Page parallel RIP printing methods and systems

摘要

Disclosed are methods and apparatus for operating a page parallel RIP printing system including a plurality of image marking engines (IMEs). According to an exemplary method, a print job is split into a plurality of job chunks, each job chunk grouped by its destination IME; and the job chunks are processed into a printer ready format by a plurality of RIP nodes associated with the job chunk group's respective destination IME.

主权项

1. A method of operating a printing system for parallel processing a single print job with a plurality of destination image marking engines (IMEs), the single print job including a series of sequential pages and each IME associated with a respective plurality of distinct RIP nodes, the printing system including a total of number of RIP nodes at least equal to N multiplied by a number of the plurality of destination IMES, the method comprising:
splitting the print job into a plurality of job chunks to be printed with the plurality of destination IMEs, each job chunk limited to including one or more pages to be printed using only one of the plurality of destination IMEs; assigning each of the plurality of job chunks to one of the plurality of RIP nodes associated with the job chunk's respective destination IME for parallel processing of the job chunks into a printer-ready format; parallel processing the plurality of the respectively assigned job chunks into the printer-ready format using a maximum total of N RIP nodes from an available N RIP nodes per each of the plurality of destination IMEs; printing the printer-ready job chunks on the respective destination image marking engines; and assembling the printed job chunks from the destination IMEs to provide a sequentially ordered printed version of the single print job including a series of sequential pages; wherein the plurality of RIP nodes N associated with a first IME are configured according to a first set of color profile data associated with the first IME, and the plurality of RIP nodes N associated with a second IME are configured according to a second set of color profile data associated with the second IME.