Method and apparatus for determining toner level in electrophotographic print engines

A method for determining if the amount of toner required to render a print job using a given print engine at the location of the given print engine is available at the given print engine at the location of the given print engine wherein prior information about a toner level of a toner cartridge from which toner is supplied to the rendering operation at the given print engine at the location of the given print engine is stored in a toner level register as a loner level value, comprising the steps of:

• accumulating as an accumulated image value toner values, expressed as an incremental value ranging from zero to a maximum value, of substantially all the pixels in a rasterized image prior to sending the rasterized image to the location of the given print engine;
• decrementing the current toner level value in the toner level register by the accumulated image value for the given print engine at the location of the given print engine and maintaining this value, if a comparison of the accumulated image value with the toner level value for the given print engine at the location of the given print engine prior to this step of decrementing indicates that the toner level value prior to this step of decrementing minus the accumulated image value is greater than a minimum toner level value associated with the given print engine at the location of the given print engine;
• and
• sending the rasterized image to the given print engine at the location of the given print engine for rendering only if the decremented toner level value associated therewith has been determined to be greater than the minimum toner level.