Abstract: If a presentation mode to print a presentation material and a distribution material is selected and the number of copies of printing of the distribution material is set, a printing job is issued from a computer to a printer in accordance with the setting. Thus, on the basis of printing data included in the issued printing job, the printer prints the data of each of plural pages on a one transparent recording sheet in color as the presentation material, and further prints the data of predetermined number of pages in monochrome for the number of copies of printing set so that the data of the predetermined number of pages are put on a one plane paper as the distribution material.

Abstract: According to the present invention, an information processing apparatus communicable with a peripheral device and a terminal, comprises a saving unit which receives information about the peripheral device from the peripheral device and saves the information; a count unit which counts the sharing rate of each peripheral device by counting, for each peripheral device, message information transmitted/received between the terminal and the peripheral device; a reception unit which receives, from the terminal, a request message to request the information about the peripheral device, which is held by the saving unit; and a response unit which transmits, to the terminal, information about a peripheral device selected in accordance with a sharing rate of each peripheral device obtained by the count unit when the reception unit receives the request message.

Abstract: A content of a copy-forgery-inhibited pattern is set properly each time printing is performed without being influenced by an arbitrary decision by a user. A confidentiality level defined for a document of an image to be printed is acquired. Subsequently, style information indicating a property of the copy-forgery-inhibited pattern assigned to the confidentiality level is acquired. If a property of the copy-forgery-inhibited pattern assigned to the confidentiality level is found, information indicating the found property of the copy-forgery-inhibited patterns is stored as copy-forgery-inhibited pattern property information, and printing is performed in accordance with the assigned property of the copy-forgery-inhibited pattern. On the other hand, if no property of the copy-forgery-inhibited pattern is defined for the document, printing is performed in accordance with a current property of the copy-forgery-inhibited pattern.

Abstract: The user describes in advance conflict process rules, which indicate descriptions for avoiding conflicts that occur between setup data, in a conflict process rule description file (301). An inference engine (302) refers to this conflict process rule description file (301) and generates complementary rules indicating complementary conflict avoidance descriptions. The complementary rules are implemented by generating inverse logic rules of given descriptions for a function, which are described to allow inference by analogy.

Abstract: In an information processing apparatus, a first display screen is displayed to allow for specifying whether to form a copy-forgery-inhibited unit pattern or an array of copy-forgery-inhibited unit patterns, and a second display screen is displayed to allow for specifying a position at which to form the copy-forgery-inhibited unit pattern by selecting the position from a plurality of candidates.

Abstract: A method of controlling an apparatus which is capable of determining a dot disposition of a copy-forgery-inhibited pattern image is disclosed. The copy-forgery-inhibited pattern image has a latent image area in which a number of first dots and a number of second dots smaller than the first dots are disposed and a background area in which a number of the second dots are disposed. The first dots can be reproduced when copied. The method includes displaying information related to a disposition of the first dots and the second dots in the latent image area, setting a rate of the first dots that are disposed in the latent image area, or a rate of the second dots that are disposed in the latent image area, in accordance with a designation performed by a user, and determining the dot disposition in the latent image area in accordance with the setting of the rate.

Abstract: Viewability is improved creating more reliable visual recognition of an image including a copy-forgery-inhibited pattern image to clearly distinguish a copy and an original being displayed for preview. An image processing apparatus produces data of a copy-forgery-inhibited pattern image that is added to an image to be output for printing and comprises a latent image and a background image. The apparatus includes: a display unit for displaying an image; and a display control unit for distinctively displaying images, on the display unit, in a first display state displaying the copy-forgery-inhibited pattern image and in a second display state in which a display mode of at least one of the latent image and the background image of the copy-forgery-inhibited pattern image differs from a display mode of the image displayed in the first display state.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a decision unit configured to determine whether or not print image data includes copy-forgery-inhibited-pattern image data. Based on a decision result of the decision unit regarding whether or not the print image data includes the copy-forgery-inhibited-pattern image data, a processing unit of the image processing apparatus is configured to determine whether first compression processing is to be performed or second compression processing is to be performed and apply the decided compression processing to the print image data.

Abstract: A printing control apparatus is provided which can produce an appropriate copy-forgery-inhibited pattern image by adding a monochrome copy-forgery-inhibited pattern even if monochrome mode printing is performed in the condition in which a color copy-forgery-inhibited pattern is set. When the monochrome mode printing is performed in the condition in which the color copy-forgery-inhibited pattern is set, and if the copy-forgery-inhibited pattern color is output with its color unchanged, the color is not converted into 100% black. Considering this, when a forced monochrome mode is selected and a user's setting for the copy-forgery-inhibited pattern is color, the user is notified to change a printing mode. Otherwise, the user is notified that the setting of the printing mode and the setting of the copy-forgery-inhibited pattern are conflicting.

Abstract: Viewability is improved creating more reliable visual recognition of an image including a copy-forgery-inhibited pattern image to clearly distinguish a copy and an original being displayed for preview. An image processing apparatus produces data of a copy-forgery-inhibited pattern image that is added to an image to be output for printing and comprises a latent image and a background image. The apparatus includes: a display unit for displaying an image; and a display control unit for distinctively displaying images, on the display unit, in a first display state displaying the copy-forgery-inhibited pattern image and in a second display state in which a display mode of at least one of the latent image and the background image of the copy-forgery-inhibited pattern image differs from a display mode of the image displayed in the first display state.

