Abstract: An example printer driver system and method disclosed herein includes determining a set of line segments corresponding to received image information, determining a first polygon from a first subset of the set of line segments, determining a second polygon from a second subset of the set of line segments, determining that a first line segment in the first subset and a second line segment in the second subset are collinear, removing the first line segment from the set of line segments, subtracting the first line segment from the second line segment to form a third line segment, replacing the second line segment in the set of line segments with the third line segment, determining a path corresponding to the set of line segments, determining a set of coordinates corresponding to the path, and instructing an embroidery machine to stitch the path in a substrate using the set of coordinates.

Abstract: Methods and systems for automatically creating a frame image for a content image are presented, and include retaining in electronic storage one or more master frame component images, automatically cropping at least one of the master frame component images to create a plurality of frame component images including at least a plurality of cropped versions of the master frame component images, and automatically assembling the frame component images into a frame on a display such that the frame appears as a frame image for the content image when the frame component images and content image are displayed together.

Abstract: A system and method permits design of customized items on a client device using a web page. The client device receives a web page from a web server that includes, among other things, a design document encoding graphic elements that completely characterize a design image. The client device receives edits to the graphic elements, and sends a modified design document back to the server. The server then uses the design document to render an image, and sends to the client the server-rendered image for display in the web page. The web page may define an area in which to display the server-rendered image. The server may use a database to store the rendered image and use it in completing a customer order.

Abstract: Method, system and computer code for generating and displaying an image of a custom product to a customer who is in the process of ordering a different product. The image is generated automatically without a customer request and incorporates information earlier provided by the customer. When possible, the custom product is presented with design features that are similar to the design features of the different product being ordered. Edit capability is provided to allow the user to make changes to the custom product, if desired.

Abstract: A system and method renders an image on a server and displays it on a client. A server sends to a client a web page that includes a design document encoding graphic elements that characterize a design image. The client receives edits to the graphic elements, and sends the design document back to the server. The server then uses the design document to render an image, and sends to the client the rendered image for display in the web page. The web page may contain an IFRAME markup tag to define an area in which to display the rendered image. The server may use a database to store the rendered image and use it in completing a customer order.

Abstract: Versions of user-selected content images are automatically created, sized, and positioned within a template such that all versions are simultaneously displayed without overlapping in a defined acceptable image area of the template. Creating the content image versions may include creating a frame image for the content image. A predefined anchor point associated with the acceptable image area is used to control the location of the image versions within the image area.

Abstract: Computer-implemented systems and methods for automatically creating a second customized product design incorporating information from a first customized product design. Information from a first custom product design is automatically combined with additional automatically selected content to create a new custom product to be promoted to the customer. When possible, information known about the customer, such as the customer's geographic location or business interests, is used to select the additional content for incorporation into the design.

Abstract: A hat pallet for use in a printer which prints an image onto a hat of the type having a cap and a bill attached thereto includes a bottom plate and a top plate mountable in a closed position over the bottom plate. The bottom plate includes a printing plate and a bill support fixedly mounted thereon. The top plate has an opening exposing at least a portion of the printing plate when the top plate is in the closed position. The bill support is positioned relative to the printing plate such that when the hat is mounted in the pallet with the top plate in the closed position, a portion of the cap on which the image is to be printed is supported on the printing plate and exposed through the opening of the top plate and the underside of the bill of the hat is supported by the bill support.

Abstract: Electronic document design systems and methods allowing a user engaged in customizing an electronic product to re-crop product images in a manner that is compatible with the product layout. Upon selection of an image area in the product design, the user can choose to re-crop the image currently displayed in the image area or to select and crop a different image to be used in the selected image area. A cropping indicator that can be resized and repositioned is provided to the user. The cropping indicator is automatically sized to have and retain the same height to width ratio as the selected image area. Upon completion of any resizing or repositioning operation, the selected image area of the electronic product is updated to reflect the cropping changes made by the user.

Abstract: Method, system, and computer code for preparing markup language documents containing multi-line text elements for WYSIWYG printing. The document is rendered in a prepress server system by a duplicate of the browser that was used to prepare the document in the client system. User-imposed line breaks are identified by reviewing text elements for break characters. Browser-imposed line breaks are identified by comparing spatial location information from the browser for each sequential pair of characters in a text element. The collective line break information is used to ensure that the line breaks viewed by the user are maintained when the document is converted to a prepress system.

