Abstract: A method and system for providing a portable document services environment on a computer system is disclosed. An installation application may automatically be loaded from a portable device onto a computer system when the portable device is connected to the computer system. The computer system may automatically access a document service application on the portable device based on information contained in the installation application. One or more document service preferences may automatically be received from the portable device onto the computer system, and an electronic document may be selected. One or more document services may be performed for the selected electronic document based on the one or more document service preferences using the document service application.

Abstract: A method and system for providing a portable document services environment on a computer system is disclosed. An installation application may automatically be loaded from a portable device onto a computer system when the portable device is connected to the computer system. The computer system may automatically access a document service application on the portable device based on information contained in the installation application. One or more document service preferences may automatically be received from the portable device onto the computer system, and an electronic document may be selected. One or more document services may be performed for the selected electronic document based on the one or more document service preferences using the document service application.

Abstract: A method and system for providing a portable document services environment on a computer system is disclosed. An installation application may automatically be loaded from a portable device onto a computer system when the portable device is connected to the computer system. The computer system may automatically access a document service application on the portable device based on information contained in the installation application. One or more document service preferences may automatically be received from the portable device onto the computer system, and an electronic document may be selected. One or more document services may be performed for the selected electronic document based on the one or more document service preferences using the document service application.

Abstract: A automated method, system and computer program for ordering print products by electronic mail. An e-mail request for business cards or other print products, such as postcards or calendars, is generated by a user of an e-mail system and sent to a management system including a management program which, in response, causes the system to selectively retrieve additional information associated with the e-mail request from one or more databases. The management system then prepares the business card order, or other print product order, using the retrieved information. The databases may be internet accessible directory services or other types of databases which the management system can look up using the originating e-mail address contained in the e-mail request in order to retrieve the additional information. The print product order can be prepared by importing the additional information, such as print product, shipping, billing and/or approval information, into one or more templates.

Abstract: A circuit which uses a compressor to divide each separation image into 8-line strips, and to independently compress each strip, a single decompressor to decompress two or more color image separations, strip by strip, by interleaving them, and to apply them to two or more print heads, one for each color separation. DMA from a main memory is used to apply both separations to the decompressor, and the decompressor output is demultiplexed into two print heads, one for each separation. This is done to drive each color separation simultaneously in a single-pass color printer. Multiplexing logic controls the DMA into the decompressor and the output of the decompressor into separate buffers for each color separation. Additional logic uses the page and line sync from each print head to synchronize the accessing of the correct image raster from buffers at the output of the decompressor to the associated print head.

Abstract: An embodiment of the invention generally relates to a method for providing printing services. A database is configured to store data related to a plurality of print engines. The data includes static and time-varying characteristics for each of the print engines of the plurality of print engines. A first print engine is selected from the plurality of print engines. A print job is initiated for the first print engine. The print job is processed at a remote printing service based on data related to the first print engine to create a first print engine print file. The first print engine file is provided to the first print engine.

Abstract: A network printing system is provided having a plurality of network printers, a plurality of computer terminals, and at least one processor in operative communication with the plurality of printers and the plurality of computer terminals. The at least one processor executes application software for receiving a print data request having a print job from at least one of the plurality of computer terminals. The at least one processor includes an automated selection service module for analyzing printer-related data corresponding to each of the plurality of printers, selecting at least one of the plurality of printers in accordance with the analysis and transmitting the print data request to the at least one selected destination printer. The at least one processor further includes a printer notification module for generating and transmitting a notification message to a user specifying the at least one selected destination printer.

Abstract: A document to be printed digitally has each page image routed to an RIP of least capability able to timely process the image if that RIP is least busy. If the RIP of least capability able to timely process the image is not the least busy, the page image is routed to the RIP of next greater capability. Page images including colored material are routed to the RIP of greater capability and to a color printer. Page images including graphical material or larger than letter size are routed to an RIP of greater capability. Page images containing no colored material are sent to a monochrome printer, if available; and, if not, are sent to a color printer.

Abstract: There is disclosed in embodiments methods relating to the compression of printing hints. The method in embodiments generates a first set of image pixels having corresponding printing hints. The printing hints are then adjusted to produce a second set of image pixels processed in such a way that an end printed result is visually equivalent to a printed result using the first set of image pixels thereby reducing the entropy in the printing hints. The method improves the compression ratio of an image using printing hints by adjusting the printing hints of pixels that are zero or fully saturated. The printing hints are adjusted in such a way to reduce the complexity of the printing hints.

Abstract: A circuit which uses a compressor to divide each separation image into 8-line strips, and to independently compress each strip, a single decompressor to decompress two or more color image separations, strip by strip, by interleaving them, and to apply them to two or more print heads, one for each color separation. DMA from a main memory is used to apply both separations to the decompressor, and the decompressor output is demultiplexed into two print heads, one for each separation. This is done to drive each color separation simultaneously in a single-pass color printer. Multiplexing logic controls the DMA into the decompressor and the output of the decompressor into separate buffers for each color separation. Additional logic uses the page and line sync from each print head to synchronize the accessing of the correct image raster from buffers at the output of the decompressor to the associated print head.

