Externally customized tonal-hierarchy configuration and complementary business arrangements, for inkjet printing

A method of providing a system for printing an image based on data using a printer that is manufactured by a printer company and has a native resolution;

• said method comprising the steps of:
• manufacture and programming, by one or more companies different from the printer company, of a raster image processor for processing such data and transmitting such processed data to the printer;
• provision, by said one or more companies different from the printer company, of a portion of a two-bit data pipeline carrying such in-process data through at least a part of the processor;
• and
• establishment, by said one or more companies different from the printer company, of a drop table for converting such data from the pipeline to said native resolution, said table having an output dot-per-pixel structure that differs from data structure within the pipeline.

A method of providing a system for printing an image based on data using a raster image processor manufactured and programmed by one or more processor companies, said processor having a portion of a two-bit data pipeline carrying such data through at least part of the processor, and said processor further generating or holding instructions for configuring a printer drop table;

• said method comprising the steps of:
• manufacture and programming, by a printer company different from the processor company, of a printer for receiving such image data from the processor;
• said printer having a native resolution;
• and
• establishment, by said printer company, of a drop table within the printer for converting such data from the pipeline to said native resolution, said table having an output dot-per-pixel structure that differs from data structure within the pipeline, and said table being configured by said instructions.

A printer for printing an image, based on input image data;

• said printer comprising:
• a plural-bit data pipeline capable of processing such data at more than one bit per pixel;
• and
• an interface for accepting an externally defined drop table for converting plural-bit data from the end of the pipeline to a specific number of dots per pixel, preparatory to printing;
• wherein the number of dots per pixel defined by the table may be substantially any integral value.