Process for layout and printing of images in multiple lanes with different repeat lengths

A printing system comprising:

• a printing mechanism for applying ink to a substrate;
• a substrate feeder for positioning a continuous web of substrate relative to the printing mechanism to receive the ink;
• digital information stored on computer readable media comprising a multipage document and instructions for manipulating the substrate feeder and the printing mechanism, the multipage document embodying one or more rows of a first image having a first repeat length side by side with one or more rows of a second image having a second repeat length different from the first repeat length, wherein adjacent pages in the multipage document are not identical and at least one set of adjacent pages comprises a first portion of one row of the first or second images on a first page and a second portion of the one row on a second page;
• a print controller configured to access the stored digital information and control the print mechanism and substrate feeder based upon said stored digital information to cause the first and second pages to print adjacent one another without a margin between them such that the first portion of the one row and the second portion of the one row print without a discontinuity.

A method of printing comprising using a printing system comprising a printing mechanism for applying ink to a substrate, a substrate feeder for positioning a continuous web of substrate relative to the printing mechanism to receive the ink, and a print controller, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) accessing digital information stored on computer readable media, the digital information embodying:
• (i) one or more rows of a first image having a first repeat length side by side with one or more rows of a second image having a second repeat length different from the first repeat length, the one or more rows of the first image side by side with the one or more rows of the second image comprising a series of composite image groupings, wherein adjacent composite image groupings in the series are not identical;
• and
• (ii) instructions for manipulating the substrate feeder and the printing mechanism;
• and
• (b) printing the first and second images on a continuous web of substrate without excess white space between adjacent images or discontinuities between partial images in adjacent composite image groupings caused by the different first and second repeat lengths, wherein said printing comprises one of:
• (i) periodically physically shifting the substrate in a reverse direction opposite the forward direction or (ii) digitally shifting the image groupings before printing them.