Patent ID: 8488163
Filing Date: 2013-07-16
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A printing apparatus for variable pre-printed stock, comprising: storage configured to store customer data; pre-printed stocks, each pre-printed stock having a printed area and an open area on a common side of the pre-printed stock; printer trays each configured to hold one of the pre-printed stocks; a scanner configured to scan the printed area of each of the pre-printed stocks to form an image of each of the printed areas, to compare each image of the printed areas with different pre-printed stocks, to match each image of the printed areas with one of the different pre-printed stocks, to identify each matched image to produce tray stock information identifying the pre-printed stock, and to store the produced tray stock information identifying the pre-printed stocks; storage configured to store electronic customer orders, each electronic customer order including one or more of the customer data and selection data for one or more of the pre-printed stocks; a controller configured to receive the tray stock information and the electronic customer orders, to match the tray stock information to the electronic customer orders to produce an electronic customer order match, and to produce print instructions for the matched electronic customer order; and a printer configured to receive the print instructions and to print the customer data corresponding to the matched electronic customer order onto pre-printed stock identified by the matched electronic customer order.