A method of transmitting data between a computer system and an external printing device, the method comprising: dividing image data according to a deployment of a plurality of print element associations in an effective print area of the printing device at the computer system, wherein the division of the image data according to the deployment of a print element association includes the identification of portions of the image data that are to be printed by an association of print elements based on the deployment of the association; generating, at