High priority printing using external interpreter and page description language

A method of printing, comprising:

• creating a socket connection on a printer firmware of a printer to interface with an external hardware device application (app) or a cloud printer server;
• pausing a current print job on the printer, wherein the printer includes a print engine, and the current print job includes a plurality of pages;
• initiating a function call to handshake with the external hardware device app or to POST a message to the cloud printer server, wherein the external hardware device app and the cloud printer server include:
• an external interpreter comprising first logic to generate high priority raster data from page description language (PDL) data;
• a print job status;
• and
• a priority determination unit, wherein the priority determination unit includes second logic to determine if a high priority print job exists or does not exist using the print job status and to generate executable printing instructions for the printer, wherein the executable printing instructions comprise:
• on condition that a high priority print job exists:
• operating an application programming interface (API) to query at least one of the external hardware device app and the cloud printer server for high priority raster data of the high priority print job;
• operating the external interpreter to generate high priority raster data for the high priority print job;
• relaying the high priority raster data to the print engine;
• operating the print engine on the high priority raster data to generate at least one or more high priority pages;
• and
• operating the printer to print the at least one or more high priority pages;
• and
• on condition that a high priority print job does not exist:
• operating the printer to print one page from the plurality of pages of the current print job;
• and
• executing the printing instructions.

A printing apparatus comprising:

• a print engine;
• and
• a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, configure the printing apparatus to:
• pause a current print job on the printing apparatus, wherein the current print job includes a plurality of pages;
• ping an external interpreter on an external device for a print job status comprising an existence of a pending high priority print job for the printing apparatus, wherein the external interpreter includes first logic to generate high priority raster data from a page description language (PDL);
• apply the print job status to a priority determination unit, wherein the priority determination unit includes second logic to determine if a high priority print job exists or does not exist and to generate executable printing instructions for the printing apparatus and the external interpreter, wherein the executable printing instructions comprise:
• on condition that a high priority print job exists:
• operating the external interpreter to generate high priority raster data for the high priority print job;
• receiving the high priority raster data for the high priority print job from the external interpreter;
• operating the print engine on the high priority raster data to generate at least one or more high priority pages;
• and
• operating the printing apparatus to print the at least one or more high priority pages;
• and
• on condition that a high priority print job does not exist:
• operating the printing apparatus to print one page from the plurality of pages of the current print job;
• and
• execute the printing instructions.