Abstract: This is a method for permitting an employee (user) authority to use his employer's marking apparatus for personal reasons. The supplier (provider) of the marking apparatus for example, Xerox Corporation, makes arrangements with the employee (with employer's approval) to use the marking apparatus for an agreed upon price; the marking apparatus having provisions for recording the employee's usage and conveying this to the provider. The provider administers the entire process and pays the employer a portion of the amount remitted by the employee user.

Abstract: This is a method for permitting an employee (user) authority to use his employer's marking apparatus for personal reasons. The supplier (provider) of the marking apparatus for example, Xerox Corporation, makes arrangements with the employee (with employer's approval) to use the marking apparatus for an agreed upon price; the marking apparatus having provisions for recording the employee's usage and conveying this to the provider. The provider administers the entire process and pays the employer a portion of the amount remitted by the employee user.

Abstract: A variable price on-line printing system includes printing and finishing resources, and an on-line server to receive print job data and electronic requests for use of the printing/finishing resources from customer workstations. A dynamic price database includes data that describe current and anticipated future demand for the printing/finishing resources. An automated dynamic price offer generation process accesses the dynamic price database and derives a dynamic price for use of at least one of the printing/finishing resources based upon current and anticipated future demand as indicated in the dynamic price database. A user interface engine receives input from the automated dynamic price offer generation process and outputs price offers to the customer workstations, including the dynamic price associated with a printing/finishing resource, wherein the dynamic price is tailored to shape demand for the printing/finishing resource. The customer can accept or decline the dynamic price offer.

Abstract: A method and system are provided for producing a print that substantially corresponds to the colorimetric attributes of a corresponding proof for an electronic source file. The method and system entail creating a first raster file corresponding to the electronic source file and a second raster file corresponding to the proof. The first and second raster files are aligned to insure a spatial correlation, and a color conversion data structure is built by comparing the aligned first and second raster files. The color conversion data structure is then used to convert the first raster file to a color converted output file. The color converted output file is color transformed to an output file which is then used to produce the print. The print substantially corresponds to the colorimetric attributes of the corresponding proof for the electronic source file.

Abstract: A system enables a rendering intent to be specified for an object in a page description language that does not support the specifying of rendering intents. Such a system includes a user interface for receiving a rendering intent and an identification of an object associated with the received rendering intent, a page description language (PDL) file generator for generating a tag to associate the identified object with a PDL output parameter, and an encoder for encoding the received rendering intent in the PDL output parameter associated with the identified object. Such a system may be used, for example, with a PostScript or a PDF print job file.

Abstract: Text, images, and/or graphics of variable content documents should be organized and laid out by a template to provide effective and quality documents. The best such template depends upon the variable content interaction with the template for each individual document. To analyze the qualitative nature of the template in quantifiable terms, the each variable content document is measure using various quantifiable factors; such as, balance, uniformity, white space management, alignment, consistency, legibility, etc.; that impact a qualitative nature of a document. Such quantifiable factors are then used to quantize the aesthetics, ease of use, eye-catching ability, interest, communicability, comfort, and convenience of the document, thereby giving a designer a measure of the quality of the template in the variable content document context.

Abstract: Provided herein are teachings directed to overcoming the problem of erroneous color reproduction on a color output device such as a color display. The teachings herein provide a method for correcting color image data input to a display device by displaying a target of color patches of known input values on the display device, and capturing an image of the target with a digital camera. This is followed by extracting camera signals from the image which corresponds to the color patches, and deriving a tone response calibration for the projector from the camera signals and the input values.

Abstract: Provided herein are teachings directed to overcoming the problem of erroneous color reproduction on a color output device such as a color display. The teachings herein provide a system and apparatus for correcting color image data input to a display device by displaying a target of color patches of known input values on the display device, and capturing an image of the target with a digital camera. This is followed by extracting camera signals from the image which correspond to the color patches, and deriving a tone response calibration for the projector from the camera signals and the input values.

Abstract: A system and method for pre-print visualization of a job to be printed are described. The method includes submitting the content of the printing job, and associated printing environment data, in order to create a virtual rendering of the job in 3D on a user interface. In one embodiment, the rendering may be a low-resolution rendering and in another embodiment or later step, the virtual rendering would employ print-quality representations of content. The virtual rendering further allows a user to observe job-specific aspects and change a point of view relative to the rendering, including selecting and viewing individual pages of the print job. The method and system may be employed to facilitate obtaining user approval for production of the print job before forwarding the job for production.

Abstract: A method for maintaining color consistency in an environment of networked devices is disclosed. The method involves identifying a group of devices to which a job is intended to be rendered; obtaining color characteristics from devices in the identified group; modifying the job based on the obtained color characteristics; and rendering the job on one or more of the devices. More specifically, device controllers associated with each of the output devices are queried to obtain color characteristics specific to the associated output device. Preferably, the original job and the modified job employ device independent color descriptions. Modifications are computed by a transform determined by using the color characteristics of the output devices along with the content of the job itself. The method further comprises mapping colors in the original job to the output devices' common gamut, i.e.

Abstract: The system for selecting a best device for rendering a color document involves first determining the types of color data included in the color document to be printed. Once the type of color data has been determined, the color characteristics are matched against the strengths of the available output devices to obtain a list of devices best suited for this particular color print job. At least one device from the list of best devices is selected and the color document is rendered onto the selected device. Preferably, the types of color data involved are determined by the mix of defined colorimetry and undefined colorimetry in the color document. Alternatively, the types of color data are determined by analyzing the colorspaces in the document (i.e., RGB, CMYK, LAB, XYZ, etc.), and the embedded profiles, if any, in the document (e.g., sRGB, SWOPCMYK, Euroscale).