Patent ID: 7894083
Filing Date: 2011-02-22
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A print control apparatus for controlling a print process by a plurality of outputting methods including at least a ratio distribution print and an automatic substitute print, each assigning a print job to a plurality of member printers, said print control apparatus comprising at least a processor and memory, functioning as: a primary registration unit constructed to register, as output target printers, a member printer selected, in response to a user instruction for member printer registration, from among the plurality of member printers for each of the plurality of outputting methods; a selection unit constructed to select one of the plurality of outputting methods; a switching unit constructed to switch between user interfaces in response to a selection by said selection unit, wherein the switched user interface (a) displays the construction of member printers registered by said registration unit for the one outputting method selected by said selection unit, and (b) allows setting or changing of features of the selected outputting method, which affects how a print job is assigned to a plurality of the displayed member printers without changing the construction; and a secondary registration unit constructed to register, from among member printers displayed on the user interface, one member printer to be used in a current print process as one of the output target printers, using check boxes provided on the user interface for the respective member printers, wherein a member printer designated with a corresponding check box is registered as one of the output target printers in the current print process and a member printer not designated with a corresponding check box is temporarily removed in the current print process from the output target printers; and a setting unit constructed to set a member printer as a conflict target used for checking conflicts with respect to print settings to be used in the current print process set by the user, wherein the one member printer removed by said secondary registration unit using the check box is displayed as one of the output target printers on the user interface in a next print process without re-registration by said primary registration unit, wherein status information and device information of each of the member printers are displayed in the user interface, and a temporary error status of the member printer can be recognized in the status information and a print ability of the member printer including at least a stapling function can be recognized in the device information, wherein, if said selection unit selects the ratio distribution print, the user interface allows setting of a distribution ratio for each member printer and said setting unit sets all the member printers displayed on the user interface as conflict targets, and wherein, if said selection unit selects the automatic substitute print, the user interface allows setting of a priority for each member printer and said setting unit sets the member printer with the highest priority as a conflict target.