JPH11296324A - Printer controller and method therefor and record medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve operability of an operator at the time of setting each kind of information. SOLUTION: Relating to this printer controller, the basic setting screen of a printer driver is provided with a button for selecting a 'recommended setting' mode for automatically operating previously decided setting and a 'detail setting' mode for manually and precisely operating setting. Moreover, a data display column for displaying the content of each kind of set information is provided on the same screen as the button. When the 'recommended setting' mode is selected (a mode discrimination bit=1), a part equivalent to display areas E44-E47 of display image data is corrected into a space (steps S370 and S380). As a result, display/non-display of the display area can be decided according to the mode selecting situation.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printer control apparatus for setting various information for printing in a predetermined printer, and controlling the printer based on the set various information, a method thereof, and a predetermined method. The present invention relates to a recording medium recording a computer program for setting various information for printing in a printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, when a printer is connected to a computer and print data created by the computer is to be printed on the printer, it is necessary to incorporate software called a printer driver into the computer. The printer driver contains the printer functions and interfaces,
This is a computer program for controlling the printer by setting various information about the printer, such as font information and control codes, in the computer, and is prepared for each printer model to be printed.

An operator operates a computer,
The printer driver incorporated in the computer can be activated to set various information. The setting is performed as follows. When the printer driver is started, the computer displays a setting screen on the monitor. The setting screen is provided with data input fields for the above-mentioned various information, and the operator operates a keyboard and a mouse to input data into these data input fields, thereby setting various information. .
It is proposed that the setting screen is provided with not only a data input field but also a display field for displaying a list of a plurality of set information.

On the setting screen, basically,
All information was manually input (input data using keyboard and mouse), but for the purpose of easy setting,
Some types of computer can selectively set various information automatically. That is, on the setting screen,
A data input field is provided for preparing, as options, a detailed setting mode for manually setting various information and a simple setting mode for automatically setting various information.

[0005]

According to the prior art, an entry user with little knowledge of a computer uses the recommended setting mode exclusively.
Even in the recommended setting mode, the display field for the list display is displayed as it is in the detailed setting mode. For this reason, the entry user does not know what the detailed contents of the various types of information displayed in the display column mean, and may be confused even if the detailed display is viewed. Therefore, there has been a problem that the operator has poor workability when setting various information.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems in the prior art, and has as its object to enhance the workability of an operator when setting various information.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems and Their Functions and Effects In order to solve such problems, a first printer control device of the present invention sets various information for printing in a predetermined printer, and sets the information. A printer control device that controls the printer based on the received various information, a detailed setting mode for setting the various information based on input data from an input device such as a mouse and a keyboard, and a detailed setting mode. Mode selection means for displaying on a monitor a selection screen prepared as an option and a simple setting mode for automatically setting at least a part of various types of information that can be selected, and Display control means for displaying various information in a predetermined area on the selection screen; and when the simple setting mode is selected by the mode selection means, Further comprising a display prohibition control means for prohibiting the display by said display control means for at least one information among the information that can automatically set in the setting mode, and the gist thereof.

According to the first printer control device having this configuration, the mode selection means switches the setting mode while setting the information while displaying the selection screen on the monitor. , By display control means,
It is displayed on the same screen as the selection screen, but when the simple setting mode is selected by the mode selection means, at least one of the information that can be automatically set in the simple setting mode is display correction prohibited. The display is prohibited by the control means.

Therefore, when the operator selects the simple setting mode, the printer control device does not display information (at least one) that can be automatically set in the simple setting mode on the screen. Therefore, the operator is not informed of information that is not useful to him from the screen. As a result, the workability of the operator when setting various information can be improved.

In the first printer control device having the above configuration, a data input box for inputting a type of data to be printed by the printer is provided in a predetermined area on the selection screen,
The information whose display is prohibited by the display prohibition control means may be changed according to the type of the input data.

According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent information that is not useful depending on the type of data to be printed by the printer from being displayed on the screen. As a result, only the necessary information can be displayed on the screen,
The workability of the operator when setting various information can be further enhanced.

A second printer control device according to the present invention sets various information for printing on a predetermined printer,
A printer control device for controlling the printer based on the set various information, wherein image data of an individual setting card is prepared for each set obtained by dividing the various information into a plurality of sets. Card image selecting means for selecting the image data of one setting card from the image data of the setting card, and display control means for displaying the image data of the setting card selected by the card image selecting means on a monitor. At least one of the information set by the setting card other than the setting card selected by the card image selecting means is stored in a predetermined area of the setting card displayed by the display control means. A detailed setting mode for setting the various information based on input data from an input device such as a mouse and a keyboard; And a simple setting mode for automatically setting at least a part of various types of information that can be set in the detailed setting mode. A mode selection unit that is displayed in an area to enable selection of one mode; and information that can be automatically set in the simple setting mode when the simple setting mode is selected by the mode selection unit. The gist of the invention is to provide a display prohibition control unit for prohibiting display of at least one piece of information by the information display adding unit.

