas 67A to 67C are associated with so-called printer ports that specify the printers 10A and 10B. That is, information to be transmitted to the printer 10A is stored in the queue areas 67A and 67B. Further, information to be transmitted to the printer 10B is stored in the queue area 67C. In the driver program 66, for example, queue areas 67A to 67C in which information is to be stored are specified from the OS 64 as function arguments. Hereinafter, the queue areas 67A to 67C designated for the driver program 66 may be referred to as “designated queues”.

  Information for instructing the printers 10A and 10B to execute various operations is stored in the queue areas 67A to 67C. More specifically, the queue areas 67A to 67C store print instruction information shown in FIG. 4B, preparation instruction information shown in FIG. 4C, status transmission instruction information (not shown), and the like. . The print instruction information is information for instructing execution of a print operation, and includes feed instruction information, cueing instruction information, transport instruction information, discharge instruction information, discharge instruction information, and the like. The preparation instruction information is information for instructing execution of a pre-print operation. Status transmission instruction information (not shown) is information for instructing transmission of status information indicating the status of the printers 10A and 10B. However, specific examples of the information stored in the queue areas 67A to 67C are not limited to these.

  The queue area 67A is an area in which information transmitted by the OS 64 to the printer 10A via the communication I / F 55 is specified and stored in a transmission order. In other words, the OS 64 checks at a specific timing whether or not the instruction information is stored in the queue area 67A. Then, in response to determining that the instruction information is stored in the queue area 67A, the OS 64 transmits the instruction information to the printer 10 through the communication I / F 55 in a predetermined transmission order, and transmits the transmitted instruction information. The information is deleted from the queue area 67A. The same applies to the queue areas 67B and 67C.

  More specifically, a job ID is added to the instruction information stored in the queue area 67A, as shown in FIGS. 4B and 4C. The job ID is information for specifying instruction information to be transmitted continuously in the queue area 67A. That is, the same job ID may be added to a plurality of pieces of instruction information. The OS 64 transmits a plurality of pieces of instruction information to which the same job ID is added in the order in which the pieces of instruction information are stored in the queue area 67A. In addition, the OS 64 transmits the instruction information to which different job IDs are added in the order in which the job IDs are generated.

  For example, in the queue area 67A shown in FIG. 4B, the OS 64 first transmits, in this order, the transport instruction information, the ejection instruction information, and the ejection instruction information to which the job ID “content data A” is added. Next, the OS 64 transmits the feed instruction information to which the job ID “content data B” is added and the cueing instruction information in this order. At this time, even if the feed instruction information to which the job ID “content data B” is added is written in the queue area 67A before the discharge instruction information to which the job ID “content data A” is added, Information is sent first. That is, a plurality of pieces of instruction information to which the same job ID has been added are continuously transmitted in the order of writing.

[System operation]
The operation of the system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The flowchart in this specification basically shows the processing of the CPUs 31 and 61 according to the instructions described in the program. That is, processes such as “judgment”, “extraction”, “selection”, “calculation”, “determination”, “identification”, and “control” in the following description represent processes of the CPUs 31 and 61. The processing by the CPU 61 also includes hardware control via the OS 64. Further, “data” in this specification is represented by a bit string that can be read by a computer. Data having substantially the same meaning but different formats is treated as the same data. The same applies to “information” in the present specification.

  FIGS. 5 to 11, particularly FIGS. 6 and 7, show particularly important processes in the present invention, and do not show other processes executed between the processes. More specifically, the OS 64 may call a function (not shown) in addition to the functions shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. Further, in the following description, only representative arguments among the arguments specified at the time of calling each function are described, but other arguments may be specified. Further, in the following description, among the processes defined for each function to be called, a process that is particularly important in the present invention will be described, and a description of other processes may be omitted.

  First, the editing program 65 of the information processing terminal 50 causes the display 53 to display the editing screen shown in FIG. The editing screen includes a read instruction icon 111, a storage instruction icon 112, a print instruction icon 113, and an edit image 114. Then, the editing program 65 receives a user operation on the editing screen through the input I / F 54.

  Read instruction icon 111 corresponds to an instruction to read the content data stored in area 62B. The storage instruction icon 112 corresponds to an instruction to store content data indicating the edited image 114 in the area 62B. The print instruction icon 113 corresponds to an instruction to execute a print operation on content data. The edited image 114 is an image indicated by page data included in the content data. The editing program 65 according to the present embodiment displays the edited image 114 on the editing screen such that the longitudinal direction of the edited image 114 is along the vertical direction of the display 53.

  The editing program 65 displays a list of readable content data on the display 53 in response to receiving a user operation for designating the read instruction icon 111 through the input I / F 54. Next, the editing program 65 reads the content data specified through the input I / F 54 from the area 62B. Then, the editing program 65 causes the display 53 to display the edited image 114 indicated by the read content data. The editing program 65 edits the content data in response to receiving, via the input I / F 54, a user operation instructing editing of the edited image 114. The editing program 65 stores the edited content data in the area 62B in response to receiving a user operation for designating the storage instruction icon 112 through the input I / F 54.

  The editing program 65 temporarily stores, in the area 62B, a data ID for identifying the content data being edited in response to receiving a user operation for specifying the print instruction icon 113 through the input I / F 54. Hereinafter, the temporarily stored data ID is referred to as “designated data ID”, and the content data identified by the designated data ID is referred to as “designated content data”. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the designated data ID “content data C” is temporarily stored. Then, the editing program 65 executes a print instruction process. The print instruction process is a process for instructing the printer 10 to perform a print operation on the designated content data. The details of the print instruction process will be described with reference to FIG.

[Print instruction processing]
First, the editing program 65 secures a memory area necessary for storing the condition information in the second area 62D of the area 62B. The editing program 65 calls a read function defined in the OS 64 by designating a first pointer “DEVMODE” indicating the head address of the secured memory area as an argument. As a result, the condition information stored in the first area 62C is copied by the OS 64 to the memory area indicated by the first pointer “DEVMODE”. Hereinafter, the condition information stored in the memory area secured in the second area 62D is referred to as “editing condition information”.

  Next, the editing program 65 causes the display 53 to display the standard setting screen shown in FIG. 13 (S11). The standard setting screen includes a pull-down menu 121, radio buttons 122, 123, 124, 125, an [OK] icon 126, and a [Cancel] icon 127. Then, the editing program 65 receives a user operation on the standard setting screen through the input I / F 54 (S12).

