Patent ID: 7812982

Claim:
A network printing system comprising: at least one printer and a plurality of computers connected to a network, at least of the one of the plurality of computers including a proxy printing requesting unit and a proxy printing transmission unit, the proxy printing requesting unit being configured to send proxy printing request information, including an application type of application data and printing setting information that represents a printing condition of the application data, to a plurality of other computers of the plurality of other computers, the proxy printing transmission unit being configured to send the application data and the printing setting information to one of the plurality of other computers that has sent a notice that proxy printing can be performed, after receiving the notice therefrom, and each of the plurality of other computers has at least one application, a printer driver appropriate for the at least one printer, a proxy printing judging unit, and a proxy printing processing unit, the proxy printing judging unit being configured to receive the proxy printing request information from the one of the plurality of computers, and compare the received proxy printing request information with its proxy printing enabling information including the application type of the at least one application and printing enabling setting information in the printer driver, and send the notice that the proxy printing can be performed if the proxy printing enabling information satisfies the proxy printing request information, the proxy printing processing unit being configured to start the at least one application that is appropriate for the application data when the proxy printing processing unit receives the application data and the printing setting information from the one of the plurality of computers, generate printing data from the application data, and carry out proxy printing by using the printer driver that satisfies the printing setting information, whereby the printing data are printed from the at least one printer, wherein each of the computers in the network printing system includes the proxy printing requesting unit, the proxy printing transmission unit, the proxy printing judging unit, and the proxy printing processing unit.