Title: System and method for controlling printing performance
Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a system and method for controlling printing performance. In one arrangement, the system and method concern receiving identification of a desired printing performance, automatically determining which of several different printing parameters of the printing device to adjust to provide the desired printing performance, and adjusting the printing parameters of the printing device as necessary to provide the desired printing performance.
Patent Number: 6,977,737 Issued on 12/20/2005 to Lea
| Inventors:
|
Lea; Perry (Meridian, ID)
|
| Assignee:
|
Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (Houston, TX)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
925402 |
| Filed:
|
August 9, 2001 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
358/1.13; 358/1.1 |
| Intern'l Class: |
G06K 015/00 |
| Field of Search: |
358/523,522,521,520,519,518,321,324,118,114,113,16,11
|
References Cited [Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
| 2002/0085056 | Jul., 2002 | Ylitalo.
| |
Primary Examiner: Evans; Arthur G.
Claims
1. A method for controlling printing performance of a printing device, comprising
the steps of:
receiving identification of a desired printing performance from a user;
automatically determining which of several different printing parameters of the
printing device to adjust to provide the desired printing performance; and
adjusting the printing parameters of the printing device as necessary to provide
the desired printing performance by changing internal settings of the printing
device, the internal settings including those affecting quality and speed of the
printing performance of the printing device.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving identification of a desired
printing performance comprises receiving identification of a printing performance setting.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the printing performance setting is received
via a graphical user interface (GUI).
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the graphical user interface (GUI) includes
an indication of a performance spectrum with high printing quality at one end of
the spectrum and high print speed at another end of the spectrum.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the spectrum comprises a plurality of different
setting values that identify different printing performance configurations.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the printing parameters pertain to at least
one of font substitution and font bitmapping.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the printing parameters pertain to at least
one of resolution down-sampling, data compression, I/O buffer size, masering buffer
size, and jam recovery.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving identification of a desired
printing performance comprises receiving identification with the printing device directly.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving identification of a desired
printing performance comprises receiving identification with a computing device
separate from the printing device.
10. A system for controlling printing performance of a printing device, comprising:
means for receiving identification of a desired printing performance from a user;
means for automatically determining which of several different printing parameters
of the printing device to adjust to provide the desired printing performance; and
means for adjusting the printing parameters of the printing device as necessary
to provide the desired printing performance by changing internal settings of the
printing device, the internal settings including those affecting quality and speed
of the printing performance of the printing device.
11. The system of claim 10, wherein the means for receiving identification of
a desired printing performance comprises a graphical user interface (GUI).
12. The system of claim 11, wherein the graphical user interface (GUI) includes
an indication of a performance spectrum with high printing quality at one end of
the spectrum and high print speed at another end of the spectrum.
13. The system of claim 12, wherein the spectrum includes a plurality of different
setting values that identify different printing performance configurations.
14. The system of claim 10, wherein the printing parameters pertain to at least
one of font substitution and font bitmapping.
15. The system of claim 10, wherein the printing parameters pertain to at least
one of resolution down-sampling, data compression, I/O buffer size, masering buffer
size, and jam recovery.
16. A printing device, comprising:
a processing device;
electrophotographic imaging components with which hardcopies can be created; and
a print control module configured to adjust printing parameters in response to
a received identification of a desired printing performance from a user, wherein
the printing parameters correspond to internal settings of the printing device,
the internal settings including those affecting quality and speed of printing performance
of the printing device.
17. The device of claim 16, further comprising a graphical user interface (GUI)
with which the identification of the desired printing performance can be received,
the graphical user interface (GUI) including an indication of a performance spectrum
with high printing quality at one end of the spectrum and high print speed at another
end of the spectrum.
18. The device of claim 17, wherein the spectrum includes a plurality of different
setting values that identify different printing performance configurations.
19. The device of claim 16, wherein the print control module is configured to
adjust at least one of font substitution and font bitmapping.
20. The device of claim 16, wherein the print control module is configured to
adjust at least one of resolution down-sampling, data compression, I/O buffer size,
masering buffer size, and jam recovery.
21. A printing device driver configured to control printing performance of a
printing device, comprising:
logic configured to receive identification of a desired printing performance
from a user;
logic configured to automatically determine which of several different printing
parameters of the printing device to adjust to provide the desired printing performance; and
logic configured to facilitate adjustment of the printing device printing parameters
to provide the desired printing performance by changing internal settings of the
printing device, the internal settings including those affecting quality and speed
of the printing performance of the printing device.
