Two-sided print data splitting
AssigneeNCR Corporation
InventorsColman McGarry, Joe Jennings
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods of, and apparatus for, splitting data for two-sided printing are provided. In one embodiment, a method of splitting data for printing by a first and a second print head of a two-sided printer is provided, the method comprising: identifying a portion of the data transverse to a print direction comprising no information for printing, designating a portion of the data prior to the identified portion for printing by the first print head, and designating a portion of the data following the identified portion for printing by the second print head.
Claims38
A method of splitting data comprising information for printing on a first and a second side of print media by respective first and second print heads of a two-sided printer, the method comprising:
- electronically by a computer or processor, identifying a portion of the data corresponding to a region of print media where none of the information is to be printed;
- electronically by a computer or processor, identifying as a first data portion a portion of the data before the portion of the data corresponding to a region of print media where none of the information is to be printed is identified;
- electronically by a computer or processor, identifying as a second data portion a portion of the data after the portion of the data corresponding to a region of print data where none of the information is to be printed has been identified;
- electronically by a computer or processor, designating the first data portion for printing by the first print head;
- and
- electronically by a computer or processor, designating the second data portion for printing by the second print head.
A method of splitting data for printing by a first and a second print head of a two-sided printer, the method comprising:
- electronically by a computer or processor, identifying a portion of the data transverse to a print direction comprising no information for printing;
- electronically by a computer or processor, designating a first portion of the data for printing by the first print head before the portion of the data transverse to the print direction comprising no information for printing is identified;
- and
- electronically by a computer or processor, designating a portion of the data for printing by the second print head after the portion of the data transverse to the print direction comprising no information for printing has been identified.
A method of splitting data representative of one or more discrete graphic print elements for printing by a first and a second print head of a two-sided printer, the method comprising:
- electronically by a computer or processor, identifying data representative of one or more regions in or between the discrete graphic print elements transverse to a print direction;
- and
- electronically by a computer or processor, splitting the data into (a) a first data portion for printing by the first print head before data representative of one or more regions in or between the discrete graphic print elements transverse to a print direction is identified, and (ii) a second data portion for printing by the second print head after data representative of one or more regions in or between the discrete graphic print elements transverse to a print direction has been identified.
A method of splitting data representative of a bitmap for printing on a first and a second side of two-sided media by a first and a second print head of a two-sided printer, wherein the bitmap comprises a plurality of dot rows and each dot row comprises a plurality of dots designated for printing and/or no-printing, the method comprising:
- electronically by a computer or processor, identifying one or more contiguous dot rows meeting one or more predetermined criteria;
- and
- electronically by a computer or processor, splitting the data into (i) a first data portion for printing by the first print head before one or more contiguous dot rows meeting one or more predetermined criteria is identified, and (ii) a second data portion for printing by the second print head after one or more dot rows meeting one or more predetermined criteria has been identified.
A two-sided direct thermal printer comprising:
- a first thermal print head on a first side of a media feed path;
- a second thermal print head on a second side of the media feed path, opposite the first side;
- a communication controller adapted to receive data for printing by the two-sided direct thermal printer;
- and
- a processor adapted to (i) identify a portion of the data transverse to a print direction comprising no information for printing, (ii) designate a first portion of the data for printing by the first thermal print head before the portion of the data transverse to a print direction comprising no information for printing is identified, and (iii) designate a second portion of the data for printing by the second thermal print head after the portion of the data transverse to a print direction comprising no information for printing has been identified.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.