A print device for automatically printing a document file from a portable memory device may include a port, a print engine, and a processing device. The processing device may detect that a portable memory device has become communicatively connected to the port, then access a print history from a data store and retrieve a print instruction, use the print history to determine that a document file in a designated folder of the portable memory device has not been printed, and automatically print the document file using the print engine based on the print instruction. After printing, the device may further transmit a communication to the data store to update the print history to reflect that the document file is printed. The print device may be capable of detecting an interruption and allowing a user to resume the print job later on the same print device or on another device.

Scanning of a document that is to undergo raster-image processing (RIP) and then be printed is initiated to identify RIP-reusable elements within the document. The scanning of the document to identify the RIP-reusable elements is aborted prior to the scanning of the document having been completed. Responsive to determining that the scanning should be restarted based on a parameter, the scanning of the document to identify the RIP-reusable elements is restarted.

The present invention obtains image data representing an image laid out on a page, and sets, in the image, a target region on which to perform predetermined processing to change a pixel count, based on layout information pertaining to a layout of the image on the page. Based on this setting, the predetermined processing is performed on the target region in the image.

A printer for printing on histology-laboratory consumable articles (16) includes an optical reading device (13), which reads an image pattern of a histology-laboratory consumable article (16) to be printed on by means of the printing device (4), generates analog or digital image-pattern image signals with regard to the read image pattern and transfers the image-pattern image signals to a control device (8) of the printer, and/or which reads an overprint (18) printed onto a histology-laboratory consumable article (16) by the printing device (4), generates analog or digital overprint image signals with regard to the read overprint (18) and transfers the overprint image signals to a control device (8) of the printer, which control device determines at least one quality parameter with regard to the overprint (18).

A method of compositing layers by grouping the layers into a foreground group and a background group; identifying independent instructions of compositing model for execution independently from the background group and dependent instructions requiring a compositing output of a background layer in order to composite foreground layers; executing the independent instructions on the foreground layers in parallel with compositing the background layers, a first independent instruction storing a corresponding result in a first buffer and a second independent instruction storing a corresponding result in a second buffer; executing a dependent instruction by updating the second buffer using the background compositing output; and determining a compositing output for the foreground group dependent upon contents of the first buffer and the updated second buffer.

A method and system for rendering rectangle drawing objects using a clip region are provided. For at least a first rectangle drawing object and a second rectangle drawing object, a determination is made if the first rectangle drawing object and the second rectangle drawing object satisfy a predetermined condition. If the predetermined condition is satisfied, one-line raster image data associated with the first and second rectangle drawing objects is generated, and a clip region corresponding to the first and second rectangle drawing objects is generated. Subsequently, the one-line raster image data may be used together with the clip region to fill a clipped drawing region corresponding to the first and second rectangle drawing objects.

To make it possible to suppress a delay of the start of rendering of a page even in the case where image data is included across the band boundary in the page of print data. The image processing apparatus of the present invention is an image processing apparatus that performs rendering by dividing a page into a first area and a second area based on print data and includes: a memory configured to store image data arranged across the first area and the second area; a first render configured to access the image data and to perform rendering by using pixels within the first area of all pixels of the image data; and a second render configured to access the image data and to perform rendering by using pixels within the second area of all pixels of the image data.

A printing apparatus configured to receive print data, analyze the print data, and print the print data includes a control unit configured to control activation of a plurality of analysis units respectively supporting different data formats, a reception unit configured to receive from an external apparatus a predetermined inquiry received before receiving print data from the external apparatus, and a notification unit configured to notify the external apparatus of a response to the predetermined inquiry, the response including at least information indicating a predetermined data format supported by the printing apparatus, wherein, based on the predetermined inquiry, the control unit activates one of the analysis units that supports the predetermined data format indicated by the information.

A print output control device operably connected to a printer, is configured to periodically check a first buffer sequentially storing print data received from the printer; accumulate, when the print data is stored in the first buffer, the stored print data in a second buffer; store, when status information on the printer is included in the print data, the status information in a status storage unit; store, when a first function is executed, in a third buffer, the print data accumulated in the second buffer to send back the stored print data as an acquisition value for the first function; and store, when a second function is executed, in a third buffer, the print data accumulated in the second buffer from when the second function is executed to send back the stored print data as an acquisition value for the second function.

A method for evaluating a print quality of a printed document that is printed by a printer is provided. The printer comprises a pre-print image scanner, a post-print image scanner, and a printhead disposed between the pre-print image scanner and the post-print image scanner. The method comprises generating a pre-printing image of a print media, generating the printed document, generating a post-printing image of the printed document, generating a validation image by comparing the post-printing image with the pre-printing image, and comparing the validation image with the source image.