22. The printing device driver of claim 21, where in the logic configured to
facilitate adjustment of the printing parameters comprises logic configured to
facilitate transmission of specific desired printing parameters to the printing device.
23. The printing device driver of claim 21, further comprising a graphical user
interface (GUI) configured to receive an identification of a printing performance setting.
24. The printing device driver of claim 23, wherein the graphical user interface
(GUI) includes a performance spectrum with high printing quality at one end of
the spectrum and high print speed at another end of the spectrum.
25. The printing device driver of claim 21, wherein the printing parameters pertain
to at least one of font substitution, font bitmapping, resolution down-sampling,
data compression, I/O buffer size, masering buffer size, and jam recovery.
26. Software for controlling printing performance of a printing device, the software
being stored on a computer readable medium, comprising:
logic configured to receive identification of a desired printing performance
from a user;
logic configured to automatically determine which of several different printing
parameters of the printing device to adjust to provide the desired printing performance; and
logic configured to facilitate adjustment of the printing device printing parameters
to provide the desired printing performance by changing internal settings of the
printing device, the internal settings including those affecting quality and speed
of the printing performance of the printing device.
27. The software of claim 26, where in the logic configured to facilitate adjustment
of the printing parameters comprises logic configured to facilitate transmission
of specific desired printing parameters to the printing device.
28. The software of claim 26, further comprising a graphical user interface (GUI)
configured to receive an identification of a printing performance setting.
29. The software of claim 28, wherein the graphical user interface (GUI) includes
a performance spectrum with high printing quality at one end of the spectrum and
high print speed at another end of the spectrum.
30. The software of claim 26, wherein the printing parameters pertain to at least
one of font substitution, font bitmapping, resolution down-sampling, data compression,
I/O buffer size, masering buffer size, and jam recovery.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present disclosure relates to a system and method for controlling printing
performance. More particularly, the disclosure relates to a system and method with
which various low-level printing parameters can be controlled with a relatively
simple user interface.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Various different parameters affect printing performance. For instance, in
regard to printing text, whether font substitution and font bitmapping are used
can affect the speed with which the print job is completed and the quality of the
printout. With respect to printing of images, other factors, such as whether resolution
down-sampling is used and whether data compression is used during the printing
process, can affect speed and print quality.
Generally speaking, print speed and print quality are inversely related.
Specifically, when the printing parameters are set so as to provide high speed
printing, the print quality may not be high. Similarly, if the printing device
is configured for high quality printouts, it may take longer for the printouts
to be created. Therefore, printing device design typically involves balancing print
speed with print quality. In fact, printing devices are typically tuned by the
manufacturer for a particular anticipated type of use. This tuning involves adjustment
of the various printing parameters, such as those noted above, to achieve the desired
printing performance for the anticipated use. For example, for machines that are
marketed to persons that primarily print documents for personal (as opposed to
commercial) use, the printing device may be tuned toward the high speed end of
the speed/quality spectrum. If, on the other hand, the machine is to be marketed
to persons that wish to print commercial documents (e.g., sales brochures), the
printing device may be tuned toward the high quality end of the speed/quality spectrum.
Although tuning in this manner is appropriate for persons who intend to
use their printing devices for single, specific applications, many persons may
wish to use their printing devices for various different types of applications,
some calling for high speed printing, others calling for high quality printing.
For example, if a person wishes to print out a long document in draft form, that
person may care less about quality than about print speed. The same person, however,
may care more about print quality than speed, when printing a copy of a digital
image of his or her family. Unfortunately, most printing devices are not adjustable
in this manner. This normally is due to the fact that the firmware of conventional
printing devices is static, i.e., not adapted for adjustment. Although the driver
software sold along with the printing devices may allow the user to select between
print speed and print quality, these selections typically do not change the internal
settings of the printing device due to this static nature of the firmware. Accordingly,
such selections normally do little to affect the print speed or quality.
Although a printing device could be constructed that provides for adjustment
of the various low-level printing parameters, such as those noted above, such adjustability
may not be desirable to many users. This is due to the fact that many users lack
the imaging savvy to understand how the various parameters affect printing performance.
