1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a print control apparatus which performs print output to a tab paper on the basis of print data transmitted from an information processing apparatus, the information processing apparatus, a print control method, a control method of the information processing apparatus, and programs.
2. Related Background Art
In recent years, a system which is constructed by a host computer and a printer connected through an interface (e.g., Centronics interface or the like) is known as a data processing system. In this system, output information input from the host computer is analyzed on the printer side, the analyzed data is expanded into bit map data as the output data to a printer engine such as a laser beam printer, and a laser beam modulated based on the expanded data is scanning-exposed to a photosensitive drum, whereby image recording is performed.
In a case where the printer side has an emulation function, this system is structured to be able to process plural printer control language systems, and perform a print process as switching an emulation mode and a native mode according to an application to be executed by a user. Therefore, a switch for switching or changing the printer control language and a card slot for instructing the switching and the like have been previously provided on the printer.
Conventionally, a processing method in case of performing tab printing by the printer of such a system is executed as follows:                the tab printing is set from an UI (user interface) or a panel of the printer driver;        a tab width (position) is determined by the printer; and        a page to be printed is shifted in its width direction by the tab width, and then the printing is instructed.        
Thus, the user has to create document data as being conscious of the tab width and the paper feed direction. However, since the number of tabs, the tab position, the height of the tab width, and the like are respectively various according to a kind of tab paper, it is difficult for the user to imagine actual printed results. Therefore, it is necessary to perform (test) printing to the tab paper and then process the document data according to the result of the test printing.
Therefore, in such a conventional example, there are following problems.    (1) The user has to be conscious of the tab width and the paper feed direction.    (2) It is necessary to recognize a correspondence between the data to be created and the physical areas such as the number of tabs, the tab position, the height of the tab width, and the like being respectively various according to the kind of tab paper.    (3) The (test) printing to the tab paper and corrections of documents are repeated.    (4) The tab paper is wasted for the test printing.
Further, in a case where the user creates the document for the tab paper by using the application on the host computer and then causes the printer to print the created document as a test, it is conceivable that the user does not designate a media type as the tab paper but designates it as a plain paper on the UI of the printer driver, and then causes the printer to perform the print process. However, with respect to the print data which is generated by the printer driver under such designation, the media type has been designated as the plain paper. Therefore, in a case where the print data is stored beforehand in a memory box such as a hard disk or the like of the printer and then it is instructed from an operation panel of the printer to print-output the stored print data, the media type is surely the plain paper. Thus, even if the user wishes the tab paper printing after completion of the test printing, it is impossible to perform the tab paper printing. That is, to perform the tab paper printing, it is necessary to again transmit, from the host computer, the print data in which the media type has been designated as the tab paper.
Further, in a case where the print process to the tab paper is performed after the test printing, it is necessary to again instruct the printing from the application of the information processing apparatus. Thus, loads of resources of the information processing apparatus and loads of user's operations increase, whereby a problem on usability occurs.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds