Abstract: A printing system for use in printing objects of any of a plurality of different object types includes a printer; and a printer control device with a user interface having a first option for associating printer-independent print-quality characteristics with a selected object type to be printed by the printer. A printer-independent print-quality characteristic is an instruction associated with an element, such as object type, in an electronic page which indicates printer-independent features that are preferentially emphasized when printing the element. Examples of printer-independent print quality characteristics include “make sharp edges”, “reduce mottle”, “distinguish neighboring colors”, “reduce moiré”, “distinguish tone and edges”, “maximum tone depth”, “perceptual colors” and “compress without loss of detail”.

Abstract: A printing system for use in printing objects of any of a plurality of different object types includes a printer; and a printer control device with a user interface having a first option for associating printer-independent print-quality characteristics with a selected object type to be printed by the printer. A printer-independent print-quality characteristic is an instruction associated with an element, such as object type, in an electronic page which indicates printer-independent features that are preferentially emphasized when printing the element. Examples of printer-independent print quality characteristics include “make sharp edges”, “reduce mottle”, “distinguish neighboring colors”, “reduce moiré”, “distinguish tone and edges”, “maximum tone depth”, “perceptual colors” and “compress without loss of detail”.

Abstract: A printing system for use in printing objects of any of a plurality of different object types includes a printer; and a printer control device with a user interface having a first option for associating printer-independent print-quality characteristics with a selected object type to be printed by said printer. A printer-independent print-quality characteristic is an instruction associated with an element, such as object type, in an electronic page which indicates printer-independent features that are preferentially emphasized when printing the element. Examples of printer-independent print quality characteristics include “make sharp edges”, “reduce mottle”, “distinguish neighboring colors”, “reduce moiré”, “distinguish tone and edges”, “maximum tone depth”, “perceptual colors” and “compress without loss of detail”.

Abstract: An object optimized printing system and method comprises a page description language decomposing system, a command instruction and data generating system and an image output terminal controller. The PDL decomposition system inputs a print file defining a plurality of pages in the page description language and locates the plurality of objects forming each page and their object types. Based on the determine object types and any explicit rendering commands in the PDL file, the PDL decomposition system automatically generates rendering tags for each of the objects. The rendering tags are used to control the command instruction and data generating system, the IOT controller and/or the image output terminal to optimize the printing by the IOT on an object-by-object basis. Based on the objects and the generated rendering tags, the command instruction and data generating system generates the differing types of data and the command instructions on a scanline-by-scanline basis.

Abstract: A printing system for use in printing objects of any of a plurality of different object types includes a printer; and a printer control device with a user interface having a first option for associating printer-independent print-quality characteristics with a selected object type to be printed by said printer. A printer-independent print-quality characteristic is an instruction associated with an element, such as object type, in an electronic page which indicates printer-independent features that are preferentially emphasized when printing the element. Examples of printer-independent print quality characteristics include “make sharp edges”, “reduce mottle”, “distinguish neighboring colors”, “reduce moiré”, “distinguish tone and edges”, “maximum tone depth”, “perceptual colors” and “compress without loss of detail”.

Abstract: A printing system for use in printing objects of any of a plurality of different object types includes a printer; and a printer control device with a user interface having a first option for associating printer-independent print-quality characteristics with a selected object type to be printed by said printer. A printer-independent print-quality characteristic is an instruction associated with an element, such as object type, in an electronic page which indicates printer-independent features that are preferentially emphasized when printing the element. Examples of printer-independent print quality characteristics include “make sharp edges”, “reduce mottle”, “distinguish neighboring colors”, “reduce moiré”, “distinguish tone and edges”, “maximum tone depth”, “perceptual colors” and “compress without loss of detail”.

Abstract: A printing system for use in printing objects of any of a plurality of different object types includes a printer; and a printer control device with a user interface having a first option for associating printer-independent print-quality characteristics with a selected object type to be printed by said printer. A printer-independent print-quality characteristic is an instruction associated with an element, such as object type, in an electronic page which indicates printer-independent features that are preferentially emphasized when printing the element. Examples of printer-independent print quality characteristics include “make sharp edges”, “reduce mottle”, “distinguish neighboring colors”, “reduce moiré”, “distinguish tone and edges”, “maximum tone depth”, “perceptual colors” and “compress without loss of detail”.

Abstract: A printing system for use in printing objects of any of a plurality of different object types includes a printer; and a printer control device with a user interface having a first option for associating printer-independent print-quality characteristics with a selected object type to be printed by said printer. A printer-independent print-quality characteristic is an instruction associated with an element, such as object type, in an electronic page which indicates printer-independent features that are preferentially emphasized when printing the element. Examples of printer-independent print quality characteristics include “make sharp edges”, “reduce mottle”, “distinguish neighboring colors”, “reduce moiré”, “distinguish tone and edges”, “maximum tone depth”, “perceptual colors” and “compress without loss of detail”.

Abstract: An object optimized printing system and method includes a page description language decomposing system, a command instruction and data generating system and an image output terminal controller. The PDL decomposition system inputs a plurality of pages in the page description language and locates the plurality of objects forming each page and their object types. Based on the determine object types and any explicit rendering commands, the PDL decomposition system automatically generates rendering tags for each of the objects. The rendering tags are used to control the command instruction and data generating system, the IOT controller and/or the IOT to optimize the printing by the IOT on an object-by-object basis. Based on the objects and the generated rendering tags, the command instruction and data generating system generates the differing types of data and the command instructions on a scanline-by-scanline basis. The generated command instructions and data are output to the IOT controller scanline-by-scanline.

Abstract: Every printing system has characteristic defects which detract from high quality printing. Xerographic printing systems show defects such as banding, mottled colors in large fill areas, trail-edge deletion and starvation where toner concentrations drop at certain color edges, misregistration, and so on. Ink jet printing systems can show ink bleeding, streaking in the direction of head movement, and so on. One approach to reducing printer defects is to refine the electro-mechanics for more precise printing. Another approach which works for predictable defects is to modify the digital data being sent to the printer to pre-compensate for the defect. The prior art does this to a limited extent for individual object types (strokes, fills, images, text, etc.) and for misregistered color edges (trapping). This invention extends the range of edge-related defects that can be both predicted and pre-compensated for.

Abstract: An object optimized printing system and method comprises a page description language decomposing system, a command instruction and data generating system and an image output terminal controller. The PDL decomposition system inputs a print file defining a plurality of pages in the page description language and locates the plurality of objects forming each page and their object types. Based on the determine object types and any explicit rendering commands in the PDL file, the PDL decomposition system automatically generates rendering tags for each of the objects. The rendering tags are used to control the command instruction and data generating system, the IOT controller and/or the image output terminal to optimize the printing by the IOT on an object-by-object basis. Based on the objects and the generated rendering tags, the command instruction and data generating system generates the differing types of data and the command instructions on a scanline-by-scanline basis.

Abstract: An object optimized printing system and method comprises a page description language decomposing system, a command instruction and data generating system and an image output terminal controller. The PDL decomposition system inputs a print file defining a plurality of pages in the page description language and locates the plurality of objects forming each page and their object types. Based on the determine object types and any explicit rendering commands in the PDL file, the PDL decomposition system automatically generates rendering tags for each of the objects. The rendering tags are used to control the command instruction and data generating system, the IOT controller and/or the image output terminal to optimize the printing by the IOT on an object-by-object basis. Based on the objects and the generated rendering tags, the command instruction and data generating system generates the differing types of data and the command instructions on a scanline-by-scanline basis.

Abstract: Every printing system has characteristic defects which detract from high quality printing. Xerographic printing systems show defects such as banding, mottled colors in large fill areas, trail-edge deletion and starvation where toner concentrations deplete at certain color edges, misregistration, and so on. Ink jet printing systems can show ink bleeding, streaking in the direction of head movement, and so on. If a printer defect occurs predictably, it is possible to pre-compensate for the defect by modifying the digital signal in such a way that the modifications cancel out or hide the expected defect. However, most printing defects, while statistically predictable, vary over time in the severity and extent of the defect. Some defects, such as misregistration, may vary in severity and direction with each print, because the defect is caused in part by paper feeding and shifting during printing. Other defects, such as trail-edge deletion, starvation, halo, tenting, etc.

Abstract: A digital color printing method and system is described which automatically detects when a neutral grey object is commanded to be printed, and changes the composition of the neutral color depending on the previous value of the neutral grey object and on the presence or absence of non-black colorants in the background color at the position on the page at which the neutral object is commanded to be printed. A single-color neutral object which is commanded to be printed at a position in which there is a previously rendered color background which contains non-black colorants may automatically have its neutral color changed from a single-color neutral to a process neutral containing at least one non-black colorant such as cyan, magenta, or yellow, said process neutral chosen to have equivalent visual density and neutrality as the previous single-color neutral value.

