Abstract: A method for wrapping data to an arbitrary path defined by a page description language, including the steps of: (a) processing a page description language specification; (b) while performing step (a), identifying a data wrapping boundary; (c) associating a data block external to the page description language specification with the data wrapping boundary; and (d) generating printable image representations of the data block according to the data wrapping boundary and a pre-defined flow rule.

Abstract: A method for generating a page description language specification for a variable-enabled print job, comprising the steps of: (a) providing a merge file including a plurality of variable data items; and (b) operating a graphics application program to generate a page description language specification representing a print job to be printed; the operating step including the steps of: (i) displaying a representation of an image of the print job on a workstation associated with the graphics application program; (ii) creating, using the graphics application program, a data area of the print job; (iii) designating, using the graphics application program, the data area as a variable data area to be merged with bitmap representations of the variable data items in the merge file; and (iv) generating by the graphics application at least one instruction in the page description language specification defining the data area, and at least one tag in the page description language specification designating the data area as a

Abstract: A method for flowing data, such as text data, into an arbitrary path defined by a page description language specification (“PDL specification”) generally comprises the steps of: identifying a path defined in the PDL specification as a datawrapping path; associating a data block with the data-wrapping path; and generating a bitmap representation of the data block according to the path boundary and according to a predefined flow rule. Preferably, the identifying step includes the steps of associating a graphics state with the path and storing the graphics state in memory, and the generating step includes the step of applying the stored graphics state to the data block. Therefore, the generating step can be repeated for multiple data blocks to generate multiple bit map representations. The text wrapping path is preferably identified in the PDL specification by an attribute string associated with the path.