Abstract: A printing control apparatus is provided which can produce an appropriate copy-forgery-inhibited pattern image by adding a monochrome copy-forgery-inhibited pattern even if monochrome mode printing is performed in the condition in which a color copy-forgery-inhibited pattern is set. When the monochrome mode printing is performed in the condition in which the color copy-forgery-inhibited pattern is set, and if the copy-forgery-inhibited pattern color is output with its color unchanged, the color is not converted into 100% black. Considering this, when a forced monochrome mode is selected, even if the user's setting for the copy-forgery-inhibited pattern is color, the color is changed to monochrome (black) before output.

Abstract: To generate print jobs to be executed by a printing device, an image processing apparatus edits drawing commands output by applications and stored in storage means, in accordance with editing instructions input through input means, executes a process of generating chasing data using the drawing commands, the process including the edition, and then executes a process of generating print data, the process including the edition. The editing instructions for the drawing commands include an instruction to combine a plurality of drawing commands, an instruction to separate a drawing command into a plurality of subcommands, and an instruction to delete a drawing command. The chasing data is generated so as to have a layered data structure indicating the combinative relationship among the plurality of drawing commands if the editing instruction instructs a plurality of drawing commands to be combined together.

Abstract: The user describes in advance conflict process rules, which indicate descriptions for avoiding conflicts that occur between setup data, in a conflict process rule description file (301). An inference engine (302) refers to this conflict process rule description file (301) and generates complementary rules indicating complementary conflict avoidance descriptions. The complementary rules are implemented by generating inverse logic rules of given descriptions for a function, which are described to allow inference by analogy.

Abstract: A printing control apparatus is provided which can produce an appropriate copy-forgery-inhibited pattern image by adding a monochrome copy-forgery-inhibited pattern even if monochrome mode printing is performed in the condition in which a color copy-forgery-inhibited pattern is set. When the monochrome mode printing is performed in the condition in which the color copy-forgery-inhibited pattern is set, and if the copy-forgery-inhibited pattern color is output with its color unchanged, the color is not converted into 100% black. Considering this, when a forced monochrome mode is selected, even if the user's setting for the copy-forgery-inhibited pattern is color, the color is changed to monochrome (black) before output.

Abstract: A printing control apparatus is provided which can produce an appropriate copy-forgery-inhibited pattern image by adding a monochrome copy-forgery-inhibited pattern even if monochrome mode printing is performed in the condition in which a color copy-forgery-inhibited pattern is set. When the monochrome mode printing is performed in the condition in which the color copy-forgery-inhibited pattern is set, and if the copy-forgery-inhibited pattern color is output with its color unchanged, the color is not converted into 100% black. Considering this, when a forced monochrome mode is selected and a user's setting for the copy-forgery-inhibited pattern is color, the user is notified to change a printing mode. Otherwise, the user is notified that the setting of the printing mode and the setting of the copy-forgery-inhibited pattern are conflicting.

Abstract: Generation/non-generation of print data for a printer driver is controlled in correspondence with an external print policy for a document to be printed. The print policy includes a print policy file, and defines print-inhibited items in a predetermined description. The predetermined description includes a description directly stored in the print policy file, and a description that requires an external reference.

Abstract: The present invention realizes a network printing system capable of accumulating and chasing printed data. Further, by providing a job chasing function on the printer driver side, detailed setting can be done to extract history information of the job chasing function. The detailed setting to extract history information to chase a job can be done only by a specific administrator or user so that the job can be reliably chased, whereas the administrator or user can obtain desired history information. Accordingly, a precise jog chasing system can be established.

Abstract: A host computer which generates a print job subjected to printing by a printer stores a drawing command output from an application in a spool file via a graphic engine. A spool system, the graphic engine, and a job chasing function processing unit execute a chasing data generation process by using the drawing command. The spool system, the graphic engine, and a graphics control unit execute a print data generation process by using the same drawing command. At this time, the drawing command is read out and output so as to successively execute the chasing data generation process and print data generation process. With this configuration, there are provided a method of protecting leakage of information by which the contents of information can be reliably chased without requiring either a special application or a device having a special function and posing any restriction on the read or output path, and an information processing apparatus and driver program which implement the method.

Abstract: When the trial period for the printer driver of the trial version has elapsed while the license for the printer driver has not been purchased, the normal printing process continues to be enabled, and the density for tint block printing is set to a density at which a latent-image portion appears. Thus, based on the printing results obtained by a printer, the user can observe the same image as the image on which a tint block image is actually printed. As a result, the user understands that unrelated characters “COPY” are superimposed on the original image, and further experiences the effects of the tint block printing function. Further, the user is encouraged to purchase a license for another software product having a tint block printing function.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus for transmitting an installation set of a printer driver to another information processing apparatus, comprises decision unit adapted to decide whether an installation set that activates a function expansion module is to be transmitted to the other information processing apparatus; and transmitting unit adapted to transmit an installation set in which the function expansion module is activated to the other information processing apparatus if the decision unit has decided that the installation set that activates the function expansion module is to be transmitted, and transmits an installation set in which the function expansion module is not activated to the other information processing apparatus if the decision unit has decided that the installation set that activates the function expansion module is not to be transmitted to the other information processing apparatus.