Even where the user does understand this, the user may not wish to be bothered
with having to individually adjust each of the print parameters due to the tedium
involved with such an endeavor. This is particularly true where the user needs
to adjust the parameters on a frequent basis, for instance where the user alternately
prints high speed and high quality printouts. Furthermore, literally hundreds of
different parameter setting combinations are possible. Therefore, the user may
need to experiment extensively with the parameters until arriving upon a setting
combination that is suitable for a particular print job.
From the foregoing, it can be appreciated that it would be desirable to have
a system and method for controlling printing performance. Furthermore, it can be
appreciated that it would be desirable to have such a system and method with which
this performance can be adjusted with a relatively simple user interface to simplify
the adjustment process.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present disclosure generally relates to a system and method for controlling
printing performance.
In one arrangement, the system comprises means for receiving identification of
a desired printing performance, means for automatically determining which of several
different printing parameters of the printing device to adjust to provide the desired
printing performance, and means for adjusting the printing parameters of the printing
device as necessary to provide the desired printing performance.
In one arrangement, the method comprises the steps of receiving identification
of a desired printing performance, automatically determining which of several different
printing parameters of the printing device to adjust to provide the desired printing
performance, and adjusting the printing parameters of the printing device as necessary
to provide the desired printing performance.
The present disclosure further relates to a printing device that is configurable
so as to adjust the printing parameters of the printing device. In one arrangement,
the printing device comprises a processing device, electrophotographic imaging
components with which hardcopies can be created, and a print control module configured
to adjust printing parameters in response to a received identification of a desired
printing performance.
Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the invention will become
apparent upon reading the following specification, when taken in conjunction with
the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention can be better understood with reference to the following drawings.
The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being
placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present invention.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a system for controlling printing performance.
FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a printing device shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a computing device shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a flow diagram that illustrates an example of operation of a print
control module of the printing device shown in FIG. 2.
FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a graphical user interface that can be used to
control printing performance.
FIG. 6 is a schematic representation of example associations between performance
settings and various printing parameters.
FIG. 7 is a flow diagram that illustrates an example of operation of a print
control module of the computing device shown in FIG. 3.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
As noted above, there is a need for a system and method for controlling printing
performance. In view of this need, a novel system and method for controlling printing
performance are disclosed herein. According to this novel system and method, various
different printing parameters, which normally are static in conventional printing
devices, may be adjusted by the user so that the user can personally tune the printing
device as he or she sees fit. Therefore, the user can tune the printing device
toward the high quality end of the performance spectrum or toward the high speed
end of the spectrum as the case requires. As is further noted above, there is a
need for a system and method with which the various printing parameters can be
easily set by the user without requiring the user to individually adjust the parameters
each time the printing device is tuned. Therefore, the novel system and method
disclosed herein are adapted to automatically adjust the printing parameters for
the user in response to user input received through a relatively simple user interface.
As will be discussed below, in one embodiment the user interface comprises a graphical
user interface (GUI) that presents a performance spectrum having high quality at
one end of the spectrum and high speed at the other to the user. With this GUI,
the user can specify where along the performance spectrum the user wishes the printing
device to perform such that the printing parameters can be adjusted accordingly.
As used herein, the term GUI is used to identify both the visual display presented
to the user as well as the underlying programming and/or logic that is generates
the display. Accordingly, the term GUI is not intended to be limited to the display
alone but to also separately encompass the underlying software.
The general concept of the invention having been described, an example system
for controlling printing parameters will be described with reference to the figures.
Although this system is described in detail, it will be appreciated that this system
is provided for purposes of illustration only and that various modifications are
feasible without departing from the inventive concept.
Referring now in more detail to the drawings, in which like numerals indicate
corresponding parts throughout the several views, FIG. 1 illustrates a system
100
for controlling printing performance. As indicated in this figure, the system
100
generally comprises a printing device
102 and one or more computing devices
104. The printing device
102 is generally capable of outputting hardcopy
documents in response to print jobs received from other devices such as the computing
devices
104. Therefore, the printing device
102 may comprise a printer,
photocopier, scanner, multifunction peripheral (MFP) device, or the like. The computing
devices
104 can comprise substantially any device that is capable of transmitting
data to the printing device
102 for printing. By way of example, the computing
devices
104 comprise various personal computers (PCs)
106 and one
or more network servers
108. Although PCs
106 and a server
108
are identified in FIG. 1 and discussed herein, it will be appreciated that any
one of the computing devices
104 could, alternatively, comprise another
type of computing device such as a network appliance or a handheld computing device
such as a personal digital assistant (PDA) or mobile telephone.
