Abstract: A method embodiment of the invention tests revisions made to printer graphics interpreter software. A test suite of POSTSCRIPT, PCL, or other high-level printer language is input to a production version of a printer's internal interpreter software. A first bit-map is generated by the interpreter that is normally used to control each pixel in the printing of a page. The same test suite is fed to a work-in-progress revision of the printer's internal interpreter software. A second bit-map is generated. The first and second bit-maps are subtracted from one another. A difference bit-map is inspected. If only minor shifts of objects are noted, or if no differences at all are apparent, the work-in-progress revision is accepted as the new production standard. The second bit-map is used to replace the first. Otherwise, the work-in-progress revision of the printer's internal interpreter software is reworked to correct the printing interpretation errors it was making.

Abstract: A client provides a job ticket token to a print server, which contains the profile of a print job to be printed. The print server parses the job ticket token, determines an appropriate printer for the print job, and returns a selected printer token to the client, that includes the network address and name of the selected printer. The client then sends the print job, accompanied by the selected printer token, to the appropriate printer. In this way, the print job is assigned to a proper printer for the print job by the print server. One advantage of the job token printer assignment system is that the print server does not see the print job, but merely the job ticket token of the print job. Accordingly, the print server does not have to spool a large print job, but merely has to identify the characteristics contained in the job ticket token, and assign the print job to an appropriate printer.

Abstract: A display interface system that uses a server-client approach. The server contains all of the necessary information regarding display information, while the client deals with the specific display type that it is connected to. The server contains generic descriptions of user interface screens which allow the server to be independent of specific display types. This allows one version of software to support many types of displays, rather than several software revisions for each display type, saving the software developer time, maintenance, and labor costs. A request-response communication system is used whereupon the client requests previous or next user display screens, system parameter requests, or updates from the server. The client requests screen information through a series of key-tag sequences, while the server controls the sequencing of the user display screens. The client is shielded from any knowledge of the contents of the screen and is only concerned with the fact that something is being displayed.

Abstract: Methods of translating a print object stream into a print job stream are claimed. The print object stream contains a succession of print objects. The print job stream contains print job objects.

Abstract: A method embodiment of the invention tests revisions made to printer graphics interpreter software. A test suite of POSTSCRIPT, PCL, or other high-level printer language is input to a production version of a printer's internal interpreter software. A first bit-map is generated by the interpreter that is normally used to control each pixel in the printing of a page. The same test suite is fed to a work-in-progress revision of the printer's internal interpreter software. A second bit-map is generated. The first and second bit-maps are subtracted from one another. A difference bit-map is inspected. If only minor shifts of objects are noted, or if no differences at all are apparent, the work-in-progress revision is accepted as the new production standard. The second bit-map is used to replace the first. Otherwise, the work-in-progress revision of the printers internal interpreter software is reworked to correct the printing interpretation errors it was making.

Abstract: A display interface system that uses a server-client approach. The server contains all of the necessary information regarding display information, while the client deals with the specific display type that it is connected to. The server contains generic descriptions of user interface screens which allow the server to be independent of specific display types. This allows one version of software to support many types of displays, rather than several software revisions for each display type, saving the software developer time, maintenance, and labor costs. A request-response communication system is used whereupon the client requests previous or next user display screens, system parameter requests, or updates from the server. The client requests screen information through a series of key-tag sequences, while the server controls the sequencing of the user display screens. The client is shielded from any knowledge of the contents of the screen and is only concerned with the fact that something is being displayed.

Abstract: The present invention is a method and apparatus for computing color transformations of source images. It performs color transformations using a lookup table and a hashing block for referencing entries in the lookup table. The index generated by the hashing block is dependent on a first color value. A color encoding block is coupled to the lookup table for generating an encoded color value dependent on the first color value. The index produced by the hashing block is further dependent upon response characteristics of the human eye. The hashing block generates indexes referencing widely separated entries in the plurality of entries of the lookup table when first color values have small differences in value. A comparing block is coupled to the lookup table and the color encoding block for comparing the entry of the lookup table and the encoded color value to determine a match. A color calculation block is coupled to the lookup table for generating a second color value dependent on the first color value.