Native XML printer

A method for generating a bar code label, tag, ticket, card or other media, in an XML system adapted to print bar code labels, tags, tickets, cards or other media, based upon an extensible markup language (XML) input data stream, the method comprising:

• processing the XML input data stream using an XML processor;
• obtaining a stylesheet either identified in the XML data stream or obtained from a stylesheet repository;
• transforming data in the XML input data stream into transformed XML data using an extensible stylesheet language transformation (XSLT) processor based upon the stylesheet obtained;
• formatting the transformed XML data into formatted XML data using an extensible stylesheet language formatting object (XSLFO) processor based upon XSLFO instructions contained in the stylesheet;
• generating a printable representation of the bar code label, tag, ticket, card or other media using a barcode rendering subsystem based on the formatted XML data, the barcode rendering subsystem processing a barcode-type instream foreign object defined in the stylesheet;
• and
• printing or transmitting for printing, the printable representation of the bar code label, tag, ticket, card or other media.

For use in a barcode apparatus, an XML processing system comprising:

• a computer system operatively coupled to the barcode apparatus;
• the computer system further including
• an XML processor configured to receive and process an XML input data stream;
• an extensible stylesheet language transformation (XSLT) processor configured to either obtain a stylesheet identified in the XML data stream or obtain the stylesheet from a stylesheet repository, the XSLT processor transforming data in the XML input data stream into tansformed XML data based upon the stylesheet obtained;
• an extensible stylesheet language formatting object (XSLFO) processor configured to format the transformed XML data into formatted XML data based upon XSLFO instructions contained in the stylesheet;
• and
• a barcode rendering subsytem configured to receive the formatted XML data and generate a printable bit map representation of the bar code label.