Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.P.

Hewlett-packard Company

Scott C Clouthier

Brian E Hoffmann

Robert Douglas Christiansen

Douglas Heins

Gary Lee Vondran, Jr

James R Nottingham

Paul Wissenbach

Shaun Patrick Henry

Randall Edward Grohs

Amir Gaash

Richard H Benear

John Harris

Robert E Stevahn, Jr

Anthony Ezell

Ouri Poupko

Gregory S Saathoff

Jeffery M Roberts

In one example in accordance with the present disclosure, a system is described. The system includes an outsourcing engine to select a contracting print device to which a print job is to be outsourced. A recipe generating engine of the system generates a recipe for a print job. The recipe includes 1) settings for the print job and 2) settings for the contracting print device that is to generate the print job. The system also includes an encoder to encrypt the recipe and an exception processor to respond to requests from the contracting print device to deviate from the recipe.

Outsourcing print jobs with print job recipes

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

One embodiment of the invention is directed to a printer that is configured to interleave color plane data. The interleaved data is compressed, thereby forming compressed data having runs, seedrow copies and literals. In the compression process, commands are buffered to enable independent and simultaneous operation of a run module, a seedrow copy module and a literal module used in forming the compressed data.

Hardware implemented loss-less page data compressor/decompressor

Arrangements and procedures for compressing grayscale, binary and bi-level image data are disclosed. With respect to compressing binary and bi-level image data, individual byte image data values are retained that are different from a same row byte that is n-bytes back. For each retained byte image data value, individual byte image data values are encoded for bytes in a current byte row with replacement data strings. The replacement data strings include a replacement positioning code and a replacement count code for replicating retained byte image data values for subsequent data decompression as a group of substantially identical byte values.

Grayscale and binary image data compression

In a laser printer having a plurality of lasers, each of which effectuates the deposition of toner onto lines of a page to be printed, a method of printing several lines substantially simultaneously comprises storing within a single print data buffer, print data compressed using a predetermined compression methodology. The method also includes decompressing a predetermined segment of said compressed print data by one of a plurality of data de-compressors, each of which is operatively coupled to a laser that effectuates the deposition of toner onto a single line of a media.

Single compressor with plural decompressors for multi-laser printing

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

To reduce the memory requirements of a printer, it is desirable to compress rendered data of a to-be-printed page. Specific types of data of a to-be-printed page are best compressed using either lossless or lossy data-compression engines. &ldquo;Text,&rdquo; &ldquo;graphics,&rdquo; and &ldquo;halftone&rdquo; images are typically best compressed using a lossless engine. &ldquo;Natural&rdquo; images (such as photographs) are typically best compressed using a lossy engine. To select the best compression engine, the fast page analyzer divides the page into multiple horizontal strips of multiple horizontal lines. The fast page analyzer concurrently compresses and analyzes each strip. The analysis of one strip determines which compression engine is used to compress the next strip. In effect, each strip predicts the proper engine to compress the next strip. When printing a page that has been compressed in that manner, the printer will decompress each strip using its associated decompressor. The pixels and lines are delivered to a print engine as they are decompressed and in the order that the print engine prints the image onto the paper.

Fast page analyzer for proper selection of compression engine for rendered data

Compression apparatus is described that operates to select an optimum compression procedure to apply to received image data. The compression apparatus can be employed in a page printer having a print engine that must be provided with video data at a constant rate in order to avoid a print underrun. The page printer operates to receive print data and to convert the received print data into rasterized page strips. Some or all of these rasteized page strips can then be compressed by the compression apparatus for later conversion to video data. The compression apparatus operates to compress each received rasterized page strip by selecting a compression procedure that results in a compressed strip that will provide optimum print quality while not causing a print underrun and that is below a threshold data size.

Method and apparatus for data compression

A method for halftoning an image to be rendered onto a media sheet includes the steps of: classifying data portions of a received data stream into one of plural image types, each image type to be subjected to a particular halftone procedure; assigning to each data portion of a common image type, a common identifier and then converting the data portions into a raster representation; subjecting segments of the raster representation to individualized halftone procedures, each segment of the raster representation that is assigned a common identifier being subjected to an identical halftone procedure; and rendering the raster representation onto a media sheet, subsequent to the halftone process. The apparatus for performing the halftone method places the halftone operation subsequent to the rasterization operation and thereby avoids anomalies which occurred in the prior art. Further, the apparatus enables halftone tables which are utilized during the halftone procedure to be altered so as to enable improvements to the halftone method.

Method and apparatus for halftoning of images in a printer

A pixel processor, for use in conjunction with a color video monitor or an all points addressable color print engine, includes brush logic, mask logic, clip logic, and a multi-pixel logic unit to produce a page map consisting of millions of pixels, each having a color value. To portray a 2D-rasterization of overlapping objects with portions of objects being transparent, and objects shaded with colored pattern, the processor combines source S, brush T, pattern mask, source mask, and prior destination D data. Brush logic combines an RGB color setting with a pattern to provide the brush data, tiled within a source region. Mask logic ensures transparency of portions of the pattern or source as defined by pattern mask data and source mask data, respectively. Clip logic limits pixel updates in regions of the page map not within the source region. The processor includes dynamically reconfigurable bit-slice architecture, for updating multiple pixels in parallel, for example four 8-bit pixels in one color plane per operation in a 32-bit embodiment. Registers hold intermediate results of arithmetic comparisons permitting a single raster operation such as S ((S T) & (T D)) to be performed in four clock periods. The symbol ' ' represents a function that returns the absolute value of the difference of the operands. The symbol '&' represents a function that returns the arithmetic 'minimum' of, in this case, intermediate results.

Computer system with parallel processor for pixel arithmetic

A print data processing pipeline for use in a color electrophotographic printer optimizes print quality and minimizes memory usage by separately processing lossy and lossless print data. Lossy print data may include print data for images and lossless print data may include print data for text, line art, and graphics. Partitioning print data into lossy and lossless components allows application of the print data compression operations optimized for each type of print data. High compression ratios can be achieved on lossy print data by applying visually lossless compression operations designed for the lossy print data. In addition, high compression ratios can be achieved on the lossless print data by applying lossless compression operations designed for the lossless print data. A merge unit combines the lossy and lossless print data streams after decompression to reconstruct the original image. Placement of the color space conversion operation and the halftone operation relative to the merge operation, further optimizes the print quality while minimizing memory usage. The print data processing pipeline includes a direct memory access controller which has the capability to allow print data to be selectively directed to the lossy or lossless compressor/decompressor, the color space converter, or the merge unit. Feedback paths within the print data processing pipeline allow the results of the various operations performed to be returned to the direct memory access controller for further processing or storage in system memory. Bypass paths in the color space converter and halftone unit allow print data to be selectively directed around these operations. These capabilities allow configuration of the print data processing pipeline to perform a multitude of permutations of print data processing operations optimized for the print data.

Growing community of inventors

Boise, ID, United States of America

Scott C Clouthier