Intelligent Pre-conversion of Print Jobs for Predicted Printer Selection
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Solution Overview
Problem
In networked printing environments, users face delays and resource wastage due to the need to convert print jobs into compatible formats for selected printers, especially when the actual printing location is unknown, and portable devices with limited capabilities struggle to handle this process efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A system that predicts the user's preferred printer based on printing history and pre-converts print jobs into compatible formats, reducing delays by accessing data on print device capabilities, location, and queue information to prioritize and render the job before selection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the user submits a print job without knowing the selected printer format, then the user can use pull printing mode to select any printer, but the print job must be converted after selection causing printing delays
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs pre-rendering of the print job to multiple printer-compatible formats before the user selects a printer. This preliminary conversion action eliminates the need for post-selection conversion, thereby resolving the contradiction between pull printing flexibility and printing delay.
2Productivity
If the user selects the correct print format when submitting the job, then conversion delays are avoided, but the user cannot use pull printing mode to select different printers
Solution Approach 1:
The system renders the print job to multiple printer formats simultaneously, making a single print job compatible with multiple printer types. This multi-functionality approach allows the user to select any printer (maintaining flexibility) while having the job already converted (maintaining efficiency).
3Ease of manufacture
If portable devices execute larger applications to render documents to printer-compatible formats, then print jobs can be converted locally, but the devices exceed their limited computing capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts the complex rendering function from the portable device and relocates it to the print server. The portable device only needs to submit the print job and select a printer, while the server handles the computationally intensive pre-rendering to multiple formats.
4Loss of time
If the system pre-converts print jobs to multiple printer formats, then printing delays are eliminated, but computing resources are consumed before printer selection
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs pre-rendering to multiple formats (excessive action) to ensure compatibility with any selected printer, eliminating printing delays. The trade-off of increased computing resource consumption is accepted to achieve the goal of zero waiting time for format conversion.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for pre-rendering a print job to a print-ready document format in a print system comprising a plurality of print devices. The method may include receiving a print job from a user via a mobile electronic device and predicting at least one print device in the print system that the user may use for printing the print job. The prediction is based on at least one of the following: user activity data relating to printing in the print system by the user, print device information relating to the plurality of print devices, user information received from the mobile electronic device, or a plurality of print job criteria provided by the user. The method may further include recommending at least one print-ready document format that the at least one print device may use for printing the print job, and pre-rendering the print job to the recommended at least one print-ready document format.