Method and system for defining separate print quality regions within a print job

• US 20040205640A1
• Filed: 10/11/2001
• Published: 10/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Laughlin, John David
• Granted Patent: US 7,941,750 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/527
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1208 resulting in improved quality of the output result, e.g. print layout, colours, workflows, print preview
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1219 with regard to consumables, e.g. ink, toner, paper
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1239 Restricting the usage of resources, e.g. usage or user levels, credit limit, consumables, special fonts
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1254 Automatic configuration, e.g. by driver
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1256 User feedback, e.g. print preview, test print, proofing, pre-flight checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/106 Display of layout of documents; Previewing

Abstract

A user defines regions within each page of a print job and independently specifies a desired print quality setting for each such region. The printer driver running on the host computer that will submit the print job to a printer or printing device has a user interface through which a representation of the print job is displayed for the user. Using the user input device of the host computer, the user can then define or specify multiple elements or regions within each page of the print job. The user can then further set a desired print quality for each of the specified elements or regions. In this way, those elements of a print job that require a high print quality for a satisfactory appearance, such as photographs, can be identified and printed an appropriate quality levels, while other elements, such as text, that do not require a high print quality for a satisfactory appearance can be printed at a lesser print quality level. Alternatively, the printer driver can be set to automatically identify elements of a print job, such a photographs or other graphics, which typically require a high print quality setting for a satisfactory appearance. The printer driver may then automatically specify a higher print quality for those identified elements than is used for the other, less demanding elements of the print job.

Claims

1. A printer driver stored on a computer-readable medium comprising:

an interface configured to receive print job data; and

a print job formatting routine which notes one or more regions within a print job derived from said print job data and further specifies a particular print quality level at which each such region is then printed.

2. The printer driver of claim 1, further comprising:

a WYSIWYG display routine for generating a WYSIWYG display of said print job; and

a user input routine for receiving user input defining said one or more regions within said print job using said WYSIWYG display.

3. The printer driver of claim 2, wherein said user input routine is configured to receive user input specifying a particular print quality level for each of said one or more regions defined within said print job.

4. The printer driver of claim 2, wherein said user input routine is configured to receive user input through a mouse connected to a host computer on which said printer driver is running.

5. The printer driver of claim 4, wherein said user input routine is configured to display movement of a cursor on said WYSIWYG display in response to physical movement of said mouse, said movement of said cursor being used by said user input routine to define said one or more regions within said print job.

6. The printer driver of claim 1, further comprising a graphics identification routine for identifying regions of said print job that contain a graphic element.

7. The printer driver of claim 6, wherein said print job formatting routine is configured to automatically specify a print quality setting for said identified regions of said print job that contain a graphic element.

8. The printer driver of claim 7, further comprising a user input routine through which a user can specify a default print quality setting to be applied to said identified regions of said print job that contain a graphic element.

9. A method of printing documents comprising printing designated regions within a print job at different print quality levels.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said designated regions are within a single page of said print job.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

displaying a WYSIWYG display of said print job; and

receiving user input defining one or more of said regions within said print job using said WYSIWYG display.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising specifying said one or more regions within said print job by moving a cursor driven by a mouse over said WYSIWYG display.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising automatically identifying regions of said print job that contain a graphic element.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising automatically specifying a print quality level for said identified regions of said print job that contain a graphic element.

15. A computer system comprising:

a host computer;

an interface on said host computer for connecting a printing device to said host computer; and

a printer driver stored on said host computer for formatting print job data from said host computer to a printing device;

wherein said printer driver comprises a print job formatting routine which notes one or more regions within a print job derived from print job data and further specifies a particular print quality level at which each such region is to be printed.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising a printing device connected to said host computer through said interface, said printing device printing different regions of a print job in accordance with instructions from said print job formatting routine.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said regions printed at different print quality levels are on a single page of said print job.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein said print driver further comprises:

a WYSIWYG display routine for generating a WYSIWYG display of a print job; and

a user input routine for receiving user input defining said one or more regions within a print job using said WYSIWYG display.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein said user input routine is configured to receive user input specifying a particular print quality level for each of said one or more regions defined within said print job.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein said printer driver further comprises a graphics identification routine for identifying regions of said print job that contain a graphic element.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein said print job formatting routine automatically specifies a print quality setting for said identified regions of said print job that contain a graphic element.