Abstract: A print server is disclosed. The print server includes a printing software product that generates an object including one or more attributes defining work expected to be received in a printing system, assigns the object to an input device associated with a folder designated to receive the work, monitors the received work and provides a notification if the received work does not match the attributes of the object.

Abstract: The systems and methods presented herein provide for delivery of a set of capabilities that encompasses system-level capabilities and device capabilities via a print protocol of a physical printer. For example, a printer object may respond to a print protocol request for capabilities of a physical printer with a set of capabilities that differs from the actual capabilities of the physical printer than would be typically delivered in response to such a request. The printer object comprises the capabilities of the physical printer. The capabilities of the physical printer are accessible via the print protocol of the physical printer. The printer object processes a request from the client system via the print protocol and in turn provides a set of capabilities that is different from the capabilities of the physical printer in response to the request.

Abstract: The systems and methods presented herein provide print operations to a client via a print application in a manner that makes the print application independently operable within a computing environment of the client. The system includes a print application initiator that is operable in the client to copy system definitions of the client that control computing sessions within the client, to retrieve print application definitions that control computing sessions for the print application, and to change one or more of the copied system definitions based on the print application definitions. The print application initiator is also operable to generate a computing session for the print application within the client based on the changed system definitions and to start the print application within the computing session to provide the print operations of a print processing device to the client.

Abstract: A method disclosed. The method includes initiating the printing of a print job data at a printer, displaying a graphics indication within a graphical user interface (GUI) of a printing progress of the print job while the print job is printing, detecting that a spacing operation has been performed on the print job and updating the printing progress of the print job at the graphics indication based on the spacing operation that has been performed.

Abstract: A method disclosed. The method includes downloading a first print job data stream from a cloud computing network, transmitting the first print job data stream to a printer, monitoring a printing status of the printer to determine when the printer is ready to receive a second print job and downloading a second print job data stream from the cloud computing network upon determining that the printer is ready to receive the second print job.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for scheduling multiple types of print jobs for a printer more efficiently by scheduling jobs together that share print settings. In one embodiment, a system includes a print queue that stores print jobs scheduled for a printer. The system also includes a scheduler that receives requests to schedule a print job for the printer. The scheduler compares the print settings of the requested print job to print settings of the print jobs already in the print queue. The scheduler then schedules the requested print job among the print jobs in the print queue that have print settings corresponding with the print settings of the requested print job.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for scheduling multiple types of print jobs in a print queue using a pseudo job. A pseudo job is a special type of non-printing job object that is added to a print queue. In one embodiment, a system includes a print queue that stores print jobs scheduled for a printer. The print queue also stores a pseudo job that defines a boundary in the queue between print jobs having a first set of print settings and print jobs having a second set of print settings. In another embodiment, a system includes a print queue, a control system, and a graphical user interface. The graphical user interface displays options for generating a pseudo job, and receives input indicating a scheduled change to a configuration of a printer. The control system generates the pseudo job based on the input, and inserts the pseudo job in the print queue.

Abstract: The systems and methods presented herein provide for seamless printer accessibility to clients regardless of the print protocols being used in their respective print jobs. A printing system includes a physical printer and a print process device operable to process a print job from a client system. The print processing device includes a virtual printer operable to detect a print protocol associated with the print job, determine that the print protocol associated with the print job conflicts with the print capabilities of the physical printer, configure the print job with the print protocol of the physical printer based on the print protocol associated with the print job, and process the print job according to the print protocol of the physical printer. In doing so, a protocol converter may map printer commands of the print protocol of the print job to printer commands of the print protocol of the printer.

Abstract: The systems and methods presented herein provide print operations to a client via a print application in a manner that makes the print application independently operable within a computing environment of the client. The system includes a print application initiator that is operable in the client to copy system definitions of the client that control computing sessions within the client, to retrieve print application definitions that control computing sessions for the print application, and to change one or more of the copied system definitions based on the print application definitions. The print application initiator is also operable to generate a computing session for the print application within the client based on the changed system definitions and to start the print application within the computing session to provide the print operations of a print processing device to the client.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for visually representing print jobs in a print queue. In one embodiment, a system comprising a print queue, a scheduler, and a Graphical User Interface (GUI) is disclosed. The print queue stores print jobs for a printer. The scheduler estimates a time to print each of the print jobs on the printer. The GUI displays a graphical representation of each of the print jobs in the print queue, where a size of a graphical representation of each of the print jobs is based on the estimated time to print each of the print jobs.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided that allow for printing of separator pages from designated input trays on printers of a print shop. One embodiment is a print server that receives an incoming print job directed to a printer, and identifies an input tray of the printer that has been designated for printing separator pages. The print server also generates a separator page with a property that directs the printer to print the separator page with media from the designated input tray, and transmits the separator page to the printer for printing from the designated input tray.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for notifying operators of tasks to perform on printers by inserting operator instructions onto separator pages that are placed between print jobs. One embodiment is a print server that includes a control system and a page generator. The control system is operable to identify a print job, and to identify an operator instruction for the print job indicating a physical task for an operator to perform on a printer before the print job is printed. Also, the control system holds the print job responsive to identifying the operator instruction. The page generator generates a separator page comprising the operator instruction that indicates the physical task to perform on the printer, and transmits the separator page for printing to inform the operator of the task before the print job is printed.

Abstract: Systems and methods for print queue management are provided. The system performs a queue management process to identify a print job loaded in a first queue for a first printer, and to estimate a first time to print the print job on the first printer from the first queue. The system selects a second queue for a second printer, estimates a second time to print the print job on the second printer from the second queue if the print job were moved to the second queue, and calculates a difference in printing time between the first time to print and the second time to print. The system also moves the print job from the first queue to the second queue based on the calculated difference in printing time.

Abstract: A method disclosed. The method includes a user selecting one or more attributes to be included in a print report, allocating locations for each of the selected attributes in the print report, receiving a stream of print data, collecting data from the data stream associated with each of the selected attributes and generating the print report by inserting the collected data into each of the allocated locations.

Abstract: Methods and systems for improved workflow management for a related group of jobs. A group of related jobs are received from a job source and are processed independently and in accordance with an associated job type for each job. The jobs may be processed and reprocessed independent of all other jobs in the group and may be processed substantially concurrently or in parallel. A group workflow manager assures synchronization of the jobs to generate the expected order in the output. The synchronization is defined by synchronization actions processed as part of the workflow processing. The synchronization actions may be defined in the job type of each job, or in a group job type, or defined by user interaction.