  The pull-down menu 121 corresponds to an instruction for designating the printer 10 for executing the printing operation. Radio buttons 122 and 123 correspond to setting values “A4” and “B5” that can be set in the size information. The radio buttons 124 and 125 correspond to the setting values “color” and “monochrome” that can be set in the color information. In the standard setting screen displayed first, the states of the radio buttons 123 to 127 correspond to the setting values set in the editing condition information. The [OK] icon 126 corresponds to an instruction to cause the printer 10 to execute a printing operation on the designated content data according to the execution condition indicated by the editing condition information. [Cancel] icon 127 corresponds to an instruction to end the print instruction processing.

  The editing program 65 receives a user operation on the pull-down menu 121 through the input I / F 54, and stores a printer ID (hereinafter, referred to as “designated printer ID”) for identifying the designated printer 10 in the area 62B. To temporarily memorize. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the printer 10A identified by the printer ID “MFP-A” is specified. In addition, in response to receiving the user operation on the radio buttons 122 to 125 through the input I / F 54 (S12: setting change), the editing program 65 edits the editing conditions with the setting values corresponding to the designated radio buttons 122 to 125. The information is updated (S13).

  Then, the editing program 65 displays a standard setting screen on which the user operation is reflected on the display 53 (S11). In other words, the editing program 65 can receive, through the standard setting screen, the designation of the printer 10 for executing the printing operation and the change of the public information included in the editing condition information. On the other hand, the editing program 65 cannot accept a change in the private information included in the editing condition information.

  The editing program 65 executes StartDoc processing in response to the designation of the [OK] icon 126 being received through the input I / F 54 (S12: [OK] icon) (S14). On the other hand, although illustration is omitted, the editing program 65 ends the print instruction process in response to receiving the designation of the [Cancel] icon 127 through the input I / F 54. The StartDoc process is a pre-process for causing the printer 10 to execute a printing operation. Details of the StartDoc processing will be described with reference to FIG.

[StartDoc processing]
First, the editing program 65 calls a function "StartDoc ()" defined in the OS 64 (S21). Hereinafter, the function called in step Sxx may be referred to as “function Sxx”. The editing program 65 specifies the specified data ID “contents data C”, the specified printer ID “MFP-A”, and the first pointer as arguments of the function S21. The OS 64 calls various functions defined in the driver program 66 in a specific order in response to the call of the function S21. Further, the driver program 66 executes a process defined in the function called by the OS 64. Details of these processes are omitted.

  The OS 64 that has called the function S21 calls the first function “DrvDocumentEvent ()” (S22). The OS 64 specifies the constant “DOCUMENTEVENT_FIRST” and the second pointer as arguments of the function S22. The second pointer is, for example, information indicating the start address of the first area 62C in which the condition information is stored or the start address of the memory area in which the condition information read from the first area 62C by the OS 64 is stored.

  Next, in response to the call of the function S22, the UI module 66A reads the condition information stored in the memory area indicated by the second pointer, and stores the read condition information in the second area 62D (S23). ), End the function S22 (S24). That is, in step S23, the UI module 66A stores the condition information read from the first area 62C in the second area 62D. The process of step S22 executed by the driver program 66 is an example of a reference receiving process, and the process of step S23 is an example of a storage process.

  Hereinafter, the condition information stored in the second area 62D in step S23 is referred to as “evacuation condition information”. Here, the edit condition information and the save condition information have the same private information, and the public information may be different. More specifically, if the editing condition information has been updated in step S13, the public information differs between the editing condition information and the save condition information.

  The OS 64 that has called the function S21 calls the first function “DrvDocumentEvent ()” (S25). The OS 64 specifies the constant “DOCUMENTEVENT_STARTDOC” as an argument of the function S25. The process in step S25 is performed after the process in step S22. Next, the UI module 66A executes a preparation instruction process in response to the function S25 being called (S25) (S26). The preparation instruction process is a process of instructing the printer 10 to execute a pre-print operation. The process of step S25 executed by the UI module 66A is an example of a print instruction receiving process for receiving a print instruction from the OS 64. The details of the preparation instruction process will be described with reference to FIG.

  It is desirable that the instruction to execute the pre-print operation to the printer 10 is issued when it is certain that the print instruction information is transmitted to the printer 10. After the “OK” icon 126 on the standard setting screen is designated, the print instruction information is transmitted to the printer 10 without requiring the user's instruction through the input I / F 54. That is, the designation of the [OK] icon 126 can be regarded as an indication of a user's intention to instruct the printer 10 to execute a printing operation. Therefore, it is desirable that the UI module 66A executes the preparation instruction process after the [OK] icon 126 on the standard setting screen is designated.

  More specifically, the editing program 65 calls the function S21 in response to receiving the specification of the [OK] icon 126 on the standard setting screen through the input I / F 54 (S12: OK icon). The OS 64 may call the function defined in the UI module 66A at a timing other than when the function S21 is called (for example, at a timing when referring to the information of the printer driver). However, the OS 64 calls the function S25 only when the function S21 is called. Therefore, the UI module 66A according to the present embodiment executes the preparation instruction process in response to the call of the function S21.

[Preparation instruction processing]
First, the UI module 66A generates a job ID “__preparation__” which is an example of the generation identification information. Then, the UI module 66A generates a preparation job identified by the job ID “__preparation__” (S61). Note that the UI module 66A generates a job ID so as not to overlap with a character string that can be the designated data ID. This is because the designated data ID is used as a job ID in step S29 described later. A job ID “__preparation__” is added to various instruction information written in the queue area 67A in steps S62 and S66 described below.

  Next, the UI module 66A stores the first preparation instruction information in the queue area 67A (S62). The first preparation instruction information is preparation instruction information that does not include specific condition information described later among the preparation instruction information for instructing execution of the pre-print operation. In other words, the first preparation instruction information is information for executing the first pre-print operation in which the operation content does not change according to the specific execution condition described later. The first preparation instruction information stored in the queue area 67A is transmitted by the OS 64 to the printer 10A. The process in step S62 is an example of a first preparation instruction process for transmitting first preparation instruction information to the printer 10A via the communication I / F 55.

  Next, the UI module 66A determines whether or not to transmit the specific condition information before printing instruction information to be described later (S63). The specific condition information is a part of the condition information shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the execution condition indicated by the specific condition information is referred to as “specific execution condition”. The specific execution condition is an execution condition that changes the operation content of the pre-print operation. As an example, the tray information indicates a specific execution condition for changing a sheet feeding source in a feeding process described later. As another example, the color information indicates a specific execution condition for changing a color of ink ejected to the recording head 28 in a flushing process described later.

