Abstract: A print architecture, including a print manager interposed between an application and a set of installed filters that complete features associated with submitted print jobs, includes an integrated data tree that stores a composite of the features and printer personalities supported by the print system including the installed filters. Properties/behaviors of components of the print architecture, including installed print filters and job tickets, are specified in accordance with an XML-based print schema. A print manager interface facilitates parsing and incorporating feature completion capabilities supported by the installed filters. A capabilities interface presents the features supported by the filters, organized in the form of feature descriptors.

Abstract: Pre-rendering conversion of graphical data can be provided within an image processing path. Om an example implementation, an image processing path includes an application, a graphics subsystem presenting a set of graphics primitives, and a device driver, which is associated with an imaging device. Computing system infrastructure is capable of detecting an incompatibility between the graphics subsystem and the device driver. When an incompatibility is detected, at least one conversion module is engaged to convert one or more graphics primitives in a first graphics subsystem-type format into one or more graphics primitives in a second driver-type format. The device driver can then render the one or more graphics primitives in the converted second driver-type format. A conversion module can be associated with, for example, the graphics subsystem or the device driver. Utilizing at least one conversion module can enable multiply graphics subsystem to interact with a single device driver.

Abstract: Notification mechanisms for use in connection with print systems are described. In one embodiment, a notification mechanism extends from a printing application to the spooler, from the spooler to a hosting process, and back to the spooler. The notification mechanism can allow interested applications, such as print user interfaces, to register to receive updates on the progress of a print job. The notification mechanism provides a very rich and robust mechanism through which notifications can be generated and received.

Abstract: A system and related techniques expose color printing resources to applications, utilities, operating system and other resources, to automatically detect output capabilities as well as to permit integrated print functions which preserve metadata and other context within the printing workflow. According to embodiments of the invention in one regard, a set of applications may invoke or access a print subsystem to transmit one or more image files to a laser, inkjet, dye sublimation or other printer or other output device. According to embodiments of the invention, the print subsystem may interface to a color management engine and/or a non-color image management engine to automatically negotiate a set of enhanced or optimized print parameters, such as gamma correction, white balance correction, media selection or other options or parameters, for instance for color printing on photographic paper.

Abstract: Printing systems and methods are described in which the priorities of print jobs are programmable. A scheduler component oversees print job management and scheduling, and works in concert with components called prioritizers, to provide for ease of programming and customization. In at least some embodiments, an interface to the system is provided to allow prioritizers to be programmed and inserted to customize the behavior of the scheduler according to different print job properties. In at least some embodiments, the system utilizes a model for the relative prioritization of print queues in the system to enforce a fair to balancing of system resources between print queues. In at least some embodiments, the system can independently schedule the rendering and printing operations when printing a job and can use a heuristic known as “starvation risk” to help ensure that throttling rendering in the system does not result in device starvation.

Abstract: Strategies are described for processing job information using a multi-personality driver device. The driver device includes multiple selectable rendering modules for processing job information in the context of multiple selectable rendering paths. The driver device further contains a configuration module for selecting one of the rendering paths for a particular rendering scenario. The configuration module also exposes characteristics of various rendering paths, and facilitates the configuration of the rendering paths. The driver device uses a single rendering queue to allow applications to interact with all of the available rendering paths supported by the driver device.

Abstract: A flexible printing subsystem is enabled with a printer filter pipeline. A configurable and arbitrary number of printer filters forming a printer filter pipeline are applied to files that are to be printed. In a described implementation, the printer filter pipeline may implement enhancement features and conversion functions as determined by the individual printer filters forming the printer filter pipeline. The printer filter pipeline is established in accordance with a printer filter configuration file. The printer filter configuration file stipulates a printer filter order and includes a printer filter entry associated with each printer filter to be part of the printer filter pipeline. Each printer filter entry identifies the associated printer filter by name and enumerates the interfaces thereof. Printer filters may be adjacently linked in a printer filter pipeline when their mating interfaces match.

Abstract: Methods and systems for describing device capabilities are described. An exemplary schema is presented and constitutes the communication language between applications and devices. The schema is built on a framework that uses schema keywords to express the full set of user configurable capabilities for a particular device. In the illustrated and described embodiments, the schema utilizes a hierarchical structure that allows different levels of granularity in expressing a device's capabilities.

