Patent ID: 6895549
Filing Date: 2005-05-17
Classification: G06K

Abstract:
1. A computer-implemented method of generating a custom printed article print file, the method comprising the steps of: generating a master file that includes all non variable content of the custom printed article and place markers that indicate positions at which document specific content is to be inserted, the master file being in a page description language; generating a data definition file that specifies format of the document specific content that is to be inserted at the positions indicated by the place markers in the master file; reading a template including a plurality of tokens, at least one of the tokens indicating a field in a database; identifying a record in the database using a printed article ID; extracting data from the field of the record which is specified by the one token; outputting the data to a variable data file; using the data definition file in converting the variable data file to a PDL variable file, the PDL variable file being in the page description language; processing the master file so as to generate the non variable content in rasterized form; processing the PDL variable file so as to generate the document specific content in rasterized form; and merging the document specific content in rasterized form with the non variable content in rasterized form so as to produce the custom printed article print file.