According to this configuration, even when a predetermined card is selected and data is input, the same operation and effect as those of the first printer control device can be obtained. Then, from the selected card, information set in other cards can be known. As a result, the number of times of switching the cards displayed on the display screen can be extremely reduced, and the work effort of the operator can be reduced.

The printer control method according to the present invention is a printer control method for setting various information for printing in a predetermined printer and controlling the printer based on the set various information. A detailed setting mode for setting the various information based on input data from an input device such as a keyboard, and a simple setting mode for automatically setting at least a part of various information that can be set in the detailed setting mode. (B) displaying a selection screen prepared as an option on a monitor to enable selection of one mode; and (b) displaying the various information in a predetermined area on the selection screen. c) When the simple setting mode is selected in the step (a), at least one of information that can be automatically set in the simple setting mode is the same as the above. Extent that it comprises a step of prohibiting display of (b), the its gist.

According to the printer control method having this configuration,
As in the case of the first printer control device, since information that is not useful to the operator is not displayed on the screen, the workability of the operator when setting information can be improved.

A recording medium according to the present invention is a recording medium on which a computer program for setting various information for printing in a predetermined printer and controlling the printer based on the set various information is recorded. , (A)
A detailed setting mode for setting the various information based on input data from an input device such as a mouse and a keyboard, and a simple setting mode for automatically setting at least a part of various information that can be set in the detailed setting mode Displaying a selection screen prepared as an option on a monitor to enable selection of one mode; and (b) displaying the various information in a predetermined area on the selection screen.
(C) when the simple setting mode is selected in the step (a), at least one of the information that can be automatically set in the simple setting mode is used in the step (b).
And recording a computer program for causing a computer to execute the step of prohibiting display by the computer.

With the recording medium having the above-described configuration, the same operation and effect as those of the first printer control device and the first printer control method can be obtained.

[0018]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In order to further clarify the configuration and operation of the present invention described above, embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on examples. FIG. 1 is an external view of a computer system to which the first embodiment of the present invention is applied.
This computer system includes a computer 10, and a CRT display 12 and a printer 14 as peripheral devices. The computer 10 includes a computer main body 16, a keyboard 18, and a mouse 20. The computer body 16 includes a floppy disk 22
A floppy disk drive 24 for reading the contents of the data is mounted.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of hardware of the computer system. As shown in the figure, the computer main body 16 includes a ROM 31, a RAM 32, a display image memory 33, a mouse interface 34, a keyboard interface 35, which are mutually connected by a bus around a CPU 30 as a central processing unit.
An FDC 36, an HDC 37, a CRTC 38, a printer interface 39, and an I / O port 40 are provided.

The ROM 31 is a read-only memory for storing various built-in programs and the like. RAM
Reference numeral 32 denotes a readable / writable memory for storing various data and the like. The display image memory 33 is a memory for storing image data of an image to be displayed on the CRT display 12. The mouse interface 34 is an interface that controls exchange of data and the like with the mouse 20. The keyboard interface 35 is an interface that manages key input from the keyboard 18. The FDC 36 is a floppy disk controller that controls the floppy disk drive (FDD) 24. HDC37,
A hard disk controller that controls a hard disk drive (HDD) 41.

The CRTC 38 is a CRT controller for controlling the display of an image on the CRT display 12 based on the display image data stored in the display image memory 33. The printer interface 39 is a printer
An interface that controls the input and output of data to and from
The I / O port 40 has a serial output port, is connected to a modem 44, and is connected to a public telephone line 46 via the modem 44. The computer 10 is connected to an external network via a modem 44, and is connectable to a specific server 48.

In this computer system, the operating system is stored in the HDD 41,
When power is supplied to the computer main body 16 in accordance with the loader written in the boot block of D41, the RAM
It is loaded into 32 predetermined areas. The printer driver is stored in the floppy disk 22 in advance, and by starting a predetermined setup program,
It is installed in the computer main body 16 from the floppy disk drive 24. The installed printer driver is stored in the HDD 41, is incorporated in the operating system when the computer main unit 16 is powered on, and is loaded into a predetermined area of the RAM 32.

