Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.P.

Hewlett-packard Company

Robert Douglas Christiansen

Scott C Clouthier

Brian E Hoffmann

Paul Wissenbach

Robert E Stevahn, Jr

Travis J Parry

Kris Randall Livingston

Amir Gaash

Ouri Poupko

Systems and methods to configure a Raster Image Processor (RIP) are described. In one aspect, a networked computing environment includes a RIP manager coupled to at least one RIP engine. A print job is received. The RIP engine is requested to dynamically configure its RIPing operations when at least one of the RIP Engine's RIPing parameters is not congruent to a RIP manager supplied processing preference. Such dynamic configuration is requested in consideration of the RIP engine RIPing a particular portion of the print job.

Automatically configuring a raster image processor

Systems and methods for automatic discovery of a networked raster image process (RIP) engine are described. In one aspect, a device determines that an entity is searching for one or more RIP engines. Responsive to such determining, the device notifies the entity of its RIP engine status.

Automatic discovery of networked raster image processing engines

Image forming devices and methods of assisting with maintenance of image forming device consumables are described. According to one aspect, an image forming device includes: an image engine configured to utilize a consumable to form hard images; an interface adapted to communicate with a network comprising a plurality of network devices external of the image forming device; and processing circuitry coupled with the image engine and configured to forward a search request to the interface for communication to the network, to receive information regarding the consumable from the plurality of network devices via the interface responsive to the search request, to generate a message including information received from at least one of the network devices, and to control communication of the message.

Image forming devices and methods of assisting with maintenance of image forming device consumables

Systems and methods for cooperative rasterization of print data in an enterprise network are described. In one aspect, a primary printer rasterizes a portion of a print job to input raster bits into a raster buffer associated with the primary printer. During print job processing operations, the primary printer identifies a potential underflow condition of the raster buffer. Thus, the primary printer communicates an un-rasterized portion of the print job to a secondary printer for the secondary printer to rasterize&#x2014;the primary printer not rasterizing the un-rasterized portion. Subsequently, the primary printer receives raster bits corresponding to the un-rasterized portion from the secondary printer. The primary printer prints all of the raster bits corresponding to the print job.

Cooperative rasterization of print data in an enterprise network

Systems, apparatus, and methods for enhancing management of raster image processing (RIP) resources are described. In one aspect, a printing environment includes a RIP engine and multiple RIP pipelines. The RIP engine is scheduled to perform RIP for a first time period for a first pipeline of the multiple RIP pipelines. Responsive to occurrence of a start time of the first time period, the RIP engine is automatically transferred to the first pipeline for RIP.

Enhanced management of raster image processing resources

Systems and methods for optimizing raster image process (RIP) pipeline data throughput are described. The RIP pipeline includes multiple RIP engines. In one aspect, a print job is divided into multiple partitions. The multiple partitions are at least as numerous as the number of RIP engines in the pipeline. A respective partition is distributed to each of the multiple print engines for processing into raster data. The raster data is printable by a printing device.

Optimizing raster image processing pipeline data throughput

In a raster image processing (RIP'ing) pipeline, the invention recovers a failed raster image process (RIP) partition. In one aspect, multiple partitions of a print job are distributed across multiple RIP engines. One or more particular partitions of the multiple partitions are determined to have failed to RIP. Other ones of the multiple partitions that are not the one or more failed partitions were successfully raster image processed (RIP'd) into a first set of data. Zero (0) or more portions of erroneous print data portions of the one or more particular portions are automatically identified. If no portions of the one or more particular portions are determined to be erroneous, a second set of RIP'd data corresponding to the one or more particular portions is automatically generated. The first and second sets of RIP'd data are aggregated into an output file for printing.

Systems and methods for recovery of a failed raster image processor partition

Various systems and methods for raster image processing employing partitioning of print jobs are described herein. In one representative embodiment, a method is provided that comprises the steps of determining a page count for a print job expressed in a page description language and specifying a number of partitions of the print job. The method also includes the steps of assigning each of the partitions of the print job to one of a number of raster image processing (RIP) engines for raster image processing, and, re-aggregating a number of raster image processed partitions from the RIP engines into a raster image processed output file. Each of the raster image processed partitions is generated by raster image processing a corresponding one of the partitions with a respective one of the RIP engines.

Partitioning of print jobs for raster image processing

Commercial printers operate more efficiently when they run continuously after being started on a print job. Print job image data is processed by a predetermined number of raster image processors (RIP engines) before starting a printer so as to be able to operate a printer continuously for the duration of the print job. Print job partitions are determined and counted. A predetermined number of partitions are processed into hardware ready bit (HRB) output files which are transferred to the printer. Using a predetermined formula, the total number of partitions to process is calculated before sending resultant HRB output files to said printer. Remaining partitions are processed into HRB files by at least one of the RIP engines until all partitions have been processed.

Determining raster image processor cycle count to fully utilize a printer

Digital printing technologies often rely on raster image processors (RIPs or RIP engines) to convert vector image data to raster, or bit-map, data, which allows a printer to render the image as a pattern of dots or pixels. One problem that the present inventors recognized with conventional RIPs is that they have limited communications capabilities that can in some circumstances reduce their effective processing speed. Accordingly, at least some embodiments of the present invention allow controlling a RIP engine using two or more different RIP control entities.

Selectable control of raster image processor

Edge-to-edge printing in a laser or ink jet printer is accomplished by printing registration or calibration marks proximate to the edges of at least one page. The number of marks visible at each edge provides a measurable indication of the alignment of the print mechanism with respect to the page.

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Boise, ID, United States of America

Robert Douglas Christiansen