Abstract: A method including storing a plurality of page elements. Each of the page elements includes i) a drawing command to render a page on a rendering device, and ii) a plurality of segments, in which each of the segments includes a drawing command for a scanline. The page elements are non-overlapping, and the segments are non-overlapping. The method further includes receiving a first page element and merging the first page element into the plurality of page elements by reducing the first page element into a first set of segments and by merging one of the first set of segments into the plurality of segments. Merging the one of the first set of segments into the plurality of segments includes selectively shrinking one of the plurality of segments.

Abstract: A system includes an input module configured to receive a data stream of encoded print data. The data stream includes image file data and a plurality of command operations, the encoded print data corresponds to a page of print data, and each of the command operations corresponds to at least one pixel in a line on the page of print data. An image file decoding module is configured to decode the image file data, store the decoded image file data in a first memory, and store, in the first memory, first identifiers identifying where the decoded image file data is stored. A print data decoding module is configured to receive the command operations and the identifiers, and generate decoded print data based on the command operations, the first identifiers, and the decoded image file data.

Abstract: A method including storing a plurality of page elements. Each of the page elements includes i) a drawing command to render a page on a rendering device, and ii) a plurality of segments, in which each of the segments includes a drawing command for a scanline. The page elements are non-overlapping, and the segments are non-overlapping. The method further includes receiving a first page element and merging the first page element into the plurality of page elements by reducing the first page element into a first set of segments and by merging one of the first set of segments into the plurality of segments. Merging the one of the first set of segments into the plurality of segments includes selectively shrinking one of the plurality of segments.

Abstract: A raster image processing system and method accepts a digital page description as a series of page elements (text, graphics, images, etc.) and creates output video-ready (“flattened”) raster without allocating large amounts of raster memory (arrays of pixels) and without creating a display list of all page elements. This technique improves performance (greater speed with fewer resources consumed) in the typical output process: rendering, image processing, compression, and transmission. The method records each page element in memory in a manner that largely retains the inherent compression of the element description, and fully retains the positional relationships with its neighboring elements. Where an incoming page element overlaps an existing one, the intersections are calculated on the fly, and elements underneath are immediately split, merged, shrunken, or deleted. Each incoming page element is immediately processed and recorded as described above, and then discarded.

Abstract: A raster image processing system and method accepts a digital page description as a series of page elements (text, graphics, images, etc.) and creates output video-ready (“flattened”) raster without allocating large amounts of raster memory (arrays of pixels) and without creating a display list of all page elements. This technique improves performance (greater speed with fewer resources consumed) in the typical output process: rendering, image processing, compression, and transmission. The method records each page element in memory in a manner that largely retains the inherent compression of the element description, and fully retains the positional relationships with its neighboring elements. Where an incoming page element overlaps an existing one, the intersections are calculated on the fly, and elements underneath are immediately split, merged, shrunken, or deleted. Each incoming page element is immediately processed and recorded as described above, and then discarded.