Abstract: Systems for providing collated, face-up printer output. These systems may utilize a page-independent spool index file that may be manipulated to produce collated, face-up printer output that may not otherwise be available through a system's hardware or drivers.

Abstract: Systems and methods for monitoring the despooling of a print job. In particular, the present invention relates to systems and methods for providing an integrated printer capabilities/status monitor having a front end and a back end of the printing process for identifying printers, printing capabilities, and status of printers, and for providing a printing device switchout and job completion notification, such that the capabilities and the printing process may be determined and monitored in a unified manner throughout the processing of the print job.

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing a universal print assist in a printer environment. A print assist is provided as a separate component from a print processor and spooler to enable a selective intercept and performance of an action (e.g., to modify, split, merge, redirect, gather or register information or otherwise alter or make observation of a print data stream) on the print data stream as the data stream is despooled by the spooler or print processor to a print provider without customizing any pre-existing components. The print assist uses a method whereby the print assist is bound to the output interface between the spooler and/or print processor and the print provider. Accordingly, the despooled print data stream passes through the print assist as it is despooled from the spooler or the print processor to the print provider. And, since the print assist is a separate component, the print assist may be used with any customized print processor and/or spooler to provide a universal print assist solution.

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing capabilities matching in a printing environment, including performing copy splitting, document splitting, color separation, pool printing, finishing, sheet assembly, and the like. Capabilities needed to perform a print job are matched with the available capabilities of the printing devices in the system. In some embodiments, a print processor is used in performing the capabilities matching. The print job is then selectively routed to one or more printing devices to process the print job.

Abstract: Proposed by the present invention is (a) a method, (b) structure for implementing the method, and (c) a resulting data structure that comes from implementation of the method, relating to introducing various modifications into the image file directory data contents in an otherwise conventional TIFF multi-page document data structure. Modifications are made in order to change the behavior of a printing device which is called upon to print the document, so as to implement rasterization-free, driverless, mulit-selectible-print-option printing of the document.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention comprise systems and methods for modification of print stream data without print driver modification or interference.

Abstract: A data management method and system for expediting the flow and handling of print data from a creation source to one or more printers. Data in a stream is examined in light of assessed available and capable printers, and is block boundaried accordingly to divide the stream appropriately into compressed and uncompressed data blocks.

Abstract: A distributed printing process which involves intercepting a print-job data stream, dividing that stream into data components on the basis of a pre-assessment made with respect to the availabilities and performance capabilities of plural computing devices and printer resources in a network setting, with divided components being sent for plural-peer-device implementation of at least one of the steps of rendering and rasterizing, and delivering such rasterized/rendered components to one or more selected target printers for printing

Abstract: A single, integrated multi-function driver which, when invoked, has the capability to afford driver control over the operations of a scanner and a printer, such as the scanner and printer component portions of an otherwise conventional MFP device. The integrated driver included both a scanner driver and a printer driver, and in an enhanced form, further includes specialized portions which enable scan modification and manipulation, as well as print modification and manipulation.

Abstract: Systems and methods for dynamically installing or updating a printer driver on a computer device without requiring a user to initiate the installation or update. In a system that includes a computer device, a printer device and a printer driver source, a print job is initiated and a connection with a printer driver source is established. A request is made for information relating to the performance of an automatic update of a dynamic printer driver. A determination is made as to whether or not an update is available. If the update is available, a determination is optionally obtained relating to whether or not the system may proceed in performing the automatic and dynamic update. The update includes obtaining dynamically linkable object components and linking the object components with a main entry object to form a dynamic printer drive that may be used to execute the print job.

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing a time-to-availability attribute for use in a variety of printing environments to dynamically manage the load balancing of print jobs across multiple printing devices, wherein the attribute is supported on the client side, on the server side or by printer firmware, and wherein the attribute is implemented in a printer driver, a print processor, a spooler, a print server, a printer firmware spooler, or another component of a print subsystem. Job information and heuristic information are obtained to facilitate the load balancing of each print job and are stored separately from the print data. The job information includes information for estimating the amount of time to render a particular print job on a specified printer. The heuristic information includes accumulative information for estimating the actual performance of the printer under various print modes.

Abstract: A computer-based printing system, comprised a client computing device, optionally one or more server computing devices, a virtual printer driver, one or more printer drivers, a print processor, print spooler, and one or more printers, means for initiating a print job(s), all or in part, or one or more copies of a document (s), in a local, network or remote, single or multi-user, printing environment, and a means to select the best fit printer based on printer capabilities, print quality and printer availability, without manually enumeration of each printer driver and printer status monitor.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention comprise driver-independent, printer-independent systems and methods for providing collated, face-up printer output. These embodiments may utilize a page-independent spool index file that may be manipulated to produce collated, face-up printer output that may not be available through a system's hardware or drivers.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention comprise methods and systems which enable a user to distribute print tasks to a plurality of printing devices without the use of additional hardware for this purpose. These systems and methods are typically used in conjunction with a computer network comprising at least one computing device and a plurality of printing devices. Printing tasks which are typically sent to a single printing device may be distributed to multiple printing devices to increase printing speed, volume and/or capacity. This distribution capability can be achieved without the use of additional hardware and firmware and without modification to software applications.

Abstract: The present invention features a computer based printing system comprising a client computing device, or optionally a server computing device; one or more printer drivers; a print processor; a print spooler; one or more printing devices; and means for initiating a print job(s) in a local, network or remote, single or multi-user, printing environment. The print job is initiated by the printing source or the printing device. Also included is means to despool print data from a print job directly to a printing device from the printing source, according to a print job ticket, using a spooler or print processor based printing system having synchronous centralized management.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention comprise systems and methods for printing at one or more remote printing devices.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention comprise methods and systems which enable a user to detect the status of printing devices without the use of additional hardware or application program modification for this purpose. These embodiments comprise a print processor which can check printing device status prior to sending a print task to a printing device. These embodiments may further check the status of a printing device after a print task has been sent to the device and may determine whether a printing device has successfully completed a print task. Some embodiments may further redirect, restart and reconfigure print tasks with the help of printing device status information.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention comprise methods and systems for combining a print job characteristic description with a print job. In some embodiments, a print job separator page is combined with a print job thereby forming a single combined print job.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention comprise methods and systems which enable a user to detect the status of printing devices without the use of additional hardware or application program modification for this purpose. These systems and methods are typically used in conjunction with a computer network comprising at least one computing device and a plurality of printing devices. When a print task is sent for printing it will activate a print processor for interpreting the print task. In addition to a print processor's interpretation function, the print processors of the present invention may detect the status of printing devices. Some embodiments may use this information to redirect or otherwise modify a print task for improved printing performance.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention relate to methods and systems for editing, creating and modifying documents through the use of multiple function icons in a graphical user interface environment. Icons comprising a series of object images may represent documents and the pages thereof. Manipulation of the object images and their parts through user input with a pointing device or other input device causes document modification to occur.