Page printer allocates page strips to auxiliary processor for conversion to rasterised image if sufficient time is available

摘要

The page printer has auxiliary processor, active in connection with page processing procedure stored in page printer. Main processor is active in connection with page processing procedure to define processing time required to process each page strip of page to form rasterised image data and determine if there is sufficient time to convert the page strips. The page printer includes a printing machine adapted to print one page of N page strips every X time units. An auxiliary processor is active in connection with a page processing procedure stored in the page printer. A main processor is active in connection with the page processing procedure to define a processing time required to process each page strip of the page to form rasterised image data. The main processor also determines if there is sufficient time after the printing machine has started printing the page, to convert the page strips of a page whose processing time exceeds X/N time units into a rasterised image before the rasterised image is to be formed into the page by the printing machine. If this is possible, the main processor allocates the page strips for processing by the auxiliary processor. For a page strip whose processing time does not exceed X/N time units, the main processor allocates the page strip for processing by the main processor. An Independent claim is included for a method of controlling a page printer.