Print control apparatus, print control system, and print control method

A print control system comprising:

• a storage unit configured to store therein a plurality of surface-effect selection tables for respective pieces of recording medium information on a recording medium, different types of same surface effects being registered in each of the surface-effect selection tables;
• an acquiring unit configured to acquire a piece of recording medium information;
• a table generating unit configured to generate a surface-effect selection table corresponding to the acquired piece of recording medium information and store the generated surface-effect selection table in the storage unit when the acquired piece of recording medium information is not stored in the storage unit;
• a determining unit configured to determine the surface-effect selection table corresponding to the acquired piece of recording medium information from the storage unit;
• an image data generating unit configured to generate image data based on the determined surface-effect selection table and based on gloss-control plane data in which a type of a surface effect to be applied to the recording medium and an area of the recording medium to which the surface effect is to be applied are specified;
• and
• an output unit configured to output the image data.

A print control method comprising:

• acquiring a piece of recording medium information on a recording medium;
• a table generating unit configured to generate a surface-effect selection table corresponding to the acquired piece of recording medium information and store the generated surface-effect selection table in a storage unit when the acquired piece of recording medium information is not stored in the storage unit, the storage unit being configured to store therein a plurality of surface-effect selection tables for respective pieces of recording medium information on the recording medium, different types of same surface effects being registered in each of the surface-effect selection tables;
• determining the surface-effect selection table corresponding to the acquired piece of recording medium information from the storage unit;
• generating image data based on the determined surface-effect selection table and based on gloss-control plane data in which a type of a surface effect to be applied to the recording medium and an area of the recording medium to which the surface effect is to be applied are specified;
• and
• outputting the image data.