Patent ID: 8707298

Claim:
An information processing apparatus comprising: a printer driver configured to identify software of a printing device that is under a control of the printer driver; basic software that performs basic control of the information processing apparatus; and an installer that installs a plugin in the printing driver, wherein the information processing apparatus includes a first software-identifier storage unit having a memory that stores therein a first software identifier that identifies software of a printing device, the printing device having a second plugin for enabling the printing device to implement a feature corresponding to a feature of a first plugin to be installed in the printer driver, the basic software includes a software-identifier acquiring unit that instructs the printer driver to acquire a second software identifier that identifies the software of the printing device that is under the control of the printer driver, the installer includes, an installable plugin determining unit that, acquires the first software identifier from the first software-identifier storage unit, compares the first software identifier with the second software identifier acquired by the printer driver from the printing device, which is acquired by the software-identifier acquiring unit, and determines whether the second plugin is installable in the software of the printing device under the control of the printer driver, and an installing unit that installs, if it is determined that the second plugin is installable in the printing device, the first plugin in the printer driver, and the print driver includes, a plugin-identifier acquiring unit that acquires an installed plugin identifier that identifies a plugin installed in the software of the printina device under the control of the printer driver, a plugin determining unit that determines whether the installed plugin identifier that is acquired by the plugin-identifier acquiring unit identifies the second plugin, and a display control unit that displays, when the installed plugin identifier identifies the second plugin, a print setting screen on a display unit in a manner in which the feature of the first plugin is selectable and displays, when the installed plugin identifier does not identify the second plugin, the print setting screen on the display unit in a manner in which the feature of the first plugin is unselectable.