Abstract: A circuit which uses a compressor to divide each separation image into 8-line strips, and to independently compress each strip, a single decompressor to decompress two or more color image separations, strip by strip, by interleaving them, and to apply them to two or more print heads, one for each color separation. DMA from a main memory is used to apply both separations to the decompressor, and the decompressor output is demultiplexed into two print heads, one for each separation. This is done to drive each color separation simultaneously in a single-pass color printer. Multiplexing logic controls the DMA into the decompressor and the output of the decompressor into separate buffers for each color separation. Additional logic uses the page and line sync from each print head to synchronize the accessing of the correct image raster from buffers at the output of the decompressor to the associated print head.

Abstract: A method and system for providing a portable document services environment on a computer system is disclosed. An installation application may automatically be loaded from a portable device onto a computer system when the portable device is connected to the computer system The computer system may automatically access a document service application on the portable device based on information contained in the installation application. One or more document service preferences may automatically be received from the portable device onto the computer system, and an electronic document may be selected. One or more document services may be performed for the selected electronic document based on the one or more document service preferences using the document service application.

Abstract: A printer system facilitating establishment of customer service level requirements includes at least one printing device, a system computer in communications with the printing device, and at least one user computer in communications with the system computer. A database stored in the system computer includes a decision table having a rules set comprising at least one of customer cost rules, shop schedule rules, resource availability rules, and capacity rules. A method of establishing customer service level requirements for web based production print jobs includes uploading at least one digital file defining print job content from the user computer to the printer system computer via the Internet. At least one specification variable, selected from the number of copies to be printed, the print job cost, the print job quality, or the delivery date is selected.

Abstract: A automated method, system and computer program for ordering print products by electronic mail. An e-mail request for business cards or other print products, such as postcards or calendars, is generated by a user of an e-mail system and sent to a management system including a management program which, in response, causes the system to selectively retrieve additional information associated with the e-mail request from one or more databases. The management system then prepares the business card order, or other print product order, using the retrieved information. The databases may be internet accessible directory services or other types of databases which the management system can look up using the originating e-mail address contained in the e-mail request in order to retrieve the additional information. The print product order can be prepared by importing the additional information, such as print product, shipping, billing and/or approval information, into one or more templates.

Abstract: A compressor can compress an image by reducing the amount of data while preserving the information. Some compressors use run length coding wherein image data is converted into a series of run length code words. The efficiency of run length coding can be increased with the introduction of differential run length code words. The differential run length code words can augment the original set of run length codes. Differential run length codes vary from current run length codes by encoding runs of differences.

Abstract: Shifting a page image while it is still in compressed form. The page image is compressed into independent strips that are a full page in the fast scan direction, and a small number of scanlines in the slow scan direction. Then, to shift the page image, whole strips can be deleted in one margin and/or deleted from the other. If the number of scanlines per strip is small enough, the difference in a margin created by the change of one strip will not be apparent. This invention can be used to advantage when it is decided at print time that the output shall be in the form of a saddle-stitched booklet requiring two-up printing, folding and subsequent trimming of the outside edges to uniform alignment. Here, a progressive page shift can be introduced at the printer controller while the images are still compressed, instead of requiring the change to be done to the PostScript Master, which would require reRIPing or decompression, shift and recompression.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for compressing and decompressing electronic documents, with maximum intradocument independence, and maximum flexibility in optimization of compression modes. The method includes receiving documents containing unknown combinations of a plural data types, including combinations of scanned data, computer rendered data, compressed data and/or rendering tags; dividing the received image into strips of blocks determining from the image itself, which data types are present in each block; compressing data of each data type present in each block with a compression method optimized for its data type. Scanned data may be further segmented into plural scanned data types, where each data type is compressed in said compressing data step with a compression method optimized for said scanned image data type.

Abstract: A circuit which uses a compressor to divide each separation image into 8-line strips, and to independently compress each strip, a single decompressor to decompress two or more color image separations, strip by strip, by interleaving them, and to apply them to two or more print heads, one for each color separation. DMA from a main memory is used to apply both separations to the decompressor, and the decompressor output is demultiplexed into two print heads, one for each separation. This is done to drive each color separation simultaneously in a single-pass color printer. Multiplexing logic controls the DMA into the decompressor and the output of the decompressor into separate buffers for each color separation. Additional logic uses the page and line sync from each print head to synchronize the accessing of the correct image raster from buffers at the output of the decompressor to the associated print head.

Abstract: Shifting a page image while it is still in compressed form. The page image is compressed into independent strips that are a full page in the fast scan direction, and a small number of scanlines in the slow scan direction. Then, to shift the page image, whole strips can be deleted in one margin and/or deleted from the other. If the number of scanlines per strip is small enough, the difference in a margin created by the change of one strip will not be apparent. This invention can be used to advantage when it is decided at print time that the output shall be in the form of a saddle-stitched booklet requiring two-up printing, folding and subsequent trimming of the outside edges to uniform alignment. Here, a progressive page shift can be introduced at the printer controller while the images are still compressed, instead of requiring the change to be done to the PostScript Master, which would require reRiPing or decompression, shift and recompression.

Abstract: A run length codeword system which has a set of codewords, each codeword being one byte. The first codeword of a run is divided into a 4-bit code part and 4 bits of printing hints. The code part specifies the source of the data, and the format of the remaining bytes in the run. The remaining one or two codewords specify the number of remaining data bytes in the run, or color values.