The software program of the printer driver is stored in the floppy disk 22 as described above.
It may be configured to be stored in another portable recording medium (portable recording medium) such as a ROM, a magneto-optical disk, and an IC card. In addition, the above-mentioned software program can be obtained by downloading program data provided via a network from a specific server 48 connected to an external network and transferring the program data to the RAM 32 or the HDD 41. .

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

In the example shown in FIG. 3, the printer driver 5
3, a rasterizer 54 that converts image information handled by the application program 51 into color information in dot units, and the printer 14 generates color in the image information (gradation data) converted into color information in dot units. A color correction module 55 for performing color correction in accordance with the characteristics of the above, a halftone that generates so-called halftone image information that expresses density in a certain area based on the presence or absence of ink in dot units from the image information after color correction A module 56 is provided. Further, an information setting module 57 for setting various information for printing by the printer 14 is provided inside the printer driver 53. Various types of information for printing include information relating to basic printing settings such as print quality, color correction, and halftone type, and information relating to paper settings such as paper size and printing direction.

The information on the color correction set by the information setting module 57 is sent to the color correction module 55, and the information on the type of halftone is sent to the halftone module 5
Sent to 6. The information setting module 57 displays an image indicating the contents of the setting on the CRT display 12 via the video driver 52. The operation of each module except the information setting module 57 is well-known, and therefore, description thereof is omitted in principle, and the information setting module 57 will be described below.

The printer driver 53 can variously control the printing by the printer 14 by changing the setting, but the operator needs to make such setting in advance. The information setting module 57 performs the operation of setting various kinds of information for printing. Here, this information setting module 5
First, what screen is displayed on the CRT display 12 by the operation 7 will be described. In this description, Windows 95 (a trademark of Microsoft Corporation) will be described as an example of an operating system on which the printer driver operates.

First, the operator operates the computer 10 as follows to display a dialog box for setting various information for printing on the CRT display 12. That is, [Start] → [Settings] → [Printer]
The "Printer" window is opened by performing the above operation. Then, double-click the icon of the desired printer on that window to open a window for that printer. After that, from the window, [Printer] → [Properties] is operated to display a property dialog box for setting various information about the printer.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the dialog box DB1 when opened. As shown
The dialog box DB1 includes five types of cards CD1, CD2, "basic setting", "paper setting", "layout", "utility", and "configuration".
CD3, CD4, and CD5 are prepared, and a card CD1 of "basic setting" is displayed on the front as a default. The "basic setting" card CD1 is for setting basic information related to print quality. The “paper setting” card CD2 is for setting various information about the paper. "Layout" card CD3
Is for setting various types of information on layouts for printing. The "utility" card CD4 is for setting other useful information. The "configuration" card CD5 is for setting information for changing the display mode of the "basic setting" card CD1.

Any one of the cards CD1 to CD5 is selected by operating the mouse 20 by the operator, and is displayed in the dialog box DB1.

The "basic setting" card CD1 has three data entry fields, "mode setting", "paper type", and "ink", for receiving data input from the operator.
Two data entry fields E1, E2, E3 are provided.
The card CD1 is provided with a data display field E4 for displaying some information of the contents of the current setting of the printer driver.

The "mode setting" data input field E1 is used to select a basic setting mode. A "recommended setting (simple setting)" mode for automatically performing a predetermined setting and a manual setting mode. A “detailed setting” mode for making detailed settings can be selected by buttons E11 and E12.

First, the operation when the button E12 is clicked and the "detailed setting" mode is selected will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, when the “detailed setting” mode is selected, the data input field E14 and the data input field E15 are activated. Thus, the type of the document data can be input from the data input field E14, and a dialog box for performing manual setting can be opened from the data input field E15. The data input field E14 is for setting the type of data to be printed, and has options such as a word processor, a graph, and a photograph. Further, when the "detailed setting" mode is selected, the contents of the data display column E4 are rewritten. The details of rewriting the contents of the data display column E4 will be described later.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram exemplifying a manual setting dialog box DB2 opened from the data input field E15. As shown, data input fields E21, E22, E23 for "print quality", "paper type", "ink", "halftone", "microweave", "bidirectional printing", "color adjustment", etc. , E24, E2
5, E26 and E27 are provided.

The "print quality" data input field E21 is for setting the printing resolution, and three types of "draft", "fine", and "super fine" are prepared as options. Here, “draft”, “fine”, and “superfine” are 360 × 360 (d
ot), 720 × 360 (dot), 720 × 720
(Dot) resolution.

The "paper type" data input field E22 is for setting the type of paper, and "plain paper", "special paper for super fine", and "special glossy paper" are prepared as options. The "ink" data input field E23 is for setting the type of ink used for the printer 14, and "color" and "black" are prepared as options. It should be noted that the same data input fields E2 and E3 as the "paper type" and "ink" data input fields E22 and E23 are provided on the "basic setting" card CD3. The priority is given, and the display of the data input field which has been input first is changed according to the data input later.

