Patent ID: 7315387

Claim:
A print control apparatus as a host computer which is connected to an external printing apparatus through an interface and executes a printer driver which generates print data described in the page description language to be interpreted by the external printing apparatus, comprising: a spooler that saves intermediate data to be converted into the print data, together with a first number of copies designated to be used for printing the print data in accordance with a print instruction from an application; a changing unit that checks if a print instruction is a test print instruction, that changes the first number of copies to a second number of copies for the test print; a generating unit that generates the print data with the printer driver based on the intermediate data and the second number of copies for the test print changed by said changing unit; and a transmitting unit that transmits the print data generated by said generating unit to the printing apparatus; a receiving unit that receives a setup change instruction using a setting screen of the printer driver after the print data for the test print is transmitted by said transmission unit, wherein the setup change instruction is instruction that instructs the printer to print an image different from the image printed on a printing paper by the test print; and a generating control unit that changes the second number of copies for the test print to the first number of copies without an instruction from a user when the setup change instruction has been received, and instructs the printer driver to generate the print data to be used for printing after the test print using the first number copies, the intermediate data spooled by said spooler and a setup changed based on the setup change instruction.