Abstract: A method for generating a secondary image, being a first body of data from an initial document, onto a second body of data from the initial document, to produce a final document. The method includes identifying within the initial document the first and second bodies of data. The initial document is then formatted into an initial digital document file capable of being processed by the document producer into the final document. The first body of data is stored in a computer readable memory as a secondary image data file, and the second body of data is stored in the memory as a primary image data file. The secondary image data file and at least a portion of the primary image data file are then combined in the document producer to generate a digital page of the finished document, which is then generated by the document producer as the final document.

Abstract: Methods and systems for processing image data in connection with peripheral units such as laser printers are described. In one embodiment, an image pipeline is queried to determine at least one constraint which affects the image data provided to the image pipeline from a source of image data. If appropriate, the constraint(s) is imposed on the image data to provide constrained image data. After the constraint is imposed on the image data, the constrained image data is provided from the source to the image pipeline for processing into a page-arranged output. In another embodiment, image data which is provided by a source is stored in a first buffer. A handle is assigned to the image data. The handle is passed through at least a portion of the image pipeline. After such passing, at least a portion of the image data which was stored in the first buffer is copied directly into at least one strip buffer, with such copying being the first copying of the image data after the storing thereof in the first buffer.

Abstract: An imaging system includes a processor and memory for storing descriptions of images. Such images include mosaic patterns that recur in a larger image. When the larger image is displayed, the mosaic patterns are tiled to fill defined areas of the larger image. If a description of a mosaic pattern in terms of graphics primitives would occupy more memory than a description of the mosaic pattern in a bit map format, then the processor converts the image description to a bit map format, stores the result in the memory, and releases the portion of the memory formerly used for storage of the graphics primitives. Otherwise, the processor delays such a conversion until the bit map is needed for tiling.

Abstract: There is described a method for determining the relative location between a rectangle and a polygon. First, a box that bounds the polygon is created. An outside indicator is returned if the rectangle is outside the box. An intersect indicator is returned if the box is entirely inside the rectangle. If an odd/even fill process is in use then first the intersect indicator is returned if the rectangle intersects with the polygon or if a subpath bounding box is entirely inside the rectangle. Finally, if the location of the rectangle has not yet been returned, the location of a single point of the rectangle is returned. If a non-zero winding fill process is in use, first, the intersect indicator is returned if at least one corner of the rectangle is in a different side of the polygon than remaining corners of the rectangle.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for clipping a objects against a non-rectangular polygon. The present invention first defines a rectangular buffer with a height and width equal to the maximum height and width of the non-rectangular polygon. Next, each object is clipped against the rectangular buffer using a fast rectangular clipping method. After all the objects have been clipped, the rectangular buffer is converted to a pattern buffer. Finally, the pattern buffer is clipped against the non-rectangular polygon using an arbitrary clipping method.