Abstract: A method of communicating non-native print objects in MO:DCA Architecture for controlling and operating RFID writer or reader devices without requiring separate control data streams or systems to be implemented at the host computer. Data references and command identifiers are placed by application program means at the host computer into the page description data so that RFID information can be retrieved and downloaded to the printer and RFID apparatus when the print data is being processed in the print server or main processor of the printer without interfering with normal operation of the printer itself.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for managing complex presentation objects using globally-unique identifiers. Downloaded objects are identified by globally-unique identifiers to maintain object integrity and to facilitate capturing downloaded objects for reuse without additional download time overhead. An object may be referenced by selected indicia, such as a name, a globally-unique identifier or a globally-unique identifier and an object locator, The object is located by the selected indicia. Then, a decision is made whether to allow capture of the object based upon whether the selected indicia includes a globally-unique identifier and is secure.

Abstract: A method is disclosed. The method includes receiving a request to perform color conversion during rasterization of a print job object at a printer, determining if a substitution mapping file is available for an output color space to be generated by the color conversion, determining if the substitution mapping file includes a substitution entry for the input color space color value to the output color space in use, generating the output color by using the substitution mapping file to map an input color from an input color space to an output color space if the substitution entry is available and generating the output color by using a color management system to map the input color from the input color space to the output color space if the substitution entry is not available.

Abstract: A method is disclosed. The method includes receiving a print job, rasterizing the print job to produce rasterized bitmap data, retrieving additional information to be encoded into the bitmap data and compressing the bitmap data using the additional information by performing a sequence of optimal and sub-optimal compression.

Abstract: A method is disclosed. The method includes receiving a print job, rasterizing the print job to produce rasterized data having a multi bit per pel print format, compressing the rasterized data into compressed data having a data section and a control section including compression control bits corresponding to each data value in the data section and transmitting the compressed data.

Abstract: A printing system is disclosed. The printing system includes a first printer to print a first type of data to a medium and to print machine readable data on the medium including a unique identifier (ID), a database to store variable data information associated with the ID and a second printer to read the barcode to acquire the ID, retrieve the variable data from the database using the ID and print the variable data to the medium.

Abstract: A method is disclosed. The method includes a compute node retrieving an object, the compute node receiving a local cache indicator associated with the object providing information as to whether the object is to be cached at the compute node and the compute node processing the object.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and media for managing the print speed of a variable speed printer are disclosed. Embodiments include a print controller system having a raster image processor for rasterizing a print job to create a plurality of rasterized pages and a printer controller buffer for storing one or more of the rasterized pages. The printer controller buffer may also transmit at a print engine feed rate the one or more rasterized pages to a print engine. Embodiments may also include a speed control module in communication with the printer controller buffer for determining the print engine feed rate. Further embodiments may include the speed control module determining the print engine feed rate based on one or more of page processing times, page arrival rates, estimated print completion rates, and the number of pages in a print engine buffer.

Abstract: A command is provided as a means to instruct a printer to pre-rasterize and store presentation objects according to specified presentation parameters. The stored rasterized objects are available to the printer for use during printing when a print job is submitted to the printer which includes a presentation object already rasterized, saving significant processing at print time. The rasterized objects are stored with information identifying the object and the parameters used in the rasterization process and the printer is enabled to identify the appropriate rasterized object for inclusion in the print job. Objects may also be selected by a printer at print time as most closely matching the required parameters and then adjusted as needed at print time to completely conform with the requirements of inclusion in the job. This capability allows the printer to perform trimming-on-the-fly or other real-time operations while enjoying the time-saving benefits of a pre-rasterized object.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for managing complex presentation objects using globally-unique identifiers. Downloaded objects are identified by globally-unique identifiers to maintain object integrity and to facilitate capturing downloaded objects for reuse without additional download time overhead. An object may be referenced by selected indicia, such as a name, a globally-unique identifier or a globally-unique identifier and an object locator, The object is located by the selected indicia. Then, a decision is made whether to allow capture of the object based upon whether the selected indicia includes a globally-unique identifier and is secure.

Abstract: Provided is a method, system, and program for interfacing with a printer driver. Data and an acknowledgment request is received from the printer driver. The printer driver does not send further data to print until receiving an acknowledgment reply indicating that the transmitted data passed an initial check to improve printer performance. An acknowledgment reply is transmitted to the printer driver in response to the acknowledgment request before completing the initial check of the sent data to cause the printer driver to send further data. Data processing operations are resynchronized in response to detecting an error in the received data. The received data is rasterized and outputted.

