PDF Variable Data Flattening and Color Conversion Optimization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for flattening and color converting PDF documents with recurring content stored in form XObjects result in large, unoptimized files, as the recurring content is included in every page's flattened representation, leading to inefficiencies in storage and processing, especially for RIPs that struggle with complex interactions between recurring and variable content.
Innovation Solution
A method that separates and optimizes recurring and variable content by flattening recurring content once and storing it in a memory location, then using this flattened content with variable content to generate new pages, allowing for color conversion and raster caching to create a more compact and efficient destination document.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If recurring content is included in every page's flattened representation, then color conversion accuracy is improved, but file size increases and processing efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the document into recurring content (stored once in form XObjects) and variable content (stored on each page), allowing the recurring portion to be processed once and reused, thereby reducing overall file size while maintaining color accuracy through proper flattening of the shared content
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary flattening of recurring content stored in form XObjects before the final output stage, so that color conversion is applied once to the recurring elements rather than repeatedly on each page, improving both efficiency and color consistency
2Measurement precision
If recurring content is included in every page's flattened representation, then color conversion accuracy is improved, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
By separating recurring and variable content into distinct storage locations (form XObjects vs. page content), the patent enables the RIP to process and cache recurring elements once, avoiding repeated color conversion and flattening operations on identical content across multiple pages
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs color conversion and flattening of recurring content in advance during the preparation phase, storing the processed result in the form XObject. This preliminary processing eliminates the need to repeat these computationally intensive operations during final rendering, significantly reducing processing time
3Measurement precision
If recurring content is flattened on every page, then color accuracy is maintained, but RIP processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments content into recurring (form XObject) and variable (page-specific) portions, allowing the RIP to apply optimization strategies such as raster caching to the recurring content while handling variable content separately, thereby reducing processing complexity without sacrificing color accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a flattened copy of recurring content in the form XObject that can be referenced by multiple pages. The RIP processes this copy once and reuses it across all pages that contain the recurring content, eliminating the need to reprocess identical content repeatedly and reducing overall system complexity
Data Source
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AI summary
Methods, and computer systems and computer program products for performing them, for storing a destination document from a source document. Recurring content in the source document is flattened and stored in a first memory location, and then for each page in the source document, the page is flattened using the variable and (stored) recurring content, and portions influenced by the variable content are extracted and stored in a second memory location. The content in the first and second memory locations may be optionally color converted from a source color space to a device color space and stored in third and fourth memory locations, respectively. For each page n, a new page is added to the destination document comprising the flattened, recurring content stored in the first (or third, if color-converted) memory location and the flattened, variable content stored in the second (or fourth, if color-converted) memory location.