System and method for partial job interrupt of normal order of job queue of marking systems

Abstract

A method and system is provided for partial job interrupt of an on-going first print job to cause a contemporaneous parallel printing of a second print job. A plurality of marking engines associated with the storage device for receiving and storing a plurality of print jobs in queue, executes a first print job and outputs the sheets to an assigned first sheet output. A user determines that a second print job sent to the system and stored in the queue behind the first print job will be undesirably delayed and so interrupts the first print job by limiting the executing of the first print job to less than all of the plurality of print engines within the printing system. An output of the first print job is maintained at the first job sheet output. The second print job can then be contemporaneously executed with the execution of the first print job with available print engines interrupted from the first print job. Second print job sheets are outputted contemporaneously at a second sheet output with the output of the first print sheet jobs. The partial job interrupt is effected at the printing system upon detection by user of a delay in the printing of the second print job. The limiting of the executing of the first print job could also be effected by contemporaneously applying images of the first print job and the second print job to the photoreceptor of a one of the marking engines.