Abstract: Print requests issued by an interpretation section 13 are stored in an execution or wait queue of a storage section 21 by way of a print request receiving section 22. The print requests stored in the execution queue are input to an engine control section 15. When a report of completion of printing is issued by the engine control section 15, the print requests for which printing has been performed are deleted from the execution queue. In a case where collation printing is specified for the print requests, the print requests for which printing has been performed are transferred from the execution queue to the collation queue and stored therein. Every time one copy of the print job is completed, the print requests stored in the collation queue are again transferred to the execution queue. Collation printing can-be embodied by transfer of the print requests between the execution queue and the collation queue.

Abstract: Provided is a network device for generating print data in accordance with the information resources received from outside, and sending the print data to a printer, which can easily install or update a color conversion table or a printer driver, etc. necessary for generating the print data.

Abstract: Network-incompatible low-function printers 3A, 3B, . . . incapable of interpreting a high-function language are connected to a high-function printer 2 which can connect to a network 4 and which can interpret a high-function language such as PostScript, in such a way as to be positioned in a downstream location relative to the printer 2, thereby constituting one printer group. The high-function printer 2 examines the performance attributes of the downstream low-function printers 3A 3B, . . . and stores the thus-examined performance. The printer 2 notifies the performance attributes of the overall printer group to a host provided on the network 4. On the basis of the thus-notified performance, a printer drive provided in the host prepares and displays a user interface screen. Upon receipt of print job data from the host, the high-function printer 2 selects a printer suitable for processing the job from the printer group and transfers the job data to the thus-selected printer.

Abstract: A process for directly accessing a network and receiving and printing only required information of information resources. When information resources (a Web page) specified by a host computer are accessed, the configuration is analyzed based upon an HTML source code and the format of information constituting the Web page is checked. If the format is a format in which receiving is allowed, the information is received and added to the layout of printing. The information is checked for any information constituting the information resources indicating whether receiving is allowed or not. Hereby, required information can be individually received from the information resources, useless data can be prevented from being transferred and the required information can be promptly printed.

Abstract: In n page unit printing, a completion time of print preparation for page m+1 is estimated from the time spent for print preparation for pages up to page m among n pages. If the estimated time can make m+1 unit printing effective, print preparation for page m+1 is waited for. If the estimated time can not make m+1 unit printing effective, m page unit printing is immediately performed up to page m, without waiting for the completion of print preparation of page m+1.

Abstract: A web browser section provided in a scanner comprises a management table for relating URLs and setup values to each other and managing them and a URL interpretation section. A URL entered from a web browser installed in an information terminal is converted into a setup value by the URL interpretation section. The setup value is set in a drive control section through a setting section, whereby an image is read under a desired read condition.

Abstract: The respective ones of a plurality of print job data (jobs) thrown in the printer are independently managed according to job identifying information. The job management signifies, for example, to grasp the progressive states of the jobs and present them to a user or give a predetermined command (cancel command, etc) to a particular job. In the printer connected to an exclusive interface, such as a serial interface, a parallel interface or a USB interface, print job data is extracted, on a job-unit basis, from among a series of reception data received from the host machine. Job identifying information is assigned to the extracted print job data. Also, in the printer connected to a network, job identifying information is assigned to the reception data received from the host machine and logically distinguished as print job data.

Abstract: To process a plurality of types of information having different priority according to the priority, multiple logical channels are generated by combining a protocol in a transport layer of a network and a print queue in an application layer and priority is allocated to each logical channel. A host computer sends generated information to a predetermined logical channel by referring to a priority table. A printer discriminates the priority of received information by referring to a priority table and executes the processing of the information according to the priority. As a result, interrupt print data can be processed prior to normal print data or a control command can be processed prior to than print data.

Abstract: A printer includes a print data reception section for receiving print data corresponding to a plurality of print jobs, an intermediate data generation section for generating intermediate code from the received print data, a print request preparation section for issuing a print request for generated intermediate code, and a print mechanism for printing based on the corresponding intermediate code in the acceptance order of the print requests. The printer is provided with a priority determination section for determining priorities for issuing the print requests so that print requests are issued in the print data transfer termination order.

Abstract: When a printer driver is activated, a display controller displays, on a display device, default major categories for a variety of print processing functions that are linked to other, related major categories (functions). When a desired major category, such as “host interface”, is selected, the display controller enlarges a display area, for “host interface”, and displays, in the enlarged display area, mid-level elements located immediately below “host interface”. When a desired mid-level element, such as “network” is selected, the display controller enlarges a display area for “network”, displays in the enlarged display area all the low-level elements located immediately under “network”, and also enlarges the display area for “host interface”, which includes the enlarged display area.

Abstract: In the present invention, by embedding job administration information into print job data when a printer driver produces print job data, a printer which receives the print job data extracts the job administration information from the print job data at the stage that the printer spools the print job data to a hard disc or the like and the administration of the print job data is executed based on the job administration information. Accordingly, even before the print job data is interpreted for printing processing, a host apparatus which has obtained the job administration information can individually administrate the print job data supplied to the printer based on the print job data.

Abstract: A print system is disclosed which comprises a printer; a setting device for receiving a setting value specifying a print mode which is entered by a user; a storage device for storing the setting value determined by the setting device; a selector for selecting the setting value selected by the user from the existing setting values stored in the storage device; and a printer controller which processes a document through use of the setting value selected or newly entered by the user to thereby produce print data and which supplies the produced print data to the printer.

Abstract: Print requests in page units are prepared from print job data received from a host and the print request order is managed in a request order queue. Whenever an attempt is made to start the next page print, a print page determination section counts the number of print requests n listed so far in the queue and print ordinal number m indicating the print order of the next page print, counted from the first page print and uses one predetermined function f (m, n) to determine the next page to be printed.

Abstract: An image information print system has a reception task for receiving data containing print information input from a host computer, a job language interpretation task for interpreting the data, a print data analysis task for converting the format of the print information to prepare intermediate print information, memory means for storing the data and the intermediate print information, and a print management task for issuing a print execution instruction based on print specifications of print information contained in the data according to interpretation of the job language interpretation task and converting the intermediate print information into bit image data and executing print based on the print execution instruction.

Abstract: A miniaturized operating panel for a computer printer is provided which is simplified and miniaturized. The operating panel has a single operating button (2), a yellow display lamp (4), and a red display lamp (6). When the printer's power switch is turned on while the button (2) is kept depressed, the printer enters a function setting mode. In the function setting mode, first the yellow display lamp (4) flickers. When, during the flickering of the lamp (4), the user depresses the button (2) at least once, the first digit of a desired number is inputted in correspondence to the number of times of depression of the button. Subsequently, the red lamp (6) flickers. Similarly, the user depresses the button while the lamp (6) flickers, to input the second digit. After the second digit has been entered, both lamps (4, 6) flicker, and similarly the third digit is inputted. In this way, a three-digit setting code is inputted, so that a function item is set in the printer in correspondence to the setting code.