Abstract: Spooling strategies are described for producing job information that conforms to a hierarchical structure, and then storing the job information in a spool storage. The job information is then retrieved from the spool storage and consumed. The structured job information includes a multi-level hierarchy of nodes, including a job level that represents the entire job, a document level that represents a document to be processed within the job; a rendition level that represents a rendition of the document to be processed; and a page level that represents a page associated with the rendition. The hierarchical structure can also include resource nodes and metadata nodes associated with any level of the hierarchy, respectively representing resources and metadata. The hierarchy can optionally be composed using one or more selection and sequence parts.

Abstract: Spooling strategies are described for producing job information that conforms to a hierarchical structure, and then storing the job information in a spool storage. The job information is then retrieved from the spool storage and consumed. The structured job information includes a multi-level hierarchy of nodes, including a job level that represents the entire job, a document level that represents a document to be processed within the job; a rendition level that represents a rendition of the document to be processed; and a page level that represents a page associated with the rendition. The hierarchical structure can also include resource nodes and metadata nodes associated with any level of the hierarchy, respectively representing resources and metadata. The hierarchy can optionally be composed using one or more selection and sequence parts.

Abstract: In a described implementation, a production device, such as a computer, produces a shared resources container that includes shareable resources. Each resource of the shared resources container includes a part name and corresponding data. The production device downloads the shared resources container to a utilization device. The production device also formulates a job container, such as a print job. The production device analyzes resource usage of the job container during processing thereof. If a resource relevant to the job container is included in the shared resources container, the resource is excluded from the job container in lieu of a resource reference that is insert therefor. The production device also downloads the job container to the utilization device. At the utilization device, the job container is processed using the resource reference. Specifically, the resource reference is used to retrieve the associated resource from the shared resources container.

Abstract: The described systems and methods are directed at converting a file with complex elements so that a legacy utilization device, such as a legacy printer, can properly process the file. The described systems may include a converter module with a modular filter pipeline. The converter module may identify elements with complex features in a file. Simpler features that approximate the complex features are determined. The identified elements in the file may be replaced with elements having the simpler features.

Abstract: The described systems and methods are directed at enabling two filters to pass data between them in an efficient manner. In one aspect, an interface is provided to a filter for writing data associated with a file. The interface enables the filter to write data to a virtual file container simulated by the interface. The interface also enables another filter to read the data from the simulated file container. In this manner, an actual file container stored in a disk drive may not have to be created to pass data between filters.

Abstract: A hierarchical spooling data structure includes a plurality of nodes. In accordance with certain aspects, the plurality of nodes include at least four nodes: a first node representing a fixed page of the job; a second node representing a fixed document of the job, the second node including a reference to the first node; a third node containing data representing a fixed sequence of documents of the job, the third node including a reference to the second node; and a fourth node containing data representing a root of the job, the fourth node including a reference to the third node.

Abstract: A job completion architecture, includes content that is specified as a hierarchical tree of related content units and a set of multilevel tickets associated with instances of the hierarchically arranged content units. The job manager applies the multilevel tickets, specifying property settings at potentially multiple levels within the hierarchical tree, according to a qualified inheritance rule wherein settings applicable to a set of lower level properties that are specified within a first (higher level) ticket are incorporated into the merged settings to the extent a second (lower level) ticket does not specify settings for the set of lower level properties. If a same property is specified in both a higher and lower level ticket, during merging a setting specified in the lower level ticket overrides the higher level ticket setting.

Abstract: An image passthrough extension structure and method facilitating the transfer of compressed data image files from a software application to a device via the computer system operating system. The application determines whether the device is capable of decoding the specific compressed data file by polling the device driver. If the driver returns a “no support” message, the application processes the compressed data file in a conventional manner. If the driver returns a “support” message, the application transfers the compressed data file, along with the additional processing information, to the device driver utilizing the conventional file transfer operating system data structures modified to incorporate the compressed data file passthrough function.

Abstract: A print architecture, including a print manager interposed between an application and a set of installed filters that complete features associated with submitted print jobs, includes an integrated data tree that stores a composite of the features and printer personalities supported by the print system including the installed filters. Properties/behaviors of components of the print architecture, including installed print filters and job tickets, are specified in accordance with an XML-based print schema. A print manager interface facilitates parsing and incorporating feature completion capabilities supported by the installed filters. A capabilities interface presents the features supported by the filters, organized in the form of feature descriptors.