  As an example, the UI module 66A may determine whether the printer 10A identified by the designated printer ID can execute the second pre-print operation according to the specific condition information. More specifically, the UI module 66A receives from the printer 10A through the communication I / F 55 the capability information indicating whether or not the second pre-print operation according to the specific condition information can be executed, and based on the received capability information. You may decide.

  As another example, the UI module 66A receives a user operation for instructing whether or not to transmit the specific condition information through the input I / F 54, and stores setting information indicating the received content in the area 62B in advance. Is also good. Then, in step S63, the UI module 66A may determine whether or not to transmit the specific condition information according to the content indicated in the setting information. Further, the UI module 66A may receive an instruction as to whether or not to transmit each of the plurality of pieces of condition information.

  Further, the UI module 66A determines whether the evacuation condition information stored in the area 62B in step S23 includes the specific condition information (S64). As an example, the condition information serving as the specific condition information may be described in advance in the source code of the UI module 66A. As another example, the UI module 66A may receive, from the printer 10A, information indicating which condition information is the specific condition information. Then, the UI module 66A may compare the information described in the source code or the information received from the printer 10A with the evacuation condition information to determine the presence or absence of the specific condition information. In the present embodiment, as described above, the tray information and the color information are the specific condition information.

  Further, the UI module 66A determines whether the condition information determined as the specific condition information in step S64 has already been determined (S65). Hereinafter, the determined specific execution condition is referred to as “determined condition”. The process in step S65 is an example of a determination process. In step S65, the UI module 66A according to the present embodiment determines whether or not there is a fixed condition based on a correlation between a plurality of execution conditions indicated by the evacuation condition information stored in the second area 62D. . With reference to FIG. 9, details of the processing for determining the presence or absence of the determination condition will be described.

[Fixed judgment processing A]
The determination determination processing A shown in FIG. 9A is processing for determining whether tray information, which is one of the private information, has already been determined. The tray information can change in step S45 described later, depending on the set value of size information, which is one of the public information. However, as described above, the size information of the save condition information may be different from the size information of the edit condition information. Therefore, the UI module 66A determines whether or not the tray information is determined based on the capability of the printer 10A.

  First, the UI module 66A determines whether or not “Auto” is set in the tray information of the evacuation condition information (S71). Next, the UI module 66A determines the number of trays mounted on the printer 10A in response to determining that "Auto" is set in the tray information (S71: Yes) (S72). More specifically, the UI module 66A transmits inquiry information for inquiring the number of mounted trays to the printer 10A via the communication I / F 55. Then, the UI module 66A receives the tray number information transmitted by the printer 10A as a response to the inquiry information through the communication I / F 55. The tray number information is an example of information indicating the capability of the printer 10A.

  When the UI module 66A determines that the number of trays indicated by the received tray number information is one, that is, that only the first feeding tray is mounted (S72: Yes), the UI module 66A It is determined that “Auto = Tray 1” is the determination condition (S73 → S65: Yes). That is, the UI module 66A determines that the image is printed on the sheet supported by the first feed tray regardless of what value is set in the size information of the editing condition information.

  On the other hand, the UI module 66A determines that the number of trays indicated by the received tray number information is plural, that is, determines that both the first feed tray and the second feed tray are mounted (S72). : No), it is determined that the tray information “Auto = Tray 1” is not a determination condition (S65: No). That is, when the priority tray of the printer 10A is the second feed tray, the UI module 66A determines whether the sheet supported by either the first feed tray or the second feed tray depends on the size information of the editing condition information. It is not possible to specify whether the image will be printed.

  In addition, the UI module 66A determines that “Auto” is not set in the tray information (S71: No), and determines the size of the sheet that can be supported by the feeding tray indicated by the tray information of the evacuation condition information. Is determined (S74). More specifically, the UI module 66A transmits to the printer 10A via the communication I / F 55 inquiry information for inquiring about the size of the sheet that can be supported by the feeding tray indicated by the tray information. Then, the UI module 66A receives the supportable size information transmitted by the printer 10A as a response to the inquiry information through the communication I / F 55. The supportable size information is an example of information indicating the capability of the printer 10A.

  Then, the UI module 66A determines that the tray information of the evacuation condition information is a determination condition in response to the supportable size information indicating that all sizes in which the printer 10A can print an image are indicated (S74: Yes). (S73 → S65: Yes). In the present embodiment, when the tray information is “Tray 1”, it is determined that the determination condition is satisfied. On the other hand, the UI module 66A determines that the tray information of the evacuation condition information is not a fixed condition in response to the supportable size information indicating only the specific size (S65: No). In the present embodiment, when the tray information is “tray 2”, it is determined that the condition is not the confirmation condition. The size of the sheet on which the printer 10A can print an image may be set in the UI module 66A in advance, or may be received from the multifunction peripheral 10A together with the supportable size information.

[Fixation judgment processing B]
The determination processing B shown in FIG. 9B is processing for determining whether or not color information, which is one of the public information, has already been determined. The color information of the save condition information may be different from the color information of the edit condition information. Further, the color information can be changed by a set value of a color restriction flag, which is one of the private information, in step S45 described later. Therefore, the UI module 66A determines whether or not the color information is determined based on the color restriction flag of the evacuation condition information.

  First, the UI module 66A determines the set value of the color restriction flag of the evacuation condition information (S76). Then, in response to the first value “ON” being set in the color restriction flag (S76: ON), the UI module 66A determines that the color information “monochrome” is the determination condition (S77 → S65: Yes). That is, the UI module 66A determines that a monochrome image is printed on a sheet regardless of what value is set in the color information of the editing condition information. On the other hand, the UI module 66A determines that the color information is not a determination condition (S65: No) in response to the second value “OFF” being set in the color restriction flag (S76: OFF). That is, the UI module 66A cannot specify which of a color image and a monochrome image is to be printed.

  Returning to FIG. 8, the UI module 66A determines that the specific condition information is transmitted in advance, determines that the evacuation condition information includes the specific condition information, and determines that the specific condition information is already determined. (S63: Yes & S64: Yes & S65: Yes), the second preparation instruction information is stored in the queue area 67A (S66). That is, the UI module 66A stores the second preparation instruction information including the tray information “Tray 1” in the queue area 62A in response to determining that the tray information “Tray 1” is the determination condition (S73). S66). The UI module 66A stores the second preparation instruction information including the color information “monochrome” in the queue area 62A in response to determining that the color information “monochrome” is the determination condition (S77). .