"Halftone" data input field E24
Sets the type of halftone, and "high-speed halftone" and "high-quality halftone" are prepared as options. The halftone type information is used in the halftone module 56 (FIG. 3).
The "microweave" data input field E25 is for turning on / off the function of the microweave. Here, the microweave is a function provided in the printer 14, and the printing quality can be improved by scanning one line with different heads and overprinting one dot. "Bidirectional printing" data entry field E
26 turns on / off the function of bidirectional printing. Here, the bidirectional printing is a function provided in the printer 14, and the printing speed can be increased by moving the different heads from the left and right directions.

The data input field E27 for "color adjustment"
It sets various information related to color correction. “Color correction by driver”, “video / digital TV camera mode”, and “ICM” are prepared as options, and the brightness, contrast, and saturation are further adjusted. Can be set.

Next, the data input field E1 of the "mode setting"
The operation when the button E11 is clicked and the "recommended setting" mode is selected will be described. FIG. 6 shows the “basic setting” after the “recommended setting” mode is selected.
FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a dialog box in which the card CD1 is opened. As shown in the figure, when the "recommended setting" mode is selected, the slide lever button E1 is pressed.
3 becomes active, which causes the printer 1
4 can be designated at what quality.

In detail, at both ends of the slide lever displayed as the button E13, the characters "beautiful" and "fast" are clearly indicated.
By dragging with 0, one of “clean” and “fast” can be selected. Note that the choices made by the button E13 are parameter values such as "clean" and "fast" as described above, which are used when "plain paper" is set in the "paper type" input field E2. Things. On the other hand, "paper type"
If another paper type is set in the input field E2, the user selects other plural parameter values, specifically, from among "better", "pretty", "standard", and "fast". Any two parameter values are displayed. Here, “fast” means that the printing speed is high, but the printing quality is slightly inferior. This “fast” is also a kind of parameter value that determines the degree of the printing quality.

The parameter values such as "cleaner", "cleaner", "standard", and "fast" determine the degree of print quality in a stepwise manner. When one parameter value is selected by the button E13, the computer 10 executes a process of automatically obtaining various types of quality information for determining the printing quality from the selected parameter value. Here, the various types of quality information correspond to the printing resolution, the type of halftone, and the functional classification of microweave. These various types of quality information are the same as those included in the information input from the manual setting dialog box DB2.

When the "recommended setting" mode is selected, the contents of the data display column E4 are rewritten. The details of rewriting the contents of the data display column E4 will be described later.

Next, the data display section E4 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 4, the data display column E4 contains information on “paper size”, “print direction”, “print quality”, “micro weave”, “bidirectional printing”, “color adjustment”, and “stamp mark”. Display areas E41 and E for displaying information
42, E43, E44, E45, E46 and E47. Regarding the contents of “paper size” and “print direction” displayed in the display areas E41 and E42, the details of the “paper setting” card CD4 will be described later.

The display areas E43, E44, E4
5, the contents of “print quality”, “micro weave”, “bidirectional printing”, and “color adjustment” displayed on E46 are data input and set using the aforementioned “manual setting” dialog box DB2. is there. Further, the display area E
The content of the “stamp mark” displayed at 47 is the data of the stamp mark name input and set using the “layout” card CD3. The "layout" card CD3 is not directly related to the content of the present invention, and therefore, the description is omitted.

As described above, in the data display column E4, seven characters from "paper size" to "stamp mark" are displayed.
The display areas E41 to E47 are displayed when the mode of “detailed setting” is selected as the mode setting. On the other hand, when the mode of "recommended setting" is selected as the mode setting, only three display areas E41 to E43 of "paper size", "print direction", and "print quality" are displayed. Micro-weave, bi-directional printing, color adjustment,
"Stamp mark" display areas E44 to E47
Is not displayed.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram exemplifying a dialog box DB1 in which the "paper setting" card CD2 is opened. As shown in FIG.
Includes "Paper Size", "Copies", "Print Direction",
Data entry field F for setting each "printable area"
1, F2, F3, and F4, and a display field F5 that shows a three-dimensional image of the printer 14 by a planar image are provided.

The "paper size" data input field F1 is for setting the paper size to be used together with the paper type.
For example, “A4 210 × 297 mm”, “A4 horizontal 2
10 × 297 mm ”,“ Western envelope 120 × 235 ”,
“Postcard 100 × 147 mm” and the like are prepared as options.

