Patent ID: 8711402

Claim:
A printing apparatus comprising: a receiving unit that receives, from an information processing apparatus, a print command that includes image data to be printed, an additional print parameter that is a print parameter of a function added to a printer driver of the information processing apparatus by installing a first plug-in, and first identification information that is identification information on the first plug-in; an identification-information storage unit that stores therein second identification information that is identification information on an installed second plug-in; a determining unit that determines whether the second plug-in can interpret the additional print parameter by comparing the first identification information with the second identification information; and a print unit that, if it is determined that the additional print parameter cannot be interpreted, performs a particular operation other than printing of the image data in accordance with the additional print parameter; wherein, the additional print parameter including additional key information indicating an added function and a variable for the additional key information, further comprising a print-parameter rule storage unit that stores therein an additional print-parameter rule that defines the additional key information interpretable by the second plug-in and a possible value of the variable for the additional key information, wherein if the first identification information matches the second identification information, the determining unit further compares the additional print parameter with the additional print-parameter rule and, if the additional print parameter does not satisfy the additional print-parameter rule, determines that the second plug-in cannot interpret the additional print parameter.