  The second preparation instruction information is preparation instruction information that includes determined specific condition information among the preparation instruction information for instructing execution of the pre-print operation. In other words, the second preparation instruction information is information for executing the second pre-print operation in which the operation content changes according to the confirmation condition. The second preparation instruction information stored in the queue area 67A is transmitted by the OS 64 to the printer 10A. The process of step S66 is an example of a second preparation instruction process for transmitting the second preparation instruction information to the printer 10A via the communication I / F 55.

  As an example, when there are a plurality of determined specific condition information, the UI module 66A may store one piece of second preparation instruction information including all the specific condition information in the queue area 67A. As another example, when there are a plurality of determined specific condition information, the UI module 66A may store a plurality of pieces of second preparation instruction information each including one piece of the specific condition information in the queue area 67A. In this case, the plurality of pieces of second preparation instruction information are stored in the queue area 67A in an order that matches the execution order of the corresponding pre-print operation.

  On the other hand, in response to determining that the specific condition information is not transmitted (S63: No), the UI module 66A determines that the evacuation condition information does not include the specific condition information (S64: No). Alternatively, in response to determining that the specific condition information has not been determined (S65: No), the preparation instruction process ends without executing the process of step S66.

  Returning to FIG. 6, the UI module 66A ends the function S25 (S27). Next, in response to the termination of the function S25 (S27), the OS 64 calls the second function “DrvStartDoc ()” defined in the rendering module 66B (S28). The OS 64 specifies the designated data ID “contents data C” and the first pointer designated as the arguments of S21 as the arguments of the function S28.

  Next, in response to the calling of the function S28, the rendering module 66B generates a print job having the specified data ID “contents data C” specified as an argument as the job ID in the queue area 67A that is the specified queue. Then (S29), the function S28 ends (S30). A job ID “contents data C” is added to various instruction information written in the queue area 67A in steps S45, S48, and S53 described later. However, the print job identified by the job ID “content data C” does not include the instruction information at this time. The specified data ID specified as an argument of the function S28 is an example of specified identification information specified by the OS 64.

  Next, the OS 64 calls the first function “DrvDocumentEvent ()” in response to the termination of the function S28 (S30) (S31). The OS 64 specifies a constant “DOCUMENTEVENT_STARTDOCPOST” as an argument of the function S31. Next, the UI module 66A executes an instruction release process in response to the function S31 being called (S32).

  The instruction release process is a process of deleting the preparation instruction information added to the preparation job from the queue area 67A. More specifically, the UI module 66A determines whether or not the instruction information to which the job ID “__preparation__” temporarily stored in step S64 is added is stored in the queue area 67A. The case where the preparation instruction information is stored in the queue area 67A in step S66 includes, for example, a case where the communication I / F 55 is not connected to the communication line, a case where the power of the printer 10A is turned off, and the like. Then, in response to determining that the preparation instruction information is stored in the queue area 67A, the UI module 66A deletes the preparation instruction information from the queue area 67A.

  Next, the UI module 66A ends the function S31 (S33). The OS 64 terminates the function S21 in response to the termination of the function S31 (S33) (S34). Thus, the StartDoc process ends. Returning to FIG. 5 after the function S21, the editing program 65 executes a StartPage process (S15). The StartPage process is an example of a generation process for generating print instruction information. The StartPage process is executed for each page data included in the designated content data. The page data to be processed in the StartPage process is specified as an argument of a function by the editing program 65, for example. The details of the StartPage process will be described with reference to FIG.

[StartPage processing]
The editing program 65 calls a function “StartPage ()” defined in the OS 64 (S41). Next, the OS 64 calls the first function “DrvDocumentEvent ()” (S42). The OS 64 designates the constant “DOCUMENTEVENT_STARTPAGE” as an argument of the function S42. Next, the UI module 66A executes a specific process and ends the function S42 (S43).

  Next, in response to the termination of the function S42 (S43), the OS 64 calls a function “DrvStartPage ()” defined in the rendering module 66B (S44). Next, in response to the calling of the function S44, the rendering module 66B determines the consistency between the public information and the private information in the editing condition information indicated by the first pointer. Then, in response to determining that the public information and the private information do not match, the rendering module 66B matches one of the public information and the private information with the other.

  As an example, the rendering module 66B changes the tray information to “tray 1” in accordance with the fact that a size different from the specific size is set in the size information and “tray 2” is set in the tray information. As another example, the rendering module 66B changes the color information to “monochrome” in response to the color information being set to “color” and the color restriction flag being set to the first value “ON”. .

  Further, the rendering module 66B generates header instruction information, and stores the generated header instruction information in the queue area 67A (S45). The header instruction information is print instruction information for instructing an operation to be executed before printing an image on a sheet in a series of operations for printing an image on one sheet. The header instruction information according to the present embodiment is feed instruction information and cueing instruction information. The feed instruction information is information for feeding a sheet from the feed tray indicated by the tray information of the editing condition information to the feed rollers 24 and 25. The cueing instruction information is information for causing the conveyance roller 26 to convey the fed sheet to a position where the first print area of the fed sheet faces the recording head 28. Note that the rendering module 66B may omit the transmission of the feed instruction information in step S45 in response to the transmission of the second preparation instruction information including the tray information “sheet 1” in step S66.

  Then, the rendering module 66B ends the function S44 (S46). Next, the OS 64 ends the function S41 in response to the end of the function S44 (S46) (S47). Next, in response to the termination of the function S41 (S47), the editing program 65 calls a drawing function defined in the OS 64. Further, the OS 64 calls the drawing function defined in the rendering module 66B in response to the drawing function being called by the editing program 65.

  Then, the rendering module 66B generates print data from the page data by executing a plurality of drawing functions in a specific order. The print data is, for example, raster data obtained by rasterizing page data. Further, the rendering module 66B generates print instruction information for executing a print operation on the print data, and stores the generated print instruction information in the queue area 67A (S48). In step S48, ejection instruction information and transport instruction information are generated as described later. Hereinafter, details of the processing in which the rendering module 66B generates the print instruction information will be described.

  First, at a specific timing after step S28, the rendering module 66B notifies the OS 64 of unit information indicating a unit of data transferred as a target of rasterization. In the unit information, for example, “page” instructing the transfer in page data units or “band” instructing the transfer in band data units is set. The band data is a part of the page data. More specifically, the page data is partitioned into a plurality of band data adjacent in the longitudinal direction. The image represented by the band data has a larger area than the image represented by the path data described later.

  The rendering module 66B notifies the OS 64 of the unit information “page”, for example, in response to the setting of the specific size (for example, A4) in the size information of the editing condition information. A sheet of a specific size is conveyed by the rollers 24, 25, and 26 of the printer 10 in a state where the short side direction of the sheet matches the conveying direction. An image is printed on a sheet of a specific size by the carriage 27 of the printer 10 that moves along the longitudinal direction of the sheet.