As is further identified in FIG. 1, the printing device
102 and the computing
devices
104 can be connected to a network
110 that typically comprises
one or more sub-networks that are communicatively coupled to each other. By way
of example, these networks can include one or more local area networks (LANs) and/or
wide area networks (WANs). Indeed, in some embodiments, the network
110
may comprise a set of networks that forms part of the Internet. As is depicted
in dashed lines, one or more of the computing devices
104 (e.g., a PC
106)
can additionally or alternatively be directly connected to the printing device
102. Such an arrangement is likely in a home environment in which the user
does not have a home network and instead directly sends print jobs from a PC
106
to the printing device
102. In such a scenario, communication can be facilitated
with electrical and/or optical communication lines or with wireless communications components.
FIG. 2 is a schematic view illustrating an example architecture for the printing
device
102 shown in FIG. 1. As indicated in FIG. 2, the printing device
102 can comprise a processing device
200, memory
202, one
or more user interface devices
204, printing hardware
206, and one
or more input/output (I/O) devices
208. Each of these components is connected
to a local interface
210 that, by way of example, comprises one or more
internal buses. The processing device
200 is adapted to execute commands
stored in memory
202 and can comprise a general-purpose processor, a microprocessor,
one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), a plurality of suitably
configured digital logic gates, and other well known electrical configurations
comprising discrete elements both individually and in various combinations to coordinate
the overall operation of the printing device
102.
The one or more user interface devices
204 typically comprise interface
tools with which the device settings can be changed and through which the user
can communicate commands to the printing device
102. By way of example,
the user interface devices
204 comprise one or more function keys and/or
buttons with which the operation of the printing device
102 can be controlled
and a display, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), with which information can
be visually communicated to the user and, where the display comprises a touch-sensitive
screen, commands can be entered.
The printing hardware
206 comprises the components with which the printing
device
102 generates hardcopy printouts. By way of example, the printing
hardware
206 comprises electrophotographic imaging components such as a
charge roller, photoconductor drum, laser scanner, developing roller, fusing system,
and print medium conveyance mechanism. The one or more I/O devices
208 are
adapted to facilitate connection to the network
110 and/or to another device,
such as a computing device
104, and may therefore include one or more serial
and/or parallel ports.
The memory
202 includes various software (e.g., firmware) programs including
an operating system
212 and a print control module
214. The operating
system
212 contains the various commands used to control the general operation
of the printing device
102. The print control module
214 comprises
software (e.g., firmware) that controls the operation of the printing hardware
206 and, as discussed below in greater detail, the adjustment of various
printing parameters that can affect printing performance. The operation of the
print control module
214 is described with reference to FIGS. 4-6 below.
In addition to these programs, the memory
202 can further include a database
216 that stores information such as various different preprogrammed performance settings.
FIG. 3 is a schematic view illustrating an example architecture for the computing
devices
104 shown in FIG. 1. As indicated in FIG. 3, each computing device
104 can comprise a processing device
300, memory
302, one
or more user interface devices
304, a display
306, and one or more
I/O devices
308, each of which are connected to a local interface
310.
The processing device
300 can include any custom made or commercially available
processor, a central processing unit (CPU) or an auxiliary processor among several
processors associated with the computing device
104, a semiconductor based
microprocessor (in the form of a microchip), or a macroprocessor. The memory
302
can include any one of a combination of volatile memory elements (e.g., random
access memory (RAM, such as DRAM, SRAM, etc.)) and nonvolatile memory elements
(e.g., ROM, hard drive, tape, CDROM, etc.).
The one or more user interface devices
304 comprise those components with
which commands are communicated to the computing device
104. By way of example,
these components can comprise those typically used in conjunction with a PC such
as a keyboard and mouse. Similarly, the display
306 can comprise a display
typically used in conjunction with a PC such as a computer monitor. The one or
more I/O devices
308, like I/O devices
208, comprise components that
facilitate connection to the network
110 and/or direct connection to another
device, such as the printing device
102.
