Print engine with adaptive processing

A print engine adapted to print image data from a plurality of pre-processing systems, wherein the pre-processing systems supply image data at different image resolutions and halftoning states, comprising:

• a printer module for printing halftoned image data at a printer resolution;
• a data interface that receives image data and associated metadata from a particular pre-processing system, wherein the metadata includes an image resolution parameter that provides an indication of an image resolution of the image data provided by the particular pre-processing system and a halftone state parameter that provides an indication of a halftoning state of the image data provided by the particular pre-processing system;
• a metadata interpreter that interprets the metadata and determines image processing operations required to prepare the image data for printing using the printer module, wherein the metadata interpreter determines that a resolution modification operation is required if the metadata indicates that image resolution of the image data does not match the printer resolution, and wherein the metadata interpreter determines that a halftoning operation is required if the metadata indicates that the image data is not in an appropriate halftoning state;
• a resolution modification processor module that processes the image data to modify the resolution of the image data if the metadata, interpreter determines that a resolution modification operation is required;
• a halftone processor module that processes the image data by applying a halftoning operation to the image data if the metadata interpreter determines that a halftoning operation is required;
• and
• a printer module controller that controls the printer module to produce a printed image in accordance with the processed image data;
• wherein if the metadata indicates that the image resolution of the received image data is lower than the printer resolution and that the received image data is in a halftoned state, then the print engine is configured to emulate a print engine having a resolution equal to the image resolution.