  On the other hand, the rendering module 66B notifies the OS 64 of the unit information “band”, for example, in response to the non-specific size (for example, other than A4) set in the size information of the editing condition information. The sheet of the non-specific size is conveyed by the rollers 24, 25, and 26 of the printer 10 in a state where the longitudinal direction of the sheet coincides with the conveying direction. In addition, an image is printed on a sheet of a non-specific size by the carriage 27 of the printer 10 that moves along the lateral direction of the sheet.

  The unit information may be notified as a return value of a function called by the OS 64, for example. The specific size may be different for each of the printers 10A and 10B, for example. The specific size for each of the printers 10A and 10B may be described in the source code of the driver program 66, or the driver program 66 may inquire the printers 10A and 10B.

  The OS 64 that has obtained the unit information “page” transfers the page data to the rendering module 66B in step S48. The rendering module 66B rasterizes the entire page data passed from the OS 64 to generate raster data. Next, the rendering module 66B rotates the raster data developed in the area 62B by 90 ° in the area 62B. Next, the rendering module 66B extracts a plurality of pass data indicating an image to be printed on one of the print areas from the raster data rotated by 90 °.

  Then, the rendering module 66B generates ejection instruction information and transport instruction information based on each of the extracted path data, and writes the generated ejection instruction information and transport instruction information into the queue area 67A in order. The rendering module 66B continuously extracts path data, generates ejection instruction information and transport instruction information, and writes the generated information to the queue area 67A for all the path data included in the page data.

  The ejection instruction information is information for indicating the ejection timing of ink by the recording head 28 in order to print an image on a print area of a sheet facing the recording head 28. That is, the ejection instruction information when the color information of the editing condition information is “monochrome” indicates the ejection timing of the black ink. On the other hand, the ejection instruction information when the color information of the editing condition information is “color” indicates the ejection timing of the ink of each color (for example, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black). The transport instruction information is information for causing the transport rollers 26 to transport the sheet to a position where a print area on which an image is to be printed next faces the recording head 28.

  On the other hand, the OS 64 having acquired the unit information “band” transfers one of the plurality of band data included in the page data to the rendering module 66B in step S48. The rendering module 66B rasterizes the entire band data passed from the OS 64 to generate raster data. Next, the rendering module 66B generates ejection instruction information and transport instruction information based on the raster data, and writes the generated ejection instruction information and transport instruction information to the queue area 67A. Then, the above-described processing is repeatedly performed on all band data constituting the page data.

  That is, in the case of the unit information “page”, the first ejection instruction information is written in the queue area 67A only after the entire page data is converted into raster data and the raster data is rotated by 90 ° in the area 62B. Become. On the other hand, in the case of the unit information “band”, the first ejection instruction information is written to the queue area 67A after the entire band data, which is a part of the page data, is converted into raster data. That is, the time from when the [OK] icon 126 is designated to when the first ejection instruction information is written in the queue area 67A is longer in the case of the unit information “page” than in the case of the unit information “band”.

  Next, the editing program 65 calls the function “EndPage ()” defined in the OS 64 in response to the end of the processing of step S48 for the designated page data (S49). Next, the OS 64 calls the first function “DrvDocumentEvent ()” (S50). The OS 64 specifies the constant “DOCUMENTEVENT_ENDPAGE” as an argument of the function S50. Next, the UI module 66A executes a specific process and ends the function S50 (S51).

  Next, in response to the termination of the function S50 (S51), the OS 64 calls the function “DrvEndPage ()” defined in the rendering module 66B (S52). Next, in response to the function S52 being called, the rendering module 66B generates ejection instruction information and stores the generated ejection instruction information in the queue area 67A (S53). The discharge instruction information is information for causing the conveyance roller 26 to discharge the sheet on which the image is printed to the outside of the printer 10.

  The plurality of pieces of print instruction information written in the queue area 67A by the StartPage process illustrated in FIG. 7 are transmitted to the printer 10A in the order of writing by the OS 64. Typically, the OS 64 sends the feed instruction information, the cueing instruction information, the discharge instruction information, the transport instruction information, the discharge instruction information,..., The discharge instruction information to the printer 10A through the communication I / F 55 in this order. Send. The processing of step S45, the processing of storing the print instruction information in the queue area 67A in step S48, and the processing of step S53 are examples of print instruction processing for transmitting the print instruction information to the printer 10 through the communication I / F 55.

  Then, the rendering module 66B ends the function S52 (S54). Next, the OS 64 ends the function S49 in response to the end of the function S52 (S54) (S55). Thus, the StartPage process ends. Next, returning to FIG. 5, the editing program 65 determines whether or not StartPage processing has been performed on all the page data included in the designated content data (S16). Then, in response to determining that there is page data for which the StartPage process has not been executed (S16: Yes), the editing program 65 executes the StartPage process for the page data (S15).

  Then, the editing program 65 executes EndDoc processing in response to determining that the StartPage processing for all page data has been completed (S16: No) (S17). The EndDoc process is a post-process after the printer 10 performs a printing operation. The EndDoc process is a well-known process that is started when the function “EndDoc ()” defined in the OS 64 is called by the editing program 65, and thus the detailed description is omitted.

[Print processing]
Next, a printing process executed by the printer 10 will be described with reference to FIG. The printer 10 executes a printing process in response to receiving the preparation instruction information or the print instruction information from the information processing terminal 50 via the communication I / F 15. The following processes may be executed by the CPU 41 reading and executing a program stored in the ROM 42, or may be realized by a hardware circuit mounted on the controller 40.

  The controller 40 of the printer 10 receives the preparation instruction information from the information processing terminal 50 via the communication I / F 15 (S81: preparation instruction). The controller 40 according to the present embodiment processes the first preparation instruction information, the second preparation instruction information including the tray information “Tray 1”, and the second preparation instruction information including the color information “monochrome” through the communication I / F 15. The information is received from the terminal 50 in this order. In step S81, the process of receiving the first preparation instruction information is an example of a first reception process, and the process of receiving the second preparation instruction information is an example of a second reception process.

  Next, in response to receiving the first preparation instruction information (S81: preparation instruction), the printer 10 determines whether the power supply unit 11 is in a sleep state (S82). The controller 40 may, for example, store flag information indicating the current state of the power supply unit 11 in the RAM 43 or the EEPROM 44, and make the determination in step S82 based on the flag information. However, the method of the determination in step S82 is not limited to the above example.

