Systems and methods for roll based printing

A method of aggregated, lane-based, digital label printing, the method comprising the steps of:

• qualifying a gang of print jobs, wherein qualifying the gang of print jobs further comprises grouping print jobs together that involve similar features to form a gang of print jobs;
• wherein the similar features comprise one of similar label printing materials, colors, images, text, and line art dimensions;
• wherein the gang of print jobs comprises at least a first label print job and a second label print job;
• determining the maximum number of labels to be printed in the gang of print jobs and maximum number of lanes in which to print the gang of print jobs, wherein determining the maximum number of labels and lanes is based on one or more of:
• the number, size, and spacing between labels in the gang of print jobs, the width of a roll of printable material, and operator input;
• laying out, in a two dimensional grid, labels from the first label print job, in series, sequentially within a starting lane until either the end of the first label print job is reached, or the end of the starting lane is reached;
• continuing to lay out labels from the first label print job in a spillover lane, in parallel with the starting lane, in the event that the end of the first label print job is not reached before the end of the starting lane;
• laying out labels from the second label print job, in series, sequentially starting at the end of the first label print job;
• wherein the two dimensional grid is formed of at least two lanes (including the starting lane and spillover lane) and at least two columns, and wherein the number of columns is determined by dividing the maximum number of labels by the maximum number of lanes, and rounding up;
• providing the layout of labels of the first and second label print jobs to a printer;
• printing the first and second label print jobs according to the layout of labels provided to the printer, wherein the printing is in lanes on a roll of printable material;
• slicing the starting lane apart from the spillover lane across all of the columns;
• and
• splicing the starting lane onto one end of the spillover lane to form a roll of labels that is a gang of labels all in a single row with the first label print job coming off the roll of labels before the second label print job comes off.

A method of laying out labels comprising the steps of:

• determining the total number of labels desired of a first type that form a first label print job;
• determining the total number of labels desired of a second type that form a second label print job;
• determining how many columns and lanes of labels to use in the layout for a gang of label print jobs comprising the first and second label print jobs;
• laying out the first type of labels consecutively in a first lane, wherein the first lane runs across all of the columns, from a start point until one of (a) the end of the first lane is reached and (b) the end of the number of labels is reached for the first type;
• continuing laying out the first type of labels consecutively in a second lane if the end of the number of labels for the first type is not reached in the first lane;
• laying out labels consecutively of the second type starting at the end point of the labels of the first type;
• and
• printing the gang of labels on a printer column by column according to the layout for the gang of label print jobs.