Patent ID: 7804607
Filing Date: 2010-09-28
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A controller which controls a group printer virtually composed of a plurality of member printers, wherein the controller is constructed to instruct use of at least one of the plurality of member printers in a plurality of output methods which include at least proxy printing in which a document sent to one printer is printed by another printer when an error occurs in the printer and distribution printing in which one document is distributed to a plurality of printers by a page unit for printing therein, wherein controller comprises: a recognizing unit that recognizes which one of the plurality of output methods is instructed; a determination unit that determines, based on identification information of the group printer and identification information of the plurality of member printers, whether constitution of the plurality of member printers is changed; an obtaining unit that obtains information on a printing resolution held by each of the plurality of member printers; a first deciding unit that decides, based on the information obtained by the obtaining unit, the printing resolution of a representative member printer among the plurality of the member printers as the printable resolution of the group printer when the recognizing unit recognizes that the proxy printing is instructed; a second deciding unit that decides, based on the information obtained by the obtaining unit, a common printing resolution held by the plurality of member printers as the printable resolution of the group printer when the recognizing unit recognizes that the distribution printing is instructed, wherein the second deciding unit further decides a predetermined printing resolution as a default printing resolution of the group printer in the case where a plurality of common printable resolutions are extracted from among the plurality of member printers; a user interface control unit that controls a user interface of the group printer to reflect the printable resolution decided by the first deciding unit when the recognizing unit recognizes that the proxy printing is instructed, and controls the user interface of the group printer to reflect the printable resolution and the default printing resolution decided by the second deciding unit when the recognizing unit recognizes that the distribution printing is instructed; and a printing control unit that controls printing based on a printing resolution designated via the user interface controlled by the user interface control unit, wherein, when the determination unit determines that the constitution of the plurality of member printers is not changed, the obtaining unit does not obtain the information on the printing resolution held by each of the plurality of member printers and the user interface control unit controls the user interface of the group printer to reflect information previously decided by the first deciding unit or the second deciding unit.