  Next, in response to determining that the power supply unit 11 is in the sleep state (S82: Yes), the controller 40 switches the power supply unit 11 from the sleep state to the drive state (S83). More specifically, the controller 40 outputs a high-level power signal to the power unit 11. On the other hand, in response to determining that the power supply unit 11 is in the driving state (S82: No), the controller 40 skips the process of step S83. The process of step S82 is an example of a state determination process, and the process of step S83 is an example of a switching process.

  Next, the controller 40 notifies the display 13 that the preparation instruction information has been received (S84). The controller 40 may turn on the backlight of the display 13 for a specific time, for example. The process in step S84 is an example of a notification process. The display 13 is an example of a notification unit. However, a specific example of the notification process is not limited to this, and an LED lamp (not shown) may be turned on, or a notification sound may be output to a speaker (not shown).

  Next, the controller 40 causes the operation unit 20 to execute a pre-printing operation (S85). The pre-printing operation is an operation to be executed by the printer 10 in order to print a specific quality image on a sheet in the printing operation. With reference to FIG. 11, details of the pre-print processing for causing the operation unit 20 to execute the pre-print operation will be described. At the time of execution of the pre-printing process, the carriage 27 is at the cap position, the cap 31 is at the covering position, and the driving force transmission mechanism 35 is in the third state.

  The controller 40 moves the cap 31 from the covering position to the separated position in response to receiving the first preparation instruction information from the information processing terminal 50 via the communication I / F 15 (S101). Next, the controller 40 moves the carriage 27 from the cap position to the flushing position (S102). At this time, the driving force transmission mechanism 35 is switched from the third state to the first state by the carriage 27 moving from the cap position to the flushing position being separated from the slide member 36. The process of step S101 is an example of the separation process, and the process of step S102 is an example of the moving process and the switching process. The processing in steps S101 and S102 is an example of the first pre-print processing in which the operation content does not change according to the specific condition information.

  Next, in response to receiving the second preparation instruction information including the tray information “tray 1” from the information processing terminal 50 through the communication I / F 15 (S103: first tray), the controller 40 sets the first feeding tray. The sheet supported by the feeding roller 24 is fed to the position where the sheet reaches the conveying roller 26 (S104). On the other hand, the controller 40 skips the process of step S104 in response to not receiving the second preparation instruction information including the tray information “tray 1” (S103: not received). The process in step S104 is an example of the feeding process, and is an example of the second pre-print process in which the operation content changes according to the specific condition information.

  Next, in response to receiving the second preparation instruction information including the color information “monochrome” from the information processing terminal 50 via the communication I / F 15 (S105: monochrome), the controller 40 records the information to the ink receiving unit 33. Only the black ink is ejected to the head 28 (S106). On the other hand, in response to receiving the second preparation instruction information including the color information “monochrome” from the information processing terminal 50 via the communication I / F 15 (S105: not received), the controller 40 records the second preparation instruction information toward the ink receiving unit 33. The heads 28 eject all color inks (S107). The processing in steps S106 and S107 is an example of the flushing processing, and is an example of the second pre-print processing in which the operation content changes according to the specific condition information.

  Further, the controller 40 stores flag information corresponding to each of the plurality of pre-printing operations in the RAM 43 or the EEPROM 44. At the start of the pre-print processing, a second value “OFF” corresponding to the fact that the pre-print operation has not been completed is set in all the flag information. Then, in response to the completion of one of the pre-print operations, the controller 40 sets a first value “ON” corresponding to the end of the pre-print operation to the flag information corresponding to the completed pre-print operation. .

  Next, returning to FIG. 10, the controller 40 receives print instruction information from the information processing terminal 50 via the communication I / F 15 (S81: print instruction). That is, the controller 40 according to the present embodiment transmits feed instruction information, cueing instruction information, discharge instruction information, transport instruction information, discharge instruction information,..., Discharge instruction information to the information processing terminal through the communication I / F 15. 50 in this order. The process of receiving the print instruction information in step S81 is an example of a third reception process.

  Next, the controller 40 determines whether the pre-print processing has been completed (S86). More specifically, the controller 40 determines that the pre-print processing has been completed in response to the fact that the first value “ON” is set in all the flag information associated with the pre-print operation (S86: Yes). On the other hand, the controller 40 determines that the pre-print processing has not been completed in response to the second value “OFF” being set in at least one piece of flag information associated with the pre-print operation (S86: No).

  The reception interval between the preparation instruction information and the print instruction information changes depending on, for example, the processing amount in step S48, the state of the communication network, and the like. That is, the pre-print process started by using the preparation instruction information as a trigger may not be completed when the print instruction information is received. When the second preparation instruction information has not been received, the controller 40 may not have executed a part of the second pre-print processing.

  Then, in response to determining that at least one of the pre-printing operations to be performed in the pre-printing process has not been performed (S86: No), the controller 40 performs the pre-printing operation that has not been performed. 20 (S87). More specifically, in response to the fact that the process of step S104 has not been executed yet, the controller 40 executes the feeding process according to the received feeding instruction information. That is, the controller 40 causes the feed rollers 24 and 25 to feed the sheet supported by the feed tray indicated by the feed instruction information.

  On the other hand, upon determining that all the pre-printing operations to be performed in the pre-printing process have been performed (S86: Yes), the controller 40 skips the process of step S87. In addition, the controller 40 has already executed the processing of step S104, and does not execute the processing according to the received feed instruction information in response to receiving the feed instruction information.

  Next, the controller 40 executes a cueing process according to the cueing instruction information (S88). That is, the controller 40 causes the conveyance roller 26 to convey the sheet fed in the feeding process to the position indicated by the cueing instruction information. Then, the controller 40 causes the operation unit 20 to execute the printing operation (S89 to S92). The printing operation is an operation of printing an image indicated by the print data on a sheet according to the execution condition indicated by the print instruction information. The processing of steps S89 to S92 is an example of the printing processing.

  First, the controller 40 executes a discharge process according to the received discharge instruction information (S89). That is, the controller 40 moves the carriage 27 from one side to the other in the main scanning direction, and causes the recording head 28 to eject ink at the ejection timing indicated by the ejection instruction information. Next, the controller 40 determines whether or not the image has been printed on all the print areas of the sheet (S90). In other words, the controller 40 determines which of the transport instruction information and the discharge instruction information has been received next to the ejection instruction information used in the latest step S89.

