Abstract:
A printing apparatus and method enabled to save a print option and print a document file, comprises the steps of loading an interface relating to a driver program so as to set a print option of a file to be printed in an application program; and changing a print option through a print option setup menu in the interface, and executing a print command with respect to the file to be printed in the print option setup menu. Accordingly, after changing the print option in the application program, the user can print a document file with a minimal key manipulation.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) of Korean Patent Application No. 2004-34143 filed on May 14, 2004 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention generally relates to a printing method. More particularly, the present invention relates to a printing method facilitating the printing of a document file after a user changes a print option with respect to the document file.  
         [0004]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0005]     Typically, an inkjet or a laser image forming device receives printing data from a host such as a personal computer, and implements the printing data into an image. Such a host can transmit the printing data to the image forming device only after the installation of a driver program for driving the image forming device. If the user wants to change a print option with respect to a document file, the print option must be set by driving the installed driver program and the set print option is saved in the driver program, thus performing the printing job.  
         [0006]      FIGS. 1A and 1B  illustrate a conventional method to set up a print option. In detail,  FIG. 1A  illustrates a Microsoft word processor and a driver program being loaded in the word processor. As shown, after creating an intended document file in an application program  10  such as a word processor, or loading the created document file in an application program  10 , when the user wants to print the document file, the user clicks an icon  12  in the application program  10 . However, when the user wants to set a print option such as a print resolution, a print range, and the number of sheets, to print the document file, the user loads a driver program  20  by clicking a File tab  11  and a print menu  11   a . The loaded driver program  20  shows the basic print options among various print options. To set more detailed print options, the user clicks a Properties tab  23 , so that a print option setup menu  23   a  as shown in  FIG. 1B  appears on a screen. The print option setup menu  23   a  of  FIG. 1B  includes tabs for selecting a layout option, a paper option, a graphic option, an extra option, and an about option. If the user clicks the layout option  23   a , the menu as shown in  FIG. 1B  is displayed on the screen.  FIG. 1B  illustrates a menu for selecting an orientation of the paper and a menu for selecting the layout options  23   b . After selecting the intended print options in the menus, the user clicks a save key  23   c  to update the driver program, and clicks a OK key  23   d  or a cancel key  23   e  to end the setup of the driver program. According to the conventional method, when printing a document created and edited in the application program  10 , the user has to click the save key  23   c  and the OK key  23   d , and then clicks the icon  12  of the application program  10  to print the document file. That is, the user needs to click at least three keys  23   c ,  23   d  and  12  to print the document with the changed print options. The conventional method is inconvenient for resetting the print options because of the number of steps that must be taken to perform the reset.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     The present invention has been developed in order to solve the problems discussed above and others associated with the conventional arrangement. An aspect of the present invention provides a printing method enabling a user to print a document file with a minimum key selection after changing a print option of the document file.  
         [0008]     To achieve the above feature and aspect of the present invention, a printing method enabling saving a print option and print a document file, comprises the steps of loading an interface relating to a driver program so as to set a print option of a file to be printed in an application program of a host; and changing a print option through a print option setup menu in the interface, and executing a print command with respect to the file to be printed in the print option setup menu.  
         [0009]     The print option setup menu comprises a print command key to print the file to be printed with the changed print option applied.  
         [0010]     The print command key calls a print command of the application program installed in the host.  
         [0011]     The print command is preferably kept in a registry of an operating system of the host.  
         [0012]     The changed print option is stored in the driver program.  
         [0013]     The host comprises a monitoring part for determining a state of an image forming device.  
         [0014]     The changed print option is stored in the monitoring part.  
         [0015]     The application program is capable of performing a print job.  
         [0016]     An executing step comprises the sub-steps of applying the changed print option to the driver program; and converting the file to be printed, to which the changed print option is applied, into a printing data. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES  
       [0017]     These and/or other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of exemplary embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures of which:  
         [0018]      FIGS. 1A and 1B  illustrate a conventional method for setting a print option;  
         [0019]      FIG. 2  illustrates a block diagram of a printing system employing a printing method according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0020]      FIGS. 3A and 3B  illustrate an exemplary driver program according to an embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0021]      FIG. 4  illustrates a flowchart of the printing method of  FIG. 2 . 
     
    
       [0022]     Throughout the drawings, it should be understood that like reference numbers refer to like structures, features and elements.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS  
       [0023]     Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout.  
         [0024]      FIG. 2  illustrates an exemplary printing system employing a printing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0025]     The printing system comprises a host computer  50  and a printer  60 . The host computer  50  includes an application program (APP)  51 , a graphical device interface (GDI)  52 , a driver program  53  (DRIVER), a spooler  54 , and a monitoring part  55 .  
         [0026]     The application program  51  may be a document writing program such as a Microsoft® word processor (e.g., Word), Hangul of Haansoft Inc. or other similar programs. The application program  51  prepares a document file or loads the prepared document file. Hereinafter, the application program  51  centers on a document writing program for the word processing and a corresponding document file. However, it is to be understood that the present invention can be applied to an image program to edit and create an image file and a related image file. For the sake of clarity and conciseness, the Microsoft® word processor application and a document file created in the word processor application are described. The embodiments of present invention can be applied to a graphic processing program capable of creating printing data to be transmitted from the host computer  50  to the printer  60 , and an image file edited, loaded and printed in the graphic processing program. Hereinafter, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the descriptions are made of a document file and an application program  51  capable of creating, editing and printing the document file.  