The memory
302 normally comprises an operating system
312, a printing
driver
314, a print control module
316, and one or more user applications
318. The operating system
312 controls the execution of other software
and provides scheduling, input-output control, file and data management, memory
management, and communication control and related services. The printing driver
314 is adapted to facilitate communications with the printing device
102
and, more particularly, to transmit print jobs to the printing device. The print
control module
316 comprises software, for example, a driver, that is used
to control the printing performance of the printing device
102 remotely.
With such software, each user can control the printing parameters of the printing
device
102 as desired on a job-by-job basis or, where operation of the printing
device is controlled by a network administrator, the administrator can control
the printing parameters globally for all users. Operation of the print control
module
316 is described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 5-7. The
one or more user applications
318 can comprise, for instance, a word processing
application and/or an image processing application. In addition to these programs,
the memory
302 can comprise a database
320 that, like database
216,
can be used to store various information such as different preprogrammed performance settings.
Various software and/or firmware programs have been described herein. It
is to be understood that these programs can be stored on any computer readable
medium for use by or in connection with any computer related system or method.
In the context of this document, a computer readable medium is an electronic, magnetic,
optical, or other physical device or means that can contain or store a computer
program for use by or in connection with a computer related system or method. These
programs can be embodied in any computer-readable medium for use by or in connection
with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer-based
system, processor-containing system, or other system that can fetch the instructions
from the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device and execute the instructions.
In the context of this document, a "computer-readable medium" can be any means
that can store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or
in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.
The computer readable medium can be, for example but not limited to, an electronic,
magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus,
device, or propagation medium. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of
the computer-readable medium include an electrical connection having one or more
wires, a portable computer diskette, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only
memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM, EEPROM, or Flash
memory), an optical fiber, and a portable compact disc read-only memory (CDROM).
Note that the computer-readable medium can even be paper or another suitable medium
upon which a program is printed, as the program can be electronically captured,
via for instance optical scanning of the paper or other medium, then compiled,
interpreted or otherwise processed in a suitable manner if necessary, and then
stored in a computer memory.
An example system
100 having been described above, operation of the system
will now be discussed. In the discussion that follows, flow diagrams are provided.
It is to be understood that any process steps or blocks in these flow diagrams
represent modules, segments, or portions of code that include one or more executable
instructions for implementing specific logical functions or steps in the process.
It will be appreciated that, although particular example process steps are described,
alternative implementations are feasible. Moreover, steps may be executed out of
order from that shown or discussed, including substantially concurrently or in
reverse order, depending on the functionality involved.
With reference to FIG. 4, illustrated is an example of operation of the print
control module
214 of the printing device
102. In this example, a
control panel (not shown) of the printing device
102 can be used to control
the printing performance of the printing device. Where provided, the control panel
comprises various user interface devices such as those noted above in reference
to FIG. 2. Accordingly, the control panel may comprise one or more function keys
and/or buttons and a display, such as an LCD. Referring first to block
400
of FIG. 4, the print control module
214 can be activated with the control
panel. By way of example, this activation may comprise the selection of one or
more function keys or buttons of the printing device
102. Alternatively
or in addition, activation can occur automatically when the printing device
102
detects motion indicating the presence of a person. In any case, once the print
control module
214 is activated, a user interface is presented to the user,
as indicated in block
402. Normally, the user interface comprises a GUI
with which information can be easily communicated to the user.
Referring to decision element
404, it can then be determined whether
the user would like to adjust the printing performance setting of the printing
device
102. If not, a default performance setting, or a setting previously
selected by a user, is to be left unchanged and flow can continue down to block
412 described below. If, on the other hand, the printing performance setting
is to be adjusted (as determined by, for instance, receipt of a change setting
request communicated by selection of a function key or button), flow continues
to block
406 at which the print control module
214 presents a printing
performance setting user interface to the user. Again, this user interface typically
comprises a GUI with which information can easily be conveyed to the user. Although
the setting user interface is described as being presented to the user only after
it is determined that the user is interested in adjusting the setting, it will
be understood by persons having ordinary skill in the art that such a setting user
interface can form part of the default user interface presented to the user in
block
402 immediately after activation of the print control module
214,
if desired. Once the setting user interface is presented to the user, the selection
of a printing performance setting can be received, as indicated in block
408.
