Print preview for printers with multiple print heads
AssigneePitney Bowes Inc.
InventorsYichun Zhang, Patrick Rolling, Paul R. Sette, Richard A. Sloan, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A printing system has fixed print heads in positions that are subject to adjustment between print jobs. The system provides a print preview display that includes a representation of the item of printing stock on which the printing is to be performed. The print preview display also includes a first printing field that is at a location in the representation that corresponds to the position of a first one of the print heads. The print preview display further includes a second printing field that is at a location in the representation that corresponds to the position of a second one of the print heads.
Claims17
A printing system, comprising:
- a first print head for printing at a first position, determined by a first print head position sensor, along a first print axis;
- a second print head for printing at a second position, determined by a second print head position sensor, along a second print axis;
- transport means for transporting substrates adjacent said first and second print heads in a direction transverse to said print axes;
- a control device coupled to said first and second print heads;
- and
- a display device coupled to said control device;
- said control device operative to control said display device such that said display device displays:
- a representation of a substrate;
- a first printing field at a first location in said representation, said first location corresponding to said first position;
- and
- a second printing field at a second location in said representation, said second location corresponding to said second position, wherein:
- said display device displays in said first printing field an indication of at least one type of information to be printed by said first print head;
- and
- said display device displays in said second printing field an indication of at least one type of information to be printed by said second print head.
A method of operating a printing system, the printing system including a first print head located at a first position along a first print axis and a second print head located at a second position along a second print axis, the method comprising:
- determining said first and said second position using at least one print head position sensor;
- displaying a representation of a substrate;
- displaying a first printing field at a first location in said representation, said first location corresponding to said first position;
- displaying a second printing field at a second location in said representation, said second location corresponding to said second position;
- displaying in said first printing field an indication of at least one type of information to be printed by said first print head;
- and
- displaying in said second printing field an indication of at least one type of information to be printed by said second print head, further comprising:
- displaying an interactive display element;
- allowing a user of the printing system to interact with the interactive display element to provide user input.
A method of operating a printing system, the printing system including a first print head located at a first position along a first print axis and a second print head located at a second position along a second print axis, the method comprising:
- determining said first and said second position using at least one print head position sensor;
- displaying a representation of a substrate;
- displaying a first printing field at a first location in said representation, said first location corresponding to said first position;
- displaying a second printing field at a second location in said representation, said second location corresponding to said second position;
- displaying in said first printing field an indication of at least one type of information to be printed by said first print head;
- displaying in said second printing field an indication of at least one type of information to be printed by said second print head;
- displaying an interactive display element;
- allowing a user of the printing system to interact with the interactive display element to provide user input;
- and
- responding to said user input by repositioning at least one of said print heads, wherein,
- displaying an interactive display element comprises displaying numeric information related to the location of at least one of the first and second print heads along its axis.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.