Pull Printing Rendering Initiated at Printer
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pull printing methods require users to be present at both the host system to initiate the print job and the printer to receive the output, and they often necessitate pre-rendered documents or fully compatible printer drivers, limiting user flexibility and feature utilization.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for pull printing where rendering is initiated at the printer, allowing users to locate and print documents from the printer's front panel, with standard and proprietary options managed by the printer, enabling printing of native format documents without pre-rendering and without requiring a fully compatible printer driver on the host system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If pull printing is implemented with rendering initiated at the printer, then user flexibility and feature accessibility are improved, but system complexity increases due to bidirectional communication requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a print spooler service as an intermediary component that manages the bidirectional communication between the printer and host system. The spooler receives print requests from the printer, initiates rendering on the host system, and coordinates the return of rendered data to the printer, thereby reducing the direct communication complexity while maintaining user flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The printing system is segmented into distinct functional components: the printer front panel interface, the print spooler service on the host system, and the rendering engine. This segmentation allows each component to operate independently with well-defined interfaces, reducing overall system complexity while enabling flexible pull printing functionality.
2Adaptability or versatility
If native format documents are printed without pre-rendering, then printing functionality is improved, but processing time increases due to deferred rendering
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-installing rendering capabilities and driver software on the host system before printing is initiated. The print spooler service is pre-configured to handle rendering requests, so when a pull print request is made, the rendering process can begin immediately without delay, maintaining fast processing while enabling native format printing.
3Adaptability or versatility
If proprietary print options are managed by the printer, then feature completeness is improved, but compatibility requirements worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The print spooler service acts as an intermediary that translates between proprietary printer options and standard host system rendering parameters. It receives proprietary print options from the printer front panel, converts them into appropriate rendering instructions for the host system, and manages the communication protocol, thereby enabling full feature access without requiring the host system to have native compatibility with all printer-specific options.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for pull printing a document wherein the rendering is initiated at a printer is disclosed. A document on a computing device is located from a printing device. A message is sent to the computing device to print the document with at least one print option. The document is rendered at the computing device into printer ready data using the at least one print option thereby providing a rendered document. The rendered document is de-spooled to the printing device. Another print option is processed on the printing device. The rendered document is printed on the printing device.