  Next, in response to determining that the image has not been printed on all the print areas of the sheet (S90: No), the controller 40 executes a transport process according to the received transport instruction information (S91). That is, the controller 40 causes the conveyance roller 26 to convey the sheet by the conveyance amount indicated by the conveyance instruction information. The controller 40 repeats the processing of steps S89 to S91 until the image is printed on all the print areas of the sheet (S90: No).

  Then, in response to determining that the image has been printed on all the print areas of the sheet (S90: Yes), the controller 40 executes a discharge process according to the received discharge instruction information (S92). That is, the controller 40 causes the conveyance roller 26 to discharge the sheet on which the image is printed to the outside of the printer 10. When a plurality of page data are included in the designated content data, the processes of steps S88 to S92 are repeatedly executed. Thereby, the image indicated by the print data generated in step S48, in other words, the image indicated by the designated content data is printed on the sheet.

[Operation and effect of the present embodiment]
According to the above embodiment, in addition to the first pre-print operation in which the operation content does not change according to the execution condition of the print operation, the execution of the print operation is performed in parallel with the information processing terminal 50 generating the print data. Since the printer 10 can execute the second pre-print operation in which the operation content changes according to the conditions, the FPOT can be further reduced.

  Further, as in the above-described embodiment, by saving the condition information read from the first area 62C to the second area 62D, it is possible to appropriately determine whether or not there is a determination condition. Further, since the private information is not edited by another program installed in the information processing terminal 50, it is possible to appropriately determine whether there is a confirmation condition based on the condition information saved in the second area 62D.

  Note that both of the determination determination processes A and B shown in FIG. 9 may be executed in step S65, or only one of them may be executed. In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which it is determined whether or not the specific condition information is determined based on the correlation between the size information and the tray information and the correlation between the color information and the color restriction flag. . However, the combination of condition information for determining the presence or absence of the confirmation condition is not limited to the above-described example. For example, the sheet information may be included in the public information. Then, the UI module 66A may determine whether or not the tray information is determined based on the correlation between the sheet information and the tray information.

  That is, the UI module 66A determines that the tray information “Tray 1” is the determination condition in accordance with the fact that “Tray 1” is set in the tray information of the evacuation condition information. On the other hand, the UI module 66A determines that the tray information is not a fixed condition in accordance with the fact that “tray 2” is set in the tray information of the evacuation condition information. The other processing may be the same as the finalization determination processing A.

  Further, according to the above-described embodiment, whether to transmit the preparation instruction information is determined at the timing when the function S25 is executed, so that the printer 10 does not need to perform an unnecessary pre-print operation. That is, it is possible to instruct the printer 10 to execute the pre-print operation at an appropriate timing. Further, while the printer 10 performs the pre-printing operation in accordance with the preparation instruction information, the print data is generated by the information processing terminal 50, so that the first sheet after the [OK] icon 126 on the standard setting screen is designated is designated. FPOT, which is the time required until the document is discharged from the printer, can be shortened.

  Further, in the printer 10 and the information processing terminal 50 of the above-described embodiment, various processes stored in the ROM 42 or the memory 62 are executed by the CPUs 41 and 61, whereby each process executed by the controller of the present invention is realized. Examples have been described. However, the configuration of the controller is not limited to this, and part or all of the controller may be realized by hardware such as an integrated circuit.

  Further, the present invention can be realized not only as the printer 10 and the information processing terminal 50 but also as a program for causing the printer 10 and the information processing terminal 50 to execute processing. Then, the program may be provided by being recorded on a non-transitory recording medium. The non-transitory recording medium may include a storage unit mounted on a server connectable to the printer 10 and the information processing terminal 50 via a communication network, in addition to a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, and the like. The program stored in the storage unit of the server may be distributed as information or a signal indicating the program through a communication network such as the Internet.

10 Printer 13, 53 Display 14, 54 Input I / F
15, 55 ... Communication I / F
40: Controller 41, 61: CPU
42 ... ROM
50 ... information processing terminal 62 ... memory 66 ... driver program

Claims (11)