Abstract: Techniques for generated variable density mono-color under-print layer(s) for printing underneath an image on a substrate to improve the appearance of the printed image.

Abstract: A method and system are disclosed for creating and manipulating embroidery designs over a wide area network. The method includes steps to transmit various embroidery design data over a wide area network between a client and a server The manner in which the embroidery design data is created, manipulated, and transmitted allows a user to preview photo realistic renderings of possible finished products, and more precisely adjust interpretations through a provided user interface with minimum latency.

Abstract: A design image is combined with a product image to create a composite image to illustrate the result of printing the design image onto the product. To create the composite image, the opacity of each pixel in the design image is set according to the brightness value of the pixel such that completely dark pixels are opaque, completely white pixels are transparent, and pixels having intermediate brightness values are assigned intermediate opacity values based on the brightness of the pixel. The design image pixels and the corresponding product image pixel are blended according to the opacity values of the design image pixels to create the composite image.

Abstract: Automated electronic document design systems and methods for generating matching customized product designs and preparing images of matching customized products in a montage for displaying to a user.

Abstract: Methods and systems for automatically creating a frame image for a content image are presented, and include retaining in electronic storage one or more master frame component images, automatically cropping at least one of the master frame component images to create a plurality of frame component images including at least a plurality of cropped versions of the master frame component images, and automatically assembling the frame component images into a frame on a display such that the frame appears as a frame image for the content image when the frame component images and content image are displayed together.

Abstract: Liquids for the pre-treatment of liquid absorbing substrates, in particular textiles or garments, in printing processes are disclosed, said liquids being based on water and/or a low molecular alcohol and including small amounts of an organic acid and/or other reagents to increase dye fixation as well as at least one corrosion inhibiting agent selected from a group containing quaternary ammonium salts, derivates thereof and their corresponding organically substituted amines, hydroxy substituted acetylenic components and derivates thereof, carboxylic, dicarboxylic and polycarboxylic acids, long-chain carboxylic, dicarboxylic and polycarboxylic acids and separated fractions and derivates thereof, sulfur containing heterocyclic compounds and derivates thereof, nitrogen containing heterocyclic compounds and derivates thereof, nitrite and nitrate salts of metal ions, organic nitrites and nitrates, organic nitrogen compounds and reductive nitrogen containing compounds.

Abstract: Computer-implemented systems and methods for presenting personalized custom product designs to the customers of a second company. Email content promoting customizable products and containing images of product designs is prepared by the product vendor and supplied to a second company. The second company creates and sends an email containing the content to customers of the second company. If a recipient of the email selects one of the product images presented in the email, an identifier of the selected image and information about the email recipient are forwarded to the product vendor. The received recipient information is incorporated into the selected design to create a customized product design, which is displayed to the recipient for review.

Abstract: A system and method for allowing a user to exercise control over a first image that is not directly accessible because it is covered by a second image. Electronic product designs for online user editing are assembled from multiple overlying images. If a content image in a design is positioned beneath a second image, such as an image that adds a visual effect to the content image, a transparent surrogate image of the same size and the same position in the product design as the content image is positioned above the second image. The surrogate image is linked to the content image such that user selection of the surrogate image is interpreted by the system as a request by the user to select the content image, giving the user the impression that the user is directly accessing the content image.

Abstract: A flexible and scalable file format conversion system is capable of supporting a number of contemporaneous conversion requests. For each file, a conversion request entry and one or more related conversion task entries are maintained in FIFO queues under the control of a distribution manager program. Conversion operations are handled by application programs under the control of associated graphical processor programs. Conversion tasks are assigned to graphical processors by the distribution manager based on the conversion capabilities of the associated application program. The uploaded files received from clients for conversion are stored in a shared folder pending access by the assigned graphical processor. The graphical processors have a uniform interface with the queues and the memory. The results of the processing are stored in the shared folder where they are subsequently accessed by the web server and transmitted back to the client.

Abstract: Methods and computer programs for automatically creating a text layout in a markup language design for a product to be printed. A number of defined text elements are available for user text. The layout is based on the text elements having user text content. Text elements without text content are disregarded. Positioning of the text elements is determined based on the height of the text elements, defined text element spacing distances, and a defined positioning order. Creating a layout may include positioning design elements relative to the text elements. Font sizes and spacing distances are automatically reduced if necessary to create a suitable layout.