Abstract: A digital color printing method and system is described which automatically detects when a black object is commanded to be printed, and changes the composition of the black color depending on the presence or absence of non-black colorants in the background color at the position on the page at which the edge of the black object is commanded to be printed. A single-color black object which is commanded to be printed at a position in which there is a previously rendered color background which contains non-black colorants will automatically have the composition of its black color changed from single-color black to process black composed of black plus non-black colorants such as cyan, magenta, and yellow. Conversely, a process black object which is commanded to be printed at a position in which the background does not contain non-black colorants will automatically have the composition of the black changed from process black to single-color black.

Abstract: An object optimized printing system and method comprises a page description language decomposing system, a command instruction and data generating system and an image output terminal controller. The PDL decomposition system inputs a print file defining a plurality of pages in the page description language and locates the plurality of objects forming each page and their object types. Based on the determine object types and any explicit rendering commands in the PDL file, the PDL decomposition system automatically generates rendering tags for each of the objects. The rendering tags are used to control the command instruction and data generating system, the IOT controller and/or the image output terminal to optimize the printing by the IOT on an object-by-object basis. Based on the objects and the generated rendering tags, the command instruction and data generating system generates the differing types of data and the command instructions on a scanline-by-scanline basis.

Abstract: A method is described for printing a colorant controlled neutral black object in a bitmap-based digital color printing system. The method is useful in systems where the black colorant is not sufficiently opaque to hide non-neutral combinations of non-black colorants mixed into the black color. Black colors in a color printing system can be composed either of black colorant only or of black plus non-black colorants such as cyan, magenta, and yellow. If the non-black colorants are not mixed in nearly equal quantities, they will add hue to the black color. A sufficiently opaque black colorant can hide this objectionable non-black hue. However, in cases where the black colorant is not opaque enough, it is important to use equal or nearly equal combinations of cyan, magenta, and yellow so that little net hue will be introduced into the black color. Equally important in some printing systems is the ability to control the amount of total colorant used in forming a process black color.

Abstract: An object optimized printing system and method comprises a page description language decomposing system, a command instruction and data generating system and an image output terminal controller. The PDL decomposition system inputs a print file defining a plurality of pages in the page description language and locates the plurality of objects forming each page and their object types. Based on the determine object types and any explicit rendering commands in the PDL file, the PDL decomposition system automatically generates rendering tags for each of the objects. The rendering tags are used to control the command instruction and data generating system, the IOT controller and/or the image output terminal to optimize the printing by the IOT on an object-by-object basis. Based on the objects and the generated rendering tags, the command instruction and data generating system generates the differing types of data and the command instructions on a scanline-by-scanline basis.

Abstract: Every printing system has characteristic defects which detract from high quality printing. Xerographic printing systems show defects such as banding, mottled colors in large fill areas, trail-edge deletion and starvation where toner concentrations drop at certain color edges, misregistration, and so on. Ink jet printing systems can show ink bleeding, streaking in the direction of head movement, and so on. One approach to reducing predictable printer defects is to modify the digital data being sent to the printer to pre-compensate for the defect. One pre-compensation method identifies runs of color which meet the criteria likely to cause a printing defect and applies a function f(edge-distance, object-type) to such runs to modify them appropriately. However, if multiple defects are being corrected, an efficient method is needed to identify potential defects since a normal search procedure performed on a band of collected runs one at a time for each defect is time-consuming.

Abstract: A bitmap-based digital color printing method and system is described which automatically detects when a black object is to be printed and changes the Bit Block Transfer (BitBlt) method so that the black color becomes a mixture of black plus the background colorants, limited both by a clipping of one colorant against another and by an allowed maximum value for each remaining non-black separation. More specifically, the process reads the existing background color bits, does a first clip of one separation against another assuming that for correcting certain printing defects some separations are more important than others, and then does a second clip of remaining non-black separations to a pre-set maximum allowable amount. The result is an efficient way to control total colorant while allowing some separations precedence over others; with the result that the amount of colorant in one separation is dependent on or partially correlated with the amount of colorant in another.