Referring now to FIG. 5, illustrated is an example printing performance
setting user interface
500 with which the print control module
214
can receive a selected printing performance setting. As illustrated in this figure,
the user interface
500 can comprise a GUI that includes a setting bar
502
that represents a printing performance spectrum having high print quality at one
end and high print speed at the other. With this setting bar
502, the user
can indicate where along the spectrum he or she would like the printing device
102 to perform. This indication can be conveyed to the device
102
by moving an indicator
504 to a desired location along the setting bar
502.
This can be accomplished in a variety of ways. For instance, where the display
of the printing device comprises a standard LCD, movement of the indicator
504
along the setting bar
502 can be accomplished by manipulation of buttons
(e.g., right and left arrow buttons) provided on the control panel of the printing
device
102. Alternatively, where the display of the device
102 is
touch-sensitive, the user can "manually" move the indicator
504 by dragging
it to the desired location or by tapping the desired location for the indicator
at some point along the setting bar
502.
With such a user interface
500, the user can easily choose to increase
print quality by moving the indicator
504 closer to the print quality end
of the setting bar
502, or increase print speed by moving the indicator
closer to the speed end of the setting bar. The print control module
214
is configured to, in response to movement of the indicator
504, adjust the
various low-level printing parameters of the printing device
102 to achieve
the printing performance desired by the user. As noted above, many different printing
parameters affect printing performance. Therefore, the print control module
214
typically is configured to associate a particular position of the indicator
504
along the setting bar
502 with particular configurations for each of the
various printing parameters that are adjustable. These associations can be determined
by the print control module
214 with reference to data stored within the
database
216 (FIG. 2). To simplify the task of determining the appropriate
parameter configurations, the setting bar
502 can be divided into a plurality
of individual setting values. For instance, as identified in FIG. 5, the setting
values can range from 1 to 10, where 1 indicates peak print quality and 10 indicates
peak print speed. Although these values are indicated in the user interface
500
shown in FIG. 5, it is to be understood that these values could be hidden from
the user, if desired. In addition, although values 1 through 10 have been identified,
it will be understood that greater or fewer values could be provided, as desired.
Moreover, it is to be noted that the setting bar
502 is just one example
of various GUIs that could be used to convey a spectrum of printing performance.
Other examples include a dial and a variety of buttons having increasing values.
In some embodiments, the associations between the printing performance setting
and the various printing parameters can be determined by the print control module
214 with reference to a look-up table stored in the database
216.
An example look-up table
600 is provided in FIG. 6. As indicated in this
figure, the table
600 crosses a variety of printing parameters
602
with a variety of setting values
604. By way of example, and as shown in
FIG. 6, the printing parameters
602 can pertain to font substitution, font
bitmapping, resolution down-sampling, data compression limits, I/O buffer sizes,
masering buffer sizes, and jam recovery. Although these particular printing parameters
are identified in FIG. 6, it will be understood that various other printing parameters
may be adjusted by the print control module
214, if desired. Therefore,
the printing parameters of FIG. 6 are provided as an example only to facilitate
discussion of the operation of the print control module
214.
As known in the art, font substitution involves substituting of fonts described
in a print job with fonts stored locally within the printing device
102.
For instance, if a print job includes text written in Times Roman™ font,
the printing device
102 may have its own version of Times Roman™
stored within device memory
202. In such a case, the printing device
102
can complete the print job by substituting its own version of the pertinent font
instead of having to configure each character in accordance with detailed mathematical
relationships that define each curve of each character supplied to the printing
device in the print job transmission. When used in this manner, font substitution
can greatly increase the speed with which print jobs are completed. Unfortunately,
however, font substitution can result in slight variations of the fonts and therefore
a lesser print quality. In view of this, font substitution is normally utilized
when the user values print speed over print quality. Referring to the table
600
of FIG. 6, font substitution may therefore only be used by the print control module
214 when the setting value is high (e.g., equal or greater to "9").
As noted above, various mathematical relations can be provided that describe
the
configuration of each character according to a given font. Alternatively, characters
can be rendered as a bitmap within the printing device early in the printing process.
Generally speaking, higher print quality can be achieved when the characters are
rendered in this manner. However, in that the rendering process requires a relatively
long time to complete, rendering the characters as bitmaps can slow the printing
process and therefore reduce the print speed of the printing device. Therefore,
as indicated in FIG. 6, font bitmapping can be enabled by the print control module
214 where relatively high quality is desired (e.g., setting values 1-4)
and disabled where relatively high speed is desired (e.g., setting values 5-10).
