Method and apparatus for preventing print overruns

Abstract

A page printer is described which divides each page of text, graphics, etc. into lateral page strips, each having an allocated page strip rasterization time (PSRT) based upon the printer's page print time. A method is described for assuring that a print mechanism in the printer has a strip of rasterized data waiting to be printed when a previous strip has been printed. The method comprises the steps of: determining a total rasterization execution time (RET) for all display commands in each strip; determining for a selected strip, if its RET exceeds the sum of PSRT and at least a prior strips idle strip rasterization time (ISRT), where ISRT equals PSRT less RET for the prior strip; prerasterizing the selected strip if its RET exceeds the aforestated sum and arranging it in a first queue; arranging the selected strip in a second queue if its RET does not exceed the aforestated sum; and transferring strips from the queues to a print mechanism and rasterizing strips from the second queue in the process of such transfer.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.