System and method for automatic resolution reduction

A system for the automatic reduction of printer resolution, the system employing a host computer for controlling and printing a document on the printer, the host computer having a data file for the document containing data describing a plurality of objects to be printed, the printer containing a print engine, the system comprising:

• a resource assembler within the host computer for:
• examining the data file;
• translating the data file into a set of primitives corresponding to the plurality of objects within a particular portion of the document;
• determining if said set of primitives will fit within the printer;
• and
• determining if the printer can process said set of primitives into a bit-map data file in real-time or if the printer can process said set of primitives into a bit-map data file before the print engine is activated, said resource assembler then converting said set of primitives into said bit-map data file if the printer cannot store said set of primitives or the printer can neither process said set of primitives into said bit-map data file in real-time nor process said set of primitives into said bit-map data file before the print engine is activated;
• a printer resource store within the printer for receiving said set of primitives or said bit-map data file from the host computer and storing said set of primitives or said bit-map data file;
• and
• a resource executor within the printer for creating said bit-map data file corresponding to said set of primitives, and transferring said bit-map data file to the print engine for printing.

A system for the automatic reduction of resolution in a printer, the system employing a host computer for controlling and printing a document on the printer, the host computer having a data file for the document containing data describing a plurality of objects to be printed, the printer containing a printer resource store within the printer receiving and storing data from the host computer, a resource executor within the printer creating a bit-map data file corresponding to the data stored in the printer resource store, and a print engine, the system comprising:

• a host resource store within the host computer storing a selected set of resources comprising a plurality of the resources required to print the document;
• and
• a resource assembler within the host computer for:
• examining the data file and selecting some of the resources from the resource storage area to form said selected set of resources required for printing the document;
• loading said required set of resources in said host resource store;
• translating the data file into a set of primitives corresponding to the plurality of objects within a particular portion of the document;
• determining if said subset of required resources and said set of primitives will fit within the printer resource store;
• and
• determining if the printer can process said set of primitives into the bit-map data file in real-time or if the printer can process said set of primitives into the bit-map data file before the print engine is activated, said resource assembler then converting said set of primitives into the bit-map data file if the printer resource store cannot store said subset of required resources and said set of primitives or the printer can neither process said set of primitives into the bit-map data file in real-time nor process said set of primitives into the bit-map data file before the print engine is activated.

A method in a host computer attached to a printer for automatically adjusting the resolution of a printer attached to a host computer, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) determining if a render primitive list can fit within a memory in the printer;
• (b) if said render primitive list can fit within said memory, calculating an execution cost for real-time execution of a render primitive list by the printer to determine if the printer can execute said render primitive list in real-time;
• (c) executing said render primitive list within the host computer to create a bit-map data file of said render primitive list if said render primitive list cannot fit within said memory or if the printer cannot execute said render primitive list in real-time;
• (d) determining if said bit map data file will fit within the printer;
• (e) if said bit-map data file will not fit within the printer, determining if a first compressed bit-map data file will fit within the printer;
• (f) if said first compressed bit-map data file will fit within the printer, compressing said bit-map data file to create a first compressed bit-map data file of said render primitive list, said first compressed bit-map data file maintaining full resolution within the printer;
• (g) if said first compressed bit-map data file will not fit within the printer, determining if a second compressed bit-map data file will fit within the printer, said second compressed bit-map data file reducing the resolution within the printer;
• (h) if said second compressed bit-map data file will fit within the printer, reducing resolution of said first compressed bit-map data file within the host computer to create a second compressed bit-map data file of said bit-map data file;
• and
• (i) with reduced resolution from said second compressed bit-map data file, creating a third compressed bit-map data file of said bit-map data file if said second compressed bit-map data file will not fit within the printer, whereby the host computer automatically reduces the resolution of the data to the printer, if necessary, to execute data in said render primitive list, said bit-map data file, said first compressed bit-map data file, said second compressed bit-map data file, or said third compressed bit-map data file.

A method in a host computer attached to a printer for automatically adjusting the resolution of a printer attached to a host computer, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) determining if a render primitive list can fit within a memory in the printer;
• (b) if said render primitive list can fit within said memory, calculating an execution cost for real-time execution of a render primitive list by the printer to determine if the printer can execute said render primitive list in real-time;
• and
• (c) executing said render primitive list within the host computer to create a bit-map data file of said render primitive list if said render primitive list cannot fit within said memory or if the printer cannot execute said render primitive list in real-time.

A method in a host computer attached to a printer for automatically adjusting the resolution of a printer attached to a host computer, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) calculating an execution cost for real-time execution of a render primitive list by the printer to determine if the printer can execute said render primitive list in real-time;
• (b) executing said render primitive list within the host computer to create a full resolution bit-map data file of said render primitive list if the printer cannot execute said render primitive list in real-time;
• (c) determining if said full resolution bit map data file will fit within the printer;
• and
• (d) compressing said full resolution bit-map data file within the host computer into a compressed bit-map data file if said full resolution bit-map data file does not fit within the printer until said compressed bit-map data file fits within the printer.

A method in a host computer attached to a printer for automatically adjusting the resolution of a printer attached to a host computer, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) calculating an execution cost for real-time execution of a render primitive list by the printer to determine if the printer can execute said render primitive list in real-time;
• (b) executing said render primitive list within the host computer to create a full resolution bit-map data file of said render primitive list if the printer cannot execute said render primitive list in real-time;
• (c) determining if said full resolution bit map data file will fit within the printer;
• (d) if said full resolution bit-map data file does not fit within the printer, determining if a compressed full resolution bit-map data file will fit within the printer;
• (e) if said compressed full resolution bit-map data file will fit within the printer, compressing said bit-map data file to create said compressed full resolution bit-map;
• and
• (f) if said full resolution compressed bit-map data file does not fit within the printer, compressing said full resolution bit map data file by forming a reduced resolution bit-map data file and reducing resolution until said reduced resolution bit-map data file fits within the printer.

A method in a host computer attached to a peripheral for automatically compressing data processed by a peripheral, the peripheral having a peripheral memory to receive the data file, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) determining if the data file will fit within the peripheral memory;
• (b) if the data file will fit within the peripheral memory, determining if the peripheral can process the data file into a bit-map data file in real-time;
• and
• (c) convening the data file into said bit-map data file within the host computer if the peripheral memory cannot store the data file or if the peripheral cannot process the data file into said bit-map data file in real-time.