True print preview method and apparatus

A computer-associated method of displaying on a display screen a true print preview of a document about to be printed comprising

• utilizing a computer which is associated with a display screen, sending from the computer to a connected printer instructions regarding the printing of a document,
• in the connected printer, receiving these instructions and generating from such instructions a collection of print-control data which is useable by the printer to print the document,
• before printing that document, sending back to the computer from the printer the generated print-control data collection, and
• in the computer, creating on the associated display screen a user-viewable, true-preview document display based directly upon the sent-back collection of print-control data, which display shows exactly how the printed document will look after printing.

A method employable in a computer environment for previewing the exact final appearance of a document which is about to be printed comprising

• sending a print-instruction data stream to a printer,
• within the printer, creating from that print-instruction data stream a print-control data collection which is effective directly to implement a related printing operation,
• before implementing such a printing operation, sending a copy of the print-control data collection to a screen-display viewing instrumentality, and
• displaying on that instrumentality a true preview of what the printed document would look like if printed on the basis of the print-control data collection.

A method for producing a true print-preview display in the setting of computer structure which is operatively associated both with a screen-display device, and with a printer that is operatively connected to the computer structure, said method comprising

• from a document-creating application in the computer structure creating a document, and with reference to the created document, sending a set of related document-printing instructions from the computer to the printer,
• in association with said sending, requesting from the printer a print-preview display,
• in the printer, on the basis of such sent instructions, generating a collection of document print-control data which the printer will directly use to print the created document, and in response to the print-preview display request, sending back to the computer structure a print-preview data stream based exactly upon the generated print-control data collection, and
• through cooperative interaction between the computer structure and the screen-display device, creating on the screen-display device from that sent back data stream a true print-preview display which exactly shows what the printer will print from the associated, underlying print-control data collection.

A computer/printer system with true print-preview screen-display capability comprising

• computer structure armed with a document-creation application,
• a hard-copy printer operatively connected to said computer structure,
• a screen-display device having a screen display operatively associated both with said computer structure and with said printer, and
• print-preview enabling structure operatively associated with said computer structure and with said printer, enabling, in relation to the proposed printing by the printer of a document that has been created in the computer structure within the application, and sent to the printer, a user request that the printer effectively send to said screen-display device, for displaying on its screen, data relating to a true image showing how the printer will actually print to hard copy the sent document so created within the application.