Abstract: A printer having multiple stages of nozzles is controlled to avoid or minimize blank space between print portions when printing on roll paper. A controller in communication with the printer is configured to determine if last partial print data to be printed contains blank raster data. If so, the controller calculates the difference between a total number of rasters in the first through the last partial print data and the number of blank rasters in the last partial print data, prints the last partial print data, and controls the paper transportation mechanism to advance the roll paper only the calculated distance to eliminate excess blank space between print portions. The functionality of the controller is also embodied in a method for controlling a printer as described above.

Abstract: Systems and methods for reliably canceling a DMA transfer mode and accelerating printer initialization. A host device 3 for controlling a printer having a DMA transfer mode for printing by transferring image data associated with a received image print command to a print buffer 15. The host device 3 has a print data generating unit 33 for generating the image print command, memory 35 for storing the data size of the image data associated with the image print command generated by the print data generating unit 33, and a printer control unit 34 for sending to the printer 1 an initialization command having null data of the data size stored in memory 35 added to the beginning of the initialization command.

Abstract: A device status monitoring system and method for a POS (point of sale) terminal system, in which an OPOS (OLE for Retail POS) object continuously records changes in device status to a file. A control system (OPOS object) includes a first object (control object) providing an interface for a device class to an application program, and a second object (service object) providing an interface for a specific device to the first object.

Abstract: A printing system and method for printing to roll paper with the advancement of the roll paper controlled such that printing of blank raster data at the end of the printed portion of the roll paper is minimized.

Abstract: A first half-tone processing means 110 half-tone processes image data blocks using an error diffusion method. A second half-tone processing means applies a half-tone process for error value calculation on a leading portion of each image data block before the normal half-tone processing. Two error buffers store the error values output by the first half-tone processing means successively to the leading error values already stored by the second half-tone processing means. Two data buffers store the process result from the first half-tone processing means. The first half-tone processing means starts half-tone processing the image data blocks using the leading error values stored in the two error buffers.

Abstract: Systems and methods for reliably canceling a DMA transfer mode and accelerating printer initialization. A host device 3 for controlling a printer having a DMA transfer mode for printing by transferring image data associated with a received image print command to a print buffer 15. The host device 3 has a print data generating unit 33 for generating the image print command, memory 35 for storing the data size of the image data associated with the image print command generated by the print data generating unit 33, and a printer control unit 34 for sending to the printer 1 an initialization command having null data of the data size stored in memory 35 added to the beginning of the initialization command.

Abstract: A device status monitoring system and method for a POS (point of sale) terminal system, in which an OPOS (OLE for Retail POS) object continuously records changes in device status to a file. A control system (OPOS object) includes a first object (control object) providing an interface for a device class to an application program, and a second object (service object) providing an interface for a specific device to the first object.