Host Rendering Complex Drawing Instructions for Fixed Memory
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Solution Overview
Problem
Split printing systems face challenges in rendering complex documents with limited memory on the printing device, leading to compromised output quality and increased processing times due to the need for aggressive compression or increased device capabilities.
Innovation Solution
A method is introduced where the host device identifies complex drawing instructions in intermediate print data and converts them into simpler instructions, allowing the data to be rendered within the device's memory constraints, using techniques like fillmap data structures and partial or full-page flattening to optimize memory usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If aggressive compression methods are used to fit print data in device memory, then the data fits in limited device memory, but the output quality is degraded due to lossy compression
Solution Approach 1:
The host device performs preliminary rendering of complex drawing instructions into simpler instructions before transmitting to the printer. This advance processing converts complex graphical elements into simplified representations that fit within device memory without requiring aggressive compression, thereby preserving output quality while adapting to memory constraints
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and processes only the essential visual information from complex drawing instructions, removing redundant or overly detailed elements. By taking out only the necessary drawing information and transmitting simplified instructions to the device, the system reduces data size for memory accommodation while maintaining adequate output quality
2Quantity of substance
If the device processes PDL data directly, then the data size is reduced fitting in memory, but the device complexity and processing capability must be significantly increased
Solution Approach 1:
The rendering process is segmented between host and device portions. The host handles complex PDL interpretation and drawing instruction generation, while the device performs simpler rendering of the generated instructions. This segmentation allows the device to have reduced complexity and smaller memory while still processing complete print jobs
Solution Approach 2:
Drawing instructions generated by the host serve as an intermediary representation between the original PDL data and final pixel output. These intermediate instructions contain essential drawing information in a simplified format that reduces memory requirements on the device while maintaining the ability to reproduce the original document
3Reliability
If the device waits to receive all data before processing, then complete data is available for rendering, but processing time increases and memory requirements are higher
Solution Approach 1:
The host device performs preliminary conversion of PDL data into drawing instructions and transmits them to the printer as they are generated. This allows the device to begin processing and rendering before receiving all the original PDL data, reducing overall processing time while ensuring data completeness through continuous transmission
Data Source
AI summary
A method of forming print instructions in a host for rendering within a fixed amount of memory on a printer receives intermediate data comprising regions which are associated with drawing instructions. A first amount of memory available to render the intermediate data is calculated based on a second amount of memory needed by the printer to store the intermediate data. The host determines a subset of the drawing instructions as complex drawing instructions and renders the complex drawing instructions to the printer as simpler drawing instructions. For regions associated with the complex drawing instructions, the host reassociates the regions with the corresponding simpler drawing instructions to form altered intermediate data which can be rendered on the printer within the determined first amount of memory. The print instructions, including the altered intermediate print data, can then be rendered by the printer to pixel data within the fixed amount of memory.