Abstract: A flexible and extensible job processing system is described. A print job processing server manages a plurality of data receivers and printer emulators. Data receivers receive jobs from the print job originators, such as print servers. The printer emulators convert the jobs into a plurality of intermediate output formats, with error, status and control information being available for both storage and reporting back to the print job originator. A user interface client is used to communicate with a plurality of job processing systems. The client can be used to view and possibly edit the job and device information available by the print job originator, configure the printer emulators in the system and the system itself, view the job status and error information, including printer traces, and view and possibly edit the data output of the printer emulator. The system uses the output of the printer emulators for a variety of purposes, such as driving output devices.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and information bearing medium for merging display items in encoded form involve providing display items to be merged in an encoded format, such as a run length encoded format (e.g., modified enhanced run length encoded format). The display items are examined on the basis of item priority. A target item having a target area is defined. The display items in the target area are merged according to item priority to produce the target item. The target item is representative of the merged display items. The encoded data associated with the display items to be merged includes control data and color data. In one embodiment, tokens are produced using the encoded data associated with the display items to be merged. The display items are merged using the tokens. The tokens represent counts of repeated data or pointers to pass-thru data associated with the display items to be merged.

Abstract: Provided is a method, system, and program for interfacing with a printer driver. Data and an acknowledgment request is received from the printer driver. The printer driver does not send further data to print until receiving an acknowledgment reply indicating that the transmitted data passed an initial check to improve printer performance. An acknowledgment reply is transmitted to the printer driver in response to the acknowledgment request before completing the initial check of the sent data to cause the printer driver to send further data. Data processing operations are resynchronized in response to detecting an error in the received data. The received data is rasterized and outputted.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method, system, program, and data structure for generating raster objects. A plurality of input contone and line work objects are received containing contone or line work data for at least one pixel on a sheet. For each input contone object, at least one output contone object is generated including color data for each pixel in the input contone object. For each input line work object, at least one output line work object is generated including color data for each pixel in the input print data object. Control data is generated for each pixel indicating whether to select data from the output line work object or output contone object for the pixel, wherein the control data is used by logic to select color data from the output line work object or output contone object for pixel data to send to an output device to render the pixel data.

Abstract: A method, system, and program for automatically switching operational modes of a printer between direct and on-demand modes. A rasterizer receives a data stream containing various data sets to be presented. The rasterizer detects occurrences of an include command that specifies remotely stored data that is to be presented. In response to the detected include commands, the rasterizer automatically switches between a direct mode and an on-demand mode of presentation as an operational mode for the printer while continuously processing the data stream. The printer is initialized to operate in a desired operational print mode. If the printer is operating in the on-demand mode of presentation, the print rasterizer switches the printer to operate in the direct mode when the print rasterizer detects a predetermined number of consecutive pages that do not have the include command.

Abstract: A command is provided as a means to instruct a printer to pre-rasterize and store presentation objects according to specified presentation parameters. The stored rasterized objects are available to the printer for use during printing when a print job is submitted to the printer which includes a presentation object already rasterized, saving significant processing at print time. The rasterized objects are stored with information identifying the object and the parameters used in the rasterization process and the printer is enabled to identify the appropriate rasterized object for inclusion in the print job. Objects may also be selected by a printer at print time as most closely matching the required parameters and then adjusted as needed at print time to completely conform with the requirements of inclusion in the job. This capability allows the printer to perform trimming-on-the-fly or other real-time operations while enjoying the time-saving benefits of a pre-rasterized object.

Abstract: A method for transmitting image data to a presentation device, such as a printer. The image data is first divided into layers. Each layer is then further divided into tiles. During the rasterization process, tiles, that are repeated within the image are provided a reference identification (ID). During the transmission of the image to the presentation device, a data transmission utility is utilized to determine the most efficient manner to transmit the image tiles and present the image to the presentation device. Resource tiles only have to be downloaded once and every subsequent time the tile appears within an image, only the subsequent tile position and reference ID of the resource are sent, in lieu of the entire tile data being transmitted to the device.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for managing complex presentation objects using globally-unique identifiers. Downloaded objects are identified by globally-unique identifiers to maintain object integrity and to facilitate capturing downloaded objects for reuse without additional download time overhead. An object may be referenced by selected indicia, such as a name, a globally-unique identifier or a globally-unique identifier and an object locator, The object is located by the selected indicia. Then, a decision is made whether to allow capture of the object based upon whether the selected indicia includes a globally-unique identifier and is secure.

Abstract: A system, method and program for merging objects for raster presentation are described. In response to receipt of an input data set including a plurality of objects intended for raster presentation, the system divides the data set into a plurality of scan regions and determines if a predetermined number of objects per scan line set is exceeded by the plurality of objects. In response to a determination that the predetermined number of objects per set of scan lines is exceeded, the system merges only a portion of a first object among the plurality of objects with at least a portion of a second object among the plurality of objects, where the portion of the first object and the portion of the second object are defined by a particular scan region among the plurality of scan regions.