Vistaprint Technologies Limited

Vistaprint Schweiz Gmbh

Cimpress Schweiz Gmbh

Alexander K Schowtka

Daniel R Malone

Robert Dulaney

Kenneth A Walker

Eliza H Royal

Anatoliy V Tsykora

Eric Walker

Robert L Dulaney

Automated electronic document design systems and method for designing and modifying product templates. When a user initiates a product design session, a product template is presented for user editing and a product description identifier is assigned to the product being designed. Document templates are assembled from individual composite elements. The individual identifiers of the component elements that make up the template being viewed by the user are associated with the description identifier. Tools are provided to allow a user to change one or more of the composite elements of the template. When a user changes an element, the identifier of the newly selected element is associated with the description identifier. Component elements of one template can be individually used, as appropriate, to prepare customized templates for another part of the same document or for different documents.

Electronic product design

Electronic document design methods and computer programs allowing a user to separately control and modify layout and the design components of an electronic document. A number of possible document layouts and possible document designs are stored. A document is based on the combination of one of the stored layouts and one of the stored designs. While the user is viewing the electronic document, controls are available to the user allowing the user to view and select among alternate layouts and designs for that document. Color schemes and font schemes for the document may also be separated controlled.

Electronic document modification

Electronic document design systems and methods allowing a user engaged in customizing an electronic product to re-crop product images in a manner that is compatible with the product layout. Upon selection of an image area in the product design, the user can choose to re-crop the image currently displayed in the image area or to select and crop a different image to be used in the selected image area. A cropping indicator that can be resized and repositioned is provided to the user. The cropping indicator is automatically sized to have and retain the same height to width ratio as the selected image area. Upon completion of any resizing or repositioning operation, the selected image area of the electronic product is updated to reflect the cropping changes made by the user.

Image cropping system and method

A system and method for automatically generating composite images from component images selected by a system user and incorporating the composite images into an image of a custom product. The user can select component images in any sequence and can delete, add, replace or change component images and colors during the design process. The library of component images is organized into categories and subcategories for presentation to the user.

Custom composite image system and method

Automated electronic document design systems and methods for combining identified images and layouts into electronic product templates for displaying to a user. A plurality of images and a plurality of layouts are retained. Stored images are identified based on keyword input by the user. Stored layouts contain one or more image containers and are identified based on product type and number of layout images input by the user. Images and layout image containers are designed to use pre-determined standard sizes to facilitate modularity and the ready combination of images and layouts.

System and method for automated product design

Automated electronic document design systems and methods for combining identified images and layouts into electronic product templates for displaying to a user. A plurality of images and a plurality of layouts are retained. Stored images are identified based on keyword input by the user. Stored layouts contain one or more image containers and are identified based on product type and number of layout images input by the user. Images are automatically sized and cropped to fit image containers. Sizing and cropping constraints are applying to control image quality.

Automated image resizing and cropping

Systems and methods for facilitating a WYSIWYG relationship between character strings when rendered on a relatively low resolution device, such as a computer monitor, and the same character strings when rendered on a relatively high resolution device, such as a laser printer or commercial offset printing press, involve determining the difference in the widths of each character string when rendered in both the low resolution format and the high resolution format and inserting or deleting space as required between the individual characters in the character string such that the widths of the low resolution and high resolution strings are substantially equalized.

Growing community of inventors

Weston, MA, United States of America

Alexander K Schowtka