The "number of copies" data entry field F2 is for setting the number of copies to be printed. In addition to the number of copies, whether the printing order is to be printed in units of copies, whether forward or reverse, or not. You can also specify whether to print by clicking the check box.

The "print direction" data input field F3 indicates the direction of printing on paper, and includes "vertical" and "horizontal".
And can be selected. The "printable area" data input field F4 is for setting a printable area on the paper, and "normal" and "centering" can be selected.

The display field F5, as described above, shows a three-dimensional image of the printer 14 as a two-dimensional image, and is a two-dimensional image from which the state of printing by the printer 14 can be understood. Specifically, the plane image is such that the following contents can be understood. Paper type and size Paper loading direction Paper transport path during printing Printing direction on paper Printable area on paper

The above-mentioned plane image indicated by is changed each time the set contents of the data input fields F1 to F4 are changed. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the data input field F1 of “paper size” is “A4 210 × 297 m”.
m ”, the plane image in the display field F5 is
The paper is set in a size corresponding to A4 in the printer in the vertical direction. The “paper transport path during printing” is indicated by an arrow, the “printing direction on the paper” is indicated by the direction of the letter “A”, and the “printable area” is indicated by a broken line position drawn on the paper portion. I have.

The data on "paper size" input in the data input field F1 and the data on "print direction" input in the data input field F3 are opened on the card "CD1" of the above "basic setting". Is displayed in the display areas E41 and E42 of the data display section E4.

The screen display on the CRT display 12 is performed by the information setting module 5 of the printer driver 53.
7 is performed by the CPU 30 processing the processing routine. Next, a processing routine of the information setting module 57 will be described.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a processing routine of the information setting module 57. As described above, this processing routine starts the printer driver by performing the operation of [Printer] → [Properties].
It is repeatedly executed every predetermined time. As shown, C
When the processing is started, the PU 30 first sets five types of card CDs of “basic setting”, “paper setting”, “layout”, “utility”, and “configuration”.
It is determined whether or not there is a command to change the active card in 1 to CD5 (step S2).
00). Here, the active card refers to a card which is in a data input state and is displayed on the CRT display 12. The command to change the card is a command generated by an operation of clicking the index of the card using the mouse 20.

If it is determined in step S200 that there is no command to change the active card,
The process is once ended by exiting to "Return". On the other hand, if it is determined in step S200 that there is a command to change the card in the active state, then the changed card is referred to as “basic setting”, “paper setting”, “layout”, “layout”, It is determined which of the five types of cards CD1 to CD5 of “utility” and “configuration” corresponds (step S210). Subsequently, a processing routine of a mode corresponding to the corresponding card, that is, a processing routine of a basic setting mode, a paper setting mode, a layout mode, a utility mode or a configuration mode is executed (steps S220 to S260). Thereafter, the process exits to "return" and ends the process.

Next, the processing routine of the basic setting mode executed in step S220 will be described. FIG.
9 is a flowchart illustrating a processing routine in a basic setting mode. As shown, when the processing is started, the CPU 30 executes a card display processing routine for displaying image data indicating the card CD1 of “basic setting” on the CRT display 12 (step S300). Thereafter, various data are input in response to an operation of inputting data using the keyboard 18 and the mouse 20 by the operator who has viewed the display screen of the CRT display 12 (step S40).
0). The input various data is stored in a predetermined position on the RAM 32 (step S500).

For example, in step S300, the image data of the card "CD1" of "basic setting" exemplified in FIG.
It is displayed on the T display 12. The operator has the C
Looking at the image data displayed on the RT display 12,
For example, “photograph”, which is one of the options, is selected from the data input field E14.
U30 performs a process of importing the data "photograph". In step S500, the data is stored in the RAM 32.
It is stored in a predetermined position of the line.

When the data storage operation is completed in this way, the process waits for the operator to click "OK" on the display screen of FIG. 4 and exits to "RETURN" to terminate the processing.

Next, the processing routine of the card display executed in step S300 will be described in detail. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a processing routine of the card display. As shown, the CPU 30 determines in step S300
First, the base image data BD serving as the base of the card "CD1" of the "basic setting" is read from the HDD 41 (step S310).
D is transferred to a predetermined work area in the RAM 32 (step S320). Here, the base image data DT is
This represents an image obtained by removing a portion determined by the input data from the image of the card CD1 shown in FIG. 4, and this image is as shown in FIG. That is, as shown in FIG. 11, the buttons E11 and E1 of the input field E1 of "mode setting"
2, E13, etc., input fields E2 of "paper type", "ink"
The image data of the image in which the button in the input column E3, the data display column E4, and the like are blank are transferred to the display image memory 33 as the display image data. The image data in the work area thus obtained is hereinafter referred to as display image data.