A printing system comprising: a driver program readable by an information processing terminal having a first communication interface; and a printer,
The driver program includes:
The information processing terminal causes the information processing terminal to execute a print instruction receiving process for receiving a print instruction from the OS of the information processing terminal, and the print instruction includes an instruction to cause the printer to execute a print operation according to an execution condition specified by the user. Indicates that it was entered by
In response to receiving the print instruction in the print instruction receiving process, the information processing terminal causes the information processing terminal to execute a first preparation instruction process of transmitting first preparation instruction information to the printer through the first communication interface. 1 The preparation instruction information instructs execution of a first pre-print operation in which the operation content does not change depending on the execution condition of the print operation, among a plurality of pre-print operations for printing an image of a specific quality on a sheet in the print operation. Information
A judgment process of judging whether or not a fixed condition that has already been determined exists among the plurality of execution conditions specified by the user;
And causing the information processing terminal to execute a second preparation instruction process of transmitting second preparation instruction information to the printer through the first communication interface in response to the determination processing determining that the determination condition exists. The second preparation instruction information is information for instructing execution of a second pre-print operation in which the operation content changes depending on the determination condition among a plurality of the pre-print operations,
Generating the print data to be subjected to the print operation from the image data specified by the user in response to the determination processing determining that the determination condition does not exist or performing the second preparation instruction processing. Processing,
And causing the information processing terminal to execute a print instruction process of transmitting print instruction information to the printer via the first communication interface, wherein the print instruction information executes the print operation on the print data generated in the generation process. Information to be executed according to the conditions,
The printer is
An operation unit that executes the pre-printing operation and the printing operation;
A second communication interface;
And a controller,
The controller is
A first reception process of receiving the first preparation instruction information from the information processing terminal through the second communication interface;
A first pre-printing process that causes the operating unit to execute the first pre-printing operation in response to receiving the first preparation instruction information in the first receiving process;
A second reception process of receiving the second preparation instruction information from the information processing terminal through the second communication interface;
A second pre-printing process that causes the operating unit to execute the second pre-printing operation in response to receiving the second preparation instruction information in the second receiving process;
A third receiving process of receiving the print instruction information from the information processing terminal through the second communication interface;
Executing a print process for causing the operating unit to execute the print operation according to the print instruction information in response to receiving the print instruction information and performing all the pre-print operations in the third reception process. Printing system. The information processing terminal includes a memory,
Condition information indicating the execution condition is stored in a first area of the memory, and the first area can refer to the stored information only when a reference instruction for permitting reference is received from the OS. Area
The driver program includes:
A reference receiving process of receiving the reference instruction from the OS;
And storing the condition information read from the first area in the second area of the memory in response to receiving the reference instruction in the reference reception processing, prior to the print instruction reception processing. The information processing terminal is executed, the second area is an area that can refer to the stored information without receiving the reference instruction,
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the determining process, it is determined whether or not the confirmation condition exists based on a correlation between a plurality of the execution conditions indicated by the condition information stored in the second area. 3. Printing system. The condition information includes public information indicating a public condition that can be edited by other programs installed in the information processing terminal, and private information indicating a private condition that can be edited only by the driver program,
The printing system according to claim 2, wherein the driver program determines whether or not the private condition that can be changed according to the public condition is determined in the determination process based on a capability of the printer. The public information includes size information indicating a size of a sheet on which an image is printed,
The private information includes tray information indicating a tray from which a sheet is fed,
The tray information indicates a first tray capable of supporting sheets of all sizes, or a second tray capable of supporting only a specific size, among a plurality of sizes of sheets on which the printer can print an image,
The driver program includes:
The print instruction including the condition information in which the tray information is changed to the first tray in the print instruction processing when the size information indicates a size different from the specific size and the tray information indicates the second tray. Sending information to the printer,
The printing system according to claim 3, wherein in the determination processing, the tray information indicating the first tray is determined as the determination condition. The public information includes sheet information indicating a type of a sheet on which an image is printed,
The private information includes tray information indicating a tray from which a sheet is fed,
The tray information indicates a first tray capable of supporting all types of sheets, or a second tray capable of supporting only a specific type, among a plurality of types of sheets on which the printer can print an image,
The driver program includes:
The print instruction including the condition information in which the tray information is changed to the first tray in the print instruction processing when the sheet information indicates a type different from the specific type and the tray information indicates the second tray. Sending information to the printer,
The printing system according to claim 3, wherein in the determination process, the tray information indicating the first tray is determined as the determination condition. The operating unit includes:
The first tray and the second tray;
A feed roller for feeding a sheet supported by the tray,
Transport rollers for transporting the sheet fed by the feed roller in the transport direction,
The controller, in response to receiving the second preparation instruction information including the tray information indicating the first tray in the second receiving process, the sheet supported by the first tray, the transport roller The printing system according to claim 4, wherein a feeding process for causing the feeding roller to feed to a position at which the printing roller reaches the position is performed as the second pre-printing process. The condition information includes public information indicating a public condition that can be edited by other programs installed in the information processing terminal, and private information indicating a private condition that can be edited only by the driver program,
The printing system according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the driver program determines whether or not the public condition that can be changed according to the private condition is determined in the determination process. The public information includes color information indicating a color image or a monochrome image,
The private information includes a color restriction flag indicating whether to restrict colors that can be used in the printing operation,
In the color restriction flag, a first value corresponding to an instruction to permit use of only black or a second value corresponding to an instruction to permit use of all colors is set,
The driver program includes:
In the print instruction processing when the color information indicates a color image and the first value is set in the color restriction flag, the print instruction information including the condition information in which the color information is changed to a monochrome image is used. Send to the printer,
The printing system according to claim 7, wherein in the determination processing, the color information indicating a monochrome image is determined as the determination condition in accordance with the first value being set in the color restriction flag. The operating unit includes:
A transport roller for transporting the sheet in the transport direction;
A carriage that moves in an area including a sheet facing area facing the sheet conveyed by the conveying roller in a main scanning direction that intersects the conveying direction;
A recording head mounted on the carriage and discharging ink from nozzles;
An ink receiving portion that receives the ink ejected from the nozzle, facing the carriage at a flushing position deviated in the main scanning direction from the sheet facing region;
The controller causes the recording head to eject only black ink toward the ink receiving unit in response to receiving the second preparation instruction information including the color information indicating a monochrome image in the second reception process. The printing system according to claim 8, wherein a flushing process is executed as the second pre-printing process. A driver program readable by an information processing terminal having a communication interface,
The driver program is:
The information processing terminal causes the information processing terminal to execute a print instruction reception process for receiving a print instruction from the OS of the information processing terminal, and the print instruction is issued by the user to cause the printer to execute a print operation in accordance with an execution condition specified by the user. Indicates that it has been entered,
And causing the information processing terminal to execute first preparation instruction processing for transmitting first preparation instruction information to the printer through the communication interface in response to receiving the print instruction in the print instruction reception processing. The instruction information is information for instructing execution of a first pre-print operation in which the operation content does not change depending on the execution condition of the print operation among a plurality of pre-print operations for printing an image of a specific quality on a sheet in the print operation. And
A judgment process of judging whether or not a fixed condition that has already been determined exists among the plurality of execution conditions specified by the user;
And causing the information processing terminal to execute a second preparation instruction process of transmitting second preparation instruction information to the printer through the communication interface in response to the determination processing determining that the determination condition exists. The preparation instruction information is information for instructing execution of a second pre-print operation in which the operation content changes according to the determination condition among a plurality of the pre-print operations,
Generating the print data to be subjected to the print operation from the image data specified by the user in response to the determination processing determining that the determination condition does not exist or performing the second preparation instruction processing. Processing,
And causing the information processing terminal to execute a print instruction process of transmitting print instruction information to the printer through the communication interface, wherein the print instruction information performs the printing operation on the print data generated in the generation process according to the execution condition. A driver program that is information to be executed. A printer including an operation unit for performing a pre-print operation and a print operation, a communication interface, and a controller, wherein the print operation is an operation of printing an image represented by print data on a sheet, and the pre-print operation Is an operation that is performed prior to the printing operation to print a specific quality image on a sheet,
The controller is
A first reception process of receiving first preparation instruction information from the information processing terminal through the communication interface;
Executing a first pre-printing process for causing the operating unit to execute a first pre-printing operation in response to receiving the first preparation instruction information in the first receiving process, wherein the first pre-printing operation includes: Among the plurality of pre-printing operations, the pre-printing operation in which the operation content does not change depending on the execution condition of the printing operation,
A second reception process of receiving second preparation instruction information from the information processing terminal through the communication interface;
Executing a second pre-printing process that causes the operating unit to execute a second pre-printing operation in response to receiving the second preparation instruction information in the second receiving process, wherein the second pre-printing operation includes: among the plurality of the pre-printing operation is the printing before the operation in which the operation content varies depending make constant conditions, the definite condition, among the plurality of execution conditions specified by the user, are already finalized conditions,
A third reception process of receiving print instruction information from the information processing terminal through the communication interface;
Executing a print process for causing the operating unit to execute the print operation according to the print instruction information in response to receiving the print instruction information and performing all the pre-print operations in the third reception process. Printer.

Images