         [0027]     The document file prepared in the application program  51  is transmitted to the GDI  52 . The GDI  52 , which is an interface created by Microsoft®, is provided from the Windows operating systems, for example, Windows 2000 and Windows XP, and installed in the host computer  50  together with the operating system. The GDI  52  acquires font, bitmap and vector information relating to a character or a graphic in the document file, and converts the information to a function recognizable by the driver program  53 . Typically, such a function is referred to as a device driver interface (DDI) function. When the user commands to print the document file, the GDI  52  reads resolution information from the driver program  53 . The GDI  52  scales the document file to be printed according to the read resolution information and transmits the scaled information to the driver program  53 .  
         [0028]     The driver program  53  receives the scaled information from the GDI  52  and converts it into printing data recognizable by an image forming device, that is, the printer  60 . The converted printing data is buffered in the spooler  54  and transmitted to the printer  60 . The printer  60  prints the printing data on paper or other suitable printing media.  
         [0029]     The monitoring part  55  stores a print option value set to the driver program  53 , and checks out the condition of the printer  60 . For instance, if a cover of the printer  60  is open, or, paper and ink or toner are insufficient, the monitoring part  55  can monitor information relating to such a condition and notify the host computer  50  by means of an indicator, such as a character or a graphic or an audible indicator.  
         [0030]      FIGS. 3A and 3B  illustrate an exemplary driver program according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0031]      FIG. 3A  is the driver program  53  shown on a display device of the host computer  50  upon clicking the File tab  11  of the application program  51 . If the user clicks a Properties tab  110  in the driver program  53 , the driver program  53  is indicated on the display device as shown in  FIG. 3B . The displayed driver program  53  comprises a Layout tab  111  for setting layout options, a Paper tab for setting paper options, a Graphics tab for setting graphic options, an Extra tab for setting additional options, and an About tab indicating information relating to the driver program  53 . When the user selects the Layout tab  111 , orientation setup menu  112  for setting an orientation of a paper, a layout setup menu  113 , and a user&#39;s favorites setup menu  114  are shown on the display device. Typically, to print the document file, the user selects intended print option, clicks a Save key  114   a  and an OK key  115  in sequence, closes the driver program  53 , and clicks the icon  12  provided from the application program  51 . According to an embodiment of the present invention, the driver program  53  provides an additional menu key  114   b  to save and print directly. When the user sets the print option and clicks the menu key  114   b , the print option is saved in the driver program  53  or in the monitoring part  55 . After saving, it is programmed to instruct to print in reference to the properties of the application program  51  installed in the host computer  50 . For example, a Microsoft® Windows operating system, such as Windows 98, Windows 2000 and Windows XE, can keep an execution command or a print command of an application program installed in the host computer  50  into the registry, and the driver program  53  can print directly in reference to the print command in the registry. In addition, it is possible to program the driver program  53  in a manner that keeps a key value of the icon  12  of the application program  51  so that the application program  51  recognizes the selection of the key value of the icon  12  when the user clicks the menu key  114   b  to save and directly print the document file.  
         [0032]     If the above-mentioned method is applied to the menu key  114   b , after changing the print option in the driver program  53 , the user can obtain copies with the changed option immediately by clicking the menu key  114   b  to save and print directly. Whereas in the related art, after changing the print option through the driver program  53 , the user saves the print option and prints a document by clicking the save key  114   a , the OK key  115 , and the icon  12  of the application program. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the user can save the print option value and print the document file by clicking only the menu key  114   b  to save and print directly.  
         [0033]      FIG. 4  is a flowchart of a printing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0034]     The user executes the application program  51  in the host computer  50  to prepare or edit a document. The application program  51  can be a document preparation program such as a Microsoft word processor or a programming editor such as a Visual C++. The user loads a prepared and edited or pre-created document file in the executed application program  51  (S 200 ). To set the print option of the document file and print the document file (S 210 ), the user drives the driver program  53  installed in the host computer  50 , in the application program  51  (S 220 ) as explained in reference to  FIG. 1A . The user changes an intended print option through the driver program  53  (S 230 ). The user can select an option to print multiple pages on a print medium, such as paper, an option to scale the document file, an option to set the resolution, and an option to print a watermark over the existing document. After changing such print options, if the user wants to print the document file directly (S 240 ), the user clicks the menu key  114   b  to save and print directly. Upon clicking the menu key  114   b  to save and print directly, the driver program  53  stores the changed print option therein or in the monitoring part  55  (S 250 ). The driver program  53  or the monitoring part  55  stores the changed print option in a form of a file or data, and the changed print option is applied to document files edited and prepared by the user in the application program  51 . After saving the changed print options, the driver program  53  converts the document file prepared, edited or loaded in the application program  51  into a printing data and transmits to the printer  60  (S 260 ). On the contrary, after changing the print option through the driver program  53 , if the user does not want to print directly the document with the changed print option, the user sequentially clicks the save key  114   a  and the OK key  115  in the driver program  53  and closes the driver program  53  (S 270 ) as in the conventional method. After the user creates or loads another document file in the application program  51 , and clicks the icon  12  of the application program  51  (S 280 ), the driver program  53  converts the document file into printing data according to the changed print option and transmits to the printer  60 . If the user wants to cancel the changes of the print option after changing the print option in the driver program  53 , the user clicks a cancel key  116  and closes the driver program  53 .  
         [0035]     In light of the foregoing, after changing the print option in the application program, the user can print a document file with a minimal number of inputs. Thus, the convenience for the user of the application is maximized.  
         [0036]     While the exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described, additional variations and modifications of the embodiments may occur to those skilled in the art once they learn of the basic inventive concepts. Therefore, it is intended that the appended claims shall be construed to include both the above embodiments and all such variations and modifications that fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.