Images typically contain a large amount of data. Therefore, printing of images
or documents containing images can slow the printing process. To increase the speed
of the printing process, the resolution of the image or images can be down-sampled
to remove data used to create the image. Any time down-sampling is used, however,
the quality of the image is reduced. Therefore, as indicated in FIG. 6, down-sampling
can be, for instance, used where the setting value is relatively high (e.g., equal
to or greater than "7"). In addition, if it is determined that down-sampling is
to be used, it can be determine to what extent an image is to be down-sampled.
Therefore, different maximum resolutions can be specified for different setting
values, if desired.
Data compression is also typically used for printing images to reduce the amount
of data that must be manipulated within the printing device
102 during the
printing process. In particular, data compression algorithms are used to reduce
the size of image files used to print images. Typically, two different types of
algorithms are used: lossless and lossy algorithms. Lossless algorithms are preferable
from a print quality perspective because they can be used to shrink an image file
in a manner in which no print quality will be lost. However, lossless algorithms
do not compress data very well. Therefore, lossy algorithms, which discard a portion
of data, may be used instead of lossless algorithms where the compressed file sizes
would be too large.
The most common type of lossy compression is a form created by the Joint Photographic
Experts Group commonly known as JPEG. JPEG compression can be used to control the
amount of data that is lost by adjusting the "quantitization" variable, commonly
known as the "Q factor." Lower Q factors result in images with less perceptible
loss. However, lower Q factors can slow the printing process in that less data
is discarded and therefore more data must be manipulated by the device. In addition
to adjustment of the Q factor, adjustment of compression limits can also be used
to control printing performance. The compression limit pertains to the maximum
size that an image file can have after being compressed by a lossless algorithm
before resorting to a lossy (e.g., JPEG) algorithm. Therefore, larger compression
limits will generally result in higher print quality. As indicated in FIG. 6, data
compression can be automatically controlled in terms of both Q factor and compression
limits with larger Q factors and compression limits being provided where high quality
is desired and smaller Q factors and compression limits being provided where high
speed is desired.
Another parameter that affects printing performance is the size of the I/O
buffer. As is known in the art, the I/O buffer comprises a portion of the printing
device memory in which transmitted print data is temporary stored within the printing
device
102 as it is received. Relatively large I/O buffers permit more data
to be transmitted to the printing device
102 at any given time, and therefore
increase the print speed. However, where the size of the total memory is not large,
a large I/O buffer can monopolize memory that could be used for the rendering process,
resulting in a reduction in print quality. Accordingly, as indicated in FIG. 6,
the size selected by the print control module
214 for the I/O buffer can
increase along with the setting value such that a relatively small I/O buffer is
provided for high quality printing and a relatively large I/O buffer is provided
for high speed printing.
Masering is a technique in which print data for a particular print job (e.g.,
a particular page) is stored within the printing device
102 such that the
same print job need not be interpreted, parsed, etc. each time a hardcopy is to
be output. This technique is particularly useful where the user is printing multiple
(e.g., twenty) copies of the same document. In such a situation, masering can greatly
increase the speed at which print jobs are completed. Normally, where the printing
device
102 is capable of masering, a portion of memory (RAM) is dedicated
to a masering buffer used in the masering process. As with the I/O buffer, the
size of the masering buffer can affect printing performance, enabling high speed,
potentially lower quality printing when the buffer is relatively large and enabling
high quality, potentially lower speed printing when the buffer is relatively small.
Therefore, as indicated in FIG. 6, the print control module
214 can adjust
the masering buffer to be relatively small when a lower setting value is selected,
and relatively large when a higher setting value is selected.
Jam recovery pertains to the storage of print data pertinent to each sheet of
paper by the printing device
102 prior to the output of the paper such that,
if a paper jam occurs, damaged printed sheets can be reprinted by the printing
device once the jam is cleared. For printing devices having relatively long paper
paths, this means that data for nearly ten different sheets may be stored by the
printing device
102 during a given print job. Although jam recovery automatically
compensates for jams so that complete documents can be printed without having to
reprint damaged sheets (thereby providing high "quality"), jam recovery delays
the completion of a print job in that various printed sheets are reprinted. At
times, jam recovery may be less important to the user than print speed. For instance,
where the user is printing several copies of the same sheet, jam recovery may not
be necessary and may unduly slow completion of the print job. Therefore, as indicated
in FIG. 6, jam recovery may be disabled by the print control module
214
where the user has selected a high (e.g., the highest) setting value.