Returning to FIG. 10, subsequently, the CPU 30
Various data d1 to dn concerning “basic setting” input from card “CD1” of “basic setting” until the previous processing.
(Where n is an arbitrary positive number) is read from the RAM 32 (step S330), and the various data d1 to dn are
A process of writing in a predetermined area of the display image data stored in the work area is performed (step S330). As a result, the display image data stored in the work area is as shown in FIG.
In the above, the button E in the input field E1 of the "mode setting"
11, E12, E13, "paper type" input field E2,
Buttons E31 and E32 in the “ink” input field E3 show images in which characters or pictures based on various data d1 to dn are drawn.

Display areas E43 and E4 indicating information on "print quality", "microweave", "bidirectional printing", and "color adjustment" in the data display column E4.
4, E45 and E46 also have various data d1 to dn.
Indicates an image in which characters based on are drawn. This is because the display area E can be obtained from the “manual setting” dialog box DB2 opened from the “basic setting” card CD.
Since the data related to 43 to E46 is input as any of the various data d1 to dn, the display areas E43 to E46 can be filled from these data.

Next, the CPU 30 selects, from the latest data of the other cards stored in the RAM 32, the data da and “print size” and “print direction” of the card CD 2 of “paper setting”. db,
A process of reading data “dc” of “stamp mark name” for the card CD3 of “layout” is performed (step S350). Thereafter, the CPU 30 performs a process of writing these data da, db, dc into a predetermined area of the display image data stored in the work area (step S).
360). As a result, in FIG. 11, the display image data stored in the work area includes display areas E41, E42, and E42 indicating information on “paper size”, “print direction”, and “stamp mark” in the data display column E4. E47
9 shows an image in which characters or patterns based on the data da, db, and dc are drawn. As a result of these,
The latest data is displayed in all display areas E41 to E47 in the data display column E4.

After that, the CPU 30 determines whether or not the mode determination bit included in the various data d1 to dn relating to the “basic setting” has a value of 1 (step S370). The mode determination bit is for determining the latest mode setting input from the data input field E1 of “mode setting”. When the latest mode setting is the “recommended setting” mode, the value 1 is set to the mode. Setting is "Detailed setting"
In this mode, the value 2 is stored.
If it is determined in step S370 that the mode determination bit is value 1, that is, the mode is the "recommended setting" mode, the display areas E43 and E4 of the display image data in the work area are set.
A process for correcting portions corresponding to 4, E45, and E46 to spaces is performed (step S380). Here, the display areas E43, E44, E45, and E46 are parts indicating information on “microweave”, “bidirectional printing”, “color adjustment”, and “stamp mark”.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S370 that the mode determination bit is not the value 1, that is, it is determined that the mode is the "detailed setting" mode, the processing in step S380 is skipped. Thereafter, CPU 30 performs a process of displaying the display image data on CRT display 12 (step S3).
90). As a result, when the mode setting is the "detailed setting" mode, all the display areas E41 to E47 in the data display column E4 are displayed. On the other hand, when the mode setting is the "recommended setting" mode, the data display column E4 is displayed. E
4, only three display areas E41 to E43 of "paper size", "print direction", and "print quality" are displayed. Thereafter, the process exits to "return" and ends this process once.

Next, the data input processing routine executed in step S400 will be described in detail. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a data input processing routine. As shown, the CPU 30 determines in step S400
When the process proceeds to step S410, first, a process of capturing various data input by an operator's operation (operation of a mouse, a keyboard, or the like) in accordance with the card CD1 of "basic setting" is performed (step S410).

Thereafter, the CPU 30 proceeds to step S410
The data fetched by the buttons E11 and E for mode switching
A special process SS is executed when 12 indicates that the button has been clicked. In the special process SS, first, it is determined whether or not the button E11 for switching to the “recommended setting” mode has been clicked from the data captured in step S410 (step S420). Here, when it is determined that the button E11 has been clicked, a process of correcting a portion corresponding to the display areas E44 to E47 of the display image data in the work area into a space is performed as in step S380 (step S430). In this case, it is assumed that the value of the data before being corrected to the space is temporarily stored in the work area. As a result, when the mode setting is switched to the "recommended setting" mode,
The data display field E4 includes four fields of “microweave”, “bidirectional printing”, “color adjustment”, and “stamp mark”.
One of the display areas E43 to E46 is switched off.

