Method and system for dynamic flowing data to an arbitrary path defined by a page description language

Abstract

Improvements to a method for flowing variable data, such as text data, image data, bar code data, and the like, into a path of a template defined by a PDL specification in a high-speed printing operation.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 436,749, filed Nov. 9, 1999, which claimed the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 107,583, filed Nov. 9, 1998. The disclosures of both applications are incorporated herein by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] This invention relates in general to the high speed printing industry, and more particularly a system and method for flowing variable data into a page description language file in a high speed printing environment. [0003] Application programs, such as word processors, illustrators, and computer-aided design systems are software packages used to create a document (text and graphics) on a computer screen and to simultaneously generate a page description language (“PDL”) specification, which is to be transferred to the printer or to any other type of raster or output device for creating a hard copy or copies of the document. Alternatively, a...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0007] It is an object of this invention to provide a system and method for flowing variable data (such as text data, image data, bar code data and the like) into a path of a template defined by a PDL specification in a high-speed printing operation. It is a further object of this invention to provide the ability to generate a plurality of merged bitmaps, which are each essentially a copy of a template, except for at least one portion of the template that contains an arbitrary path. In that path, each merged bitmap can contain a different set of variable data merged into it. The template is defined by a page description language, and the page description language only needs to be processed or interpreted once before creating all of the merged bitmaps, thus providing an extremely high-speed variable data printing operation.

[0012] Thus, the PDL specification of the template need only be interpreted once, saving significant processing time for the variable printing operation, because the reserved graphic states may be utilized over and over again to create the flowed data bitmap for each variable data record contained in the merge file.

Problems solved by technology

Typical PDL languages are not designed for high-speed variable data printing because, with PDL languages and PDL interpreters, even if a single item of data in the document changes, an entirely new PDL specification must be created and interpreted.

The processing time required to interpret and render one-hundred thousand PDL specifications is enormous, significantly slowing the entire printing system.

Furthermore, typical PDL languages do not include any text or data flowing capabilities.

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