Patent ID: 7280243

Claim:
A printer control apparatus connected to a printer for updating and storing information relating to remaining amount of colorant based upon amount of colorant used, outputting, in response to a request, status information that includes said information and information indicating possibility of colorant replacement, and initializing, in response to a request, the information relating to remaining amount of colorant and the information indicating the possibility of colorant replacement, the apparatus comprising: status receiving means for requesting the printer for transmission of the status information and receiving the status information from the printer; confirmation means for instructing a user to enter the nature of a colorant replacement operation in a case where the possibility of colorant replacement is being indicated in the status information received by said status receiving means; and command transmitting means for transmitting a command, which is for initializing the information relating to remaining amount of colorant and the information relating to the possibility of colorant replacement, to the printer in a case where the fact that the colorant replacement operation has been performed has been entered in response to instruction by said confirmation means.