STREAM PRINTING METHOD FOR HANDLING LARGE PRINT JOBS TO ACHIEVE REDUCED FIRST-PAGE-OUT TIME

摘要

A stream printing method implemented in a print server and a printer for handling printing of large files. The print server divides the input data file into a plurality of data chunks, and transfers them sequentially to the printer. The printer sequentially rips the data chunks and prints them. The print server dynamically monitors the system performance factors to measure, for each data chunk, the time required to extract the data chunk from the data file, the time required to transfer the data chunk to the printer, the time required to rip the data chunk, and the time required to print the data chunk. The sizes of the data chunks are calculated using these performance factors and the chunk size of a previous data chunk.

主权项

1. A method for printing a large data file, implemented in a print server and a printer connected with each other, the method comprising:
the print server sequentially extracting multiple consecutive data chunks from the data file; the print server sequentially transferring the multiple consecutive data chunks to the printer; the printer sequentially performing raster image processing (RIP) for the multiple consecutive data chunks to generate raster image data for each data chunk; and the printer sequentially printing the raster image data of the multiple consecutive data chunks; wherein prior to extracting a current data chunk, the print server calculates a first coefficient αd as a ratio of a time required to extract a first previous data chunk and a size of the first previous data chunk, calculates a second coefficient αx as a ratio of a time required to transfer a second previous data chunk and the size of the second previous data chunk, calculates a third coefficient αr as a ratio of a time required to perform RIP for a third previous data chunk and the size of the third previous data chunk, and calculates a fourth coefficient αp as a ratio of a time required to print a fourth previous data chunk and the size of the fourth previous data chunk, and wherein prior to extracting the current data chunk, the print server calculates a size of the current data chunk based on a size of a fifth previous data chunk and the first to fourth coefficients αd, αx, αr, and αp, wherein the first to fifth previous data chunks are the same or different data chunks which have been processed prior to extracting the current data chunk.