Methods and printing system for interactive consumable use estimation

A method for managing printing operations using consumable use estimations, the method comprising:

• performing an initial consumable estimation of a consumable for a job to be printed at a printing device, wherein the job specifies a media;
• identifying a plurality of print conditions corresponding to a paper catalog entry for the media within a paper catalog accessible by the printing device, wherein the plurality of print conditions includes an initial print condition corresponding to the initial consumable estimation;
• determining additional consumable estimations for the media corresponding to the plurality of print conditions based on information within the paper catalog entry;
• determining at least one print condition of the plurality of print conditions having an additional consumable estimate within a threshold from the initial consumable estimation;
• generating a comparison of overall consumable estimations including the initial consumable estimation for the initial print condition and the additional consumable estimations for the at least one print condition;
• and
• displaying the comparison of the overall consumable estimations including the initial consumable estimation and the at least one additional consumable estimation within a user interface for the printing device.

A printing system comprising:

• a printing device having a digital front end (DFE);
• a paper catalog for the printing device accessible by the DFE;
• a user interface for the printing device;
• and
• a processor communicatively coupled to a memory storing instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, configures the processor to
• perform an initial consumable estimation of a consumable for a job to be printed at the printing device, wherein the job specifies a media;
• identify a plurality of print conditions corresponding to a paper catalog entry for the media within the paper catalog accessible by the printing device;
• determine additional consumable estimations for the media corresponding to the plurality of print conditions based on information within the paper catalog entry;
• generate a comparison of overall consumable estimations including the initial consumable estimation and the additional consumable estimations;
• and
• display the comparison of the overall consumable estimations including the initial consumable estimation and the additional consumable estimations within the user interface for the printing device.