Although various associations have been described above between the setting
values and the various printing parameters identified in FIG. 6, it is to be understood
that these associations have been provided by way of example only and that other
associations are feasible and may even be preferable.
Printing performance can be adjusted with the print control module
214
in other ways than with the setting bar
502 alone. Therefore, returning
to FIG. 5, the user interface
500 can, optionally, further include various
soft keys
506 pertinent to printing performance. These keys
506 can
include, for instance, a "default settings" key with which the user can access
preprogrammed (either by the manufacturer or by the user) printing performance
settings. In addition, the keys
506 can include a "customize" key with which
the user can, if desired, adjust the various adjustable printing parameters individually.
Furthermore, the keys
506 can include a "help" key with which the user can
obtain printing performance setting help.
Returning now to the flow diagram of FIG. 4, once the selected printing
performance setting has been received, the print control module
214 adjusts
the printing parameters accordingly, as indicated in block
410. For instance,
with reference back to FIG. 6, where the user has selected a printing performance
setting value of "2," indicating high quality printing is desired, no font substitution
will be used, font bitmapping will be used, no resolution down-sampling will be
used, etc. At this point, the print control module
214 can await a print
job, as indicated in block
412, and once a print job is received (block
414), initiate the execution of the print job, as indicated in block
416.
Next, flow returns to block
402 at which the user interface can again be
presented to the user.
The printing performance of the printing device
102 can also be adjusted
remotely using another device, such as a computing device
104 (FIG. 1).
FIG. 7 provides an example of operation of the print control module
316
as used to control the printing performance setting. Beginning with block
700,
the print control module
316 of the computing device
104 can be activated.
In this scenario, this activation can occur through the opening of an application
stored on the computing device
104 such as a printing device control application.
Once the print control module
316 is activated, a user interface is presented
to the user, as indicated in block
702. As with the print control module
214, this user interface typically comprises a GUI that, in this case, is
presented to the user with the display
306 of the computing device
104.
With reference now to decision element
704, it can then be determined
whether the user would like to adjust the printing performance setting. If not,
flow is terminated in terms of printing performance setting adjustment. If, on
the other hand, the printing performance setting is to be adjusted, flow continues
to block
706 at which the print control module
316 presents a printing
performance setting user interface to the user. Once more, this user interface
can have the general arrangement shown in the example of FIG. 5. As with the flow
described in reference to FIG. 4, although the setting user interface is described
as being presented to the user only after it is determined that the user is interested
in adjusting the setting, it will be understood by persons having ordinary skill
in the art that such a setting user interface can form part of the default user
interface presented to the user in block
702.
At this point, the selection of a printing performance setting can be received,
as indicated in block
708, in similar manner to that described above in
reference to FIG. 4. Once the selected printing performance setting has been received,
the print control module
316 facilitates adjustment of the printing parameters,
as indicated in block
710. The nature of this facilitation depends upon
the situation. For instance, where the computing device
104 is directly
connected to printing device
102 in a non-network (e.g., home) environment,
the pertinent printing parameters may be transmitted to the printing device as
a new default setting. In a network environment where the computing device
104
is one of several hosts that use the printing device
102, facilitation may
comprise adjusting the printing parameters for a particular print job or for all
print jobs transmitted by a particular computing device. Alternatively, where the
computing device
104 comprises a device operated by a network administrator
(e.g., network server
108), facilitation can be adjustment of the printing
parameters globally for all print jobs performed by the printing device
102.
Next, flow can continue on to decision element
712 at which it can be
determined whether another setting adjustment is to occur. If so, flow returns
to decision element
704 described above or is otherwise terminated. Operating
in this manner, the print control module
316 can be used to ensure that
the most suitable printing parameters are used for each print job sent to the printing
device
102, all with great ease to the user.
While particular embodiments of the invention have been disclosed in detail
in the foregoing description and drawings for purposes of example, it will be understood
by those skilled in the art that variations and modifications thereof can be made
without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.
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