Printing control apparatus and printing control method

A method of a printing control apparatus which generates print setting information for a print process in a printing apparatus, the method comprising:

• a management table creation step of creating, for each user, a setting management table in which a print setting value is related to a range of a value defined by a threshold for controlling printing based on results value of the print process, wherein the one threshold is at least set corresponding to a setting item which is included in the print setting information;
• an acquiring step of acquiring a current result value of the print process by using history information recorded by the printing apparatus, wherein the history information is acquired in response to a request periodically issued by the printing control apparatus;
• a read step of reading a print setting value from the setting management table, wherein the print setting value is related to the range of the value to which the current result value acquired by said acquiring step belongs;
• a creation step of creating new print setting information containing the print setting value read by said read step;
• a storage step of holding the print setting information that is saved as current print setting information;
• a comparison step of comparing the new print setting information created by said creation step with the current print setting information held in said storage step;
• a distribution step of distributing a printer-driver-set to a client computer and save the new print setting information in said storage step as the current print setting information, when the new print setting information is different from the current print setting information wherein the new print setting information created by said creation step is set to the printer driver as a default print setting,
• wherein a change of a print setting value of a print setting item is disabled when a mode of each print setting item in the print setting information created by said creation step is fixed, and a change of the print setting value of the print setting item is enabled when the mode of each print setting item is variable value,
• wherein the new print setting information created by said creation step is not saved in said storage step and a printer-driver-set to which the new print setting information created by said creation step is set is not distributed to a client computer when the new print setting information is the same to the current print setting information as a result of the comparison by said comparison step.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer-executable program for a printing control apparatus which generates print setting information for a print process in a printing apparatus, the program comprising:

• a management table creation step of creating, for each user, a setting management table in which a print setting value is related to a range of a value defined by a threshold for controlling printing based on results value of the print process, wherein the one threshold is at least set corresponding to a setting item which is included in the print setting information;
• an acquiring step of acquiring a current result value of the print process by using history information recorded by the printing apparatus, wherein the history information is required in response to a request periodically issued by the printing control apparatus;
• a read step of reading a print setting value from the setting management table, wherein the print setting value is related to the range of the value to which the current result value acquired by said acquiring step belongs;
• a creation step of creating new print setting information containing the print setting value read by said read step;
• a storage step of holding the print setting information that is saved as current print setting information;
• a comparison step of comparing the new print setting information created by said creation step with the current print setting information held in said storage step;
• a distribution step of distributing a printer-driver-set to a client computer and save the new print setting information in said storage step as the current print setting information when the new print setting information is different from the current print setting information, wherein the new print setting information created by said creation step is set to the printer driver as a default print setting,
• wherein a change of a print setting value of a print setting item is disabled when a mode of each print setting item in the print setting information created by said creation step is fixed, and a change of the print setting value of the print setting item is enabled when the mode of each print setting item is a variable, and
• wherein the new print setting information created by said creation step is not saved in said storage step and a printer-driver-set to which the new print setting information created by said creation step is set is not distributed to a client computer when the new print setting information is the same to the current print setting information as a result of the comparison by said comparison step.