On the other hand, at the step S420, the button E11
If it is determined that has not been clicked, it is then determined whether or not the button E12 for switching to the “detailed setting” mode has been clicked from the data captured in step S410 (step S440). Here, the button E1
If it is determined that the button 2 has been clicked, a state is made in which a portion corresponding to the display areas E44 to E47 of the display image data in the work area is utilized. Specifically, if the portion corresponding to the display areas E44 to E47 has already been corrected to a space in step S430 described above, the data that has once been on standby is pulled out to the work area and the display area E4 is displayed.
Return to the portion corresponding to 4-E47. If the space has not been corrected in step S430, the display areas E44 to E44 of the display image data are displayed.
The portion corresponding to 47 is left as it is. As a result, when the mode setting is switched to the “detailed setting” mode, the display is switched to a state where all the display areas E41 to E47 in the data display column E4 are displayed.

After execution of step S430, step S45
0, or if a negative determination is made in step S440, the CPU 30 advances the process to step S460.
A process of displaying the display image data on the CRT display 12 is performed (step S460). Thereafter, this process is temporarily terminated.

In the computer system of the first embodiment described in detail above, a "recommended setting" mode in which predetermined settings are automatically performed and a "detailed setting" mode in which settings are manually finely set Can be selected by buttons E11 and E12 provided in the data input field E1 of the "mode setting". Further, the contents of various set information are provided on the same screen as the buttons E11 and E12. The data can be displayed in the data display column E4. When the "recommended setting" mode is selected, display of some information that can be automatically set in the "recommended setting" mode in the data display column E4 is prohibited.

Therefore, in this computer system, the operator does not receive information that is not useful to him from the screen. Therefore, the workability of the operator when setting various information can be improved. In particular, for entry-users and other persons with little computer knowledge, it was only confusing that information that they could not understand was displayed indiscriminately, but this computer system did not have such a thing and it was considered to be excellent in workability. Become.

In this computer system,
When data is input by selecting the card CD1 in the "basic setting", other card information such as the card CD2 in the "paper setting" and the card CD3 in the "layout" can be known without opening these cards. Can be. As a result, the number of times of card switching can be extremely reduced, and the workability for switching the display screen can be improved.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment, the display area of the data display column E4 is configured to be changed in accordance with the switching between the “recommended setting” mode and the “detailed setting” mode. In the second embodiment, the "recommended setting"
In addition to switching between the mode of "
The display area of the data display field E4 is configured to be changed according to the type of print data input to the data input field E14. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a data input column E14 in a state where a menu column is opened in a pull-down format.
In the data entry field E14 provided on the card CD1 of the "basic setting", a menu field E14m is displayed in a pull-down format as shown in the figure, and "Auto Photo Fine!
2, "high definition", "photo", ..., "ICM", etc. are prepared as options.

In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13, "Auto Photo Fine!"
When "2" is designated, as shown in FIG. 14, the display of the display area E46 of "color adjustment" in the data display column E4 is prohibited. This is because when the setting of the data entry field E14 is set to "Auto Photo Fine! 2", the same "Auto Photo Fine! 2" is displayed in the display area E46 of "Color Adjustment". This is because they do not. Similarly, when "ICM" is designated in the data entry field E14, the "color adjustment" display area E4 is also displayed.
6 may be prohibited.

FIG. 15 shows a processing routine executed by the CPU 30 to change the data display field. This processing routine is actually included in a part of a card display processing routine and a data input processing routine. FIG.
As shown in (3), when the process is started, the CPU 30 first determines whether or not the setting of the data input field E14 is "Auto Photo Fine! 2" (step S500), and determines whether or not the setting is "ICM". Determine (Step S51)
0). If an affirmative determination is made in either step S500 or step S510, the process proceeds to step S520, where the display area E46 of the display image data in the work area is displayed.
Is performed to correct the portion corresponding to the space to a space. Thereafter, the process proceeds to “return”. On the other hand, step S
If a negative determination is made in any of 500 and S510, the process of step S520 is skipped, and the process proceeds to “return”.

According to the second embodiment configured as described above, it is possible to prevent information that is not useful depending on the type of data to be printed by the printer from being displayed on the screen. As a result, since only necessary information can be displayed on the screen, the workability of the operator when setting various information can be further improved.

The above embodiment is applied to a computer system in which the printer 14 is directly connected to the local computer 10 by a cable. Alternatively, a plurality of printers connected to a server on the LAN may be connected. The present invention may be applied to a computer system shared by computers. Alternatively, the printer connected to the server connected to the Internet may be applied to a computer system controlled by a computer via the Internet.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and may be carried out in various modes without departing from the gist of the present invention. Of course you can.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view of a computer system to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of hardware of a computer system.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a state of processing from image information handled by a computer main body 16 to printing.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a dialog box DB1 in which a “basic setting” card CD1 is opened.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a dialog box DB2 in which a “manual setting” card is opened.

FIG. 6 shows a dialog box D in which a “basic setting” card CD1 is opened after a “recommended setting” mode is selected.
It is explanatory drawing which illustrates B1.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a dialog box DB1 in which a “paper setting” card CD2 is opened.

FIG. 8 is an information setting module 5 executed by the CPU 30.
7 is a flowchart illustrating a processing routine of No. 7;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a processing routine in a basic setting mode executed by a CPU 30;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a card display processing routine executed by a CPU 30;

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an image represented by base image data DT.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a data input processing routine executed by a CPU 30;

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a data input column E14 in a state where a menu column is opened in a pull-down format.

FIG. 14 shows a “basic setting” card C when “Auto Photo Fine! 2” is designated from the data entry field E14.
It is explanatory drawing which illustrates dialog box DB1 in which D1 was opened.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a processing routine executed by CPU 30 to change a data display field.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Computer 12 ... CRT display 14 ... Printer 16 ... Computer body 18 ... Keyboard 20 ... Mouse 22 ... Floppy disk drive 24 ... Floppy disk drive 30 ... CPU 31 ... ROM 32 ... RAM 33 ... Display image memory 34 ... Mouse interface 35 ... Keyboard Interface 36 FDC 37 HDC 38 CRTC 39 Printer interface 40 I / O port 41 HDD 44 Modem 46 Public telephone line 48 Server 51 Application program 52 Video driver 53 Printer driver 54 Rasterizer 55 ... Color correction module 56 ... Halftone module 57 ... Information setting module

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A printer control device for setting various information for printing in a predetermined printer and controlling the printer based on the set various information, comprising an input device such as a mouse or a keyboard. A selection screen prepared as options, a detailed setting mode for setting the various information based on data, and a simple setting mode for automatically setting at least a part of various information that can be set in the detailed setting mode. Mode selection means for displaying on a monitor to enable selection of one mode; display control means for displaying the various information in a predetermined area on the selection screen; and the simple setting mode in the mode selection means. Is selected, at least one of the information that can be automatically set in the simple setting mode is displayed by the display control means. A printer control device comprising a display prohibition control unit for prohibiting the display. 2. The printer control device according to claim 1, wherein a data input box for inputting a type of data to be printed by the printer is provided in a predetermined area on the selection screen. A printer control device that changes information that is prohibited from being displayed by means according to the type of the input data. 3. A printer control device for setting various information for printing in a predetermined printer, and controlling the printer based on the set various information. Card image selecting means for preparing image data of an individual setting card for each set, and selecting image data of one setting card from the image data of the plurality of setting cards; Display control means for displaying the image data of the setting card selected in the monitor on the monitor, at least one of the information set in other setting cards other than the setting card selected by the card image selecting means Information display adding means for displaying information in a predetermined area of the setting card displayed by the display control means, further comprising an input device such as a mouse and a keyboard. A selection in which a detailed setting mode for setting the various information based on the input data and a simple setting mode for automatically setting at least a part of various information that can be set in the detailed setting mode are provided as options. Mode display means for displaying a display field in a predetermined area of the setting card displayed by the display control means to enable selection of one mode; and selecting the simple setting mode by the mode selection means. And a display prohibition control unit that prohibits at least one of the information that can be automatically set in the simple setting mode from being displayed by the information display adding unit. 4. A printer control method for setting various information for printing in a predetermined printer and controlling the printer based on the set various information, wherein:
A detailed setting mode for setting the various information based on input data from an input device such as a mouse and a keyboard, and a simple setting mode for automatically setting at least a part of various information that can be set in the detailed setting mode Displaying a selection screen prepared as an option on a monitor to enable selection of one mode; and (b) displaying the various information in a predetermined area on the selection screen.
(C) when the simple setting mode is selected in the step (a), at least one of the information that can be automatically set in the simple setting mode is used in the step (b).
Prohibiting display by the printer control method. 5. A recording medium which sets various information for printing in a predetermined printer and records a computer program for controlling the printer based on the set various information, wherein (a) a mouse A detailed setting mode for setting the various information based on input data from an input device such as a keyboard, and a simple setting mode for automatically setting at least a part of various information that can be set in the detailed setting mode. (B) displaying a selection screen prepared as an option on a monitor to enable selection of one mode; and (b) displaying the various information in a predetermined area on the selection screen. c) When the simple setting mode is selected in the step (a), at least one of information that can be automatically set in the simple setting mode is the same as the above. A recording medium recording a computer program for causing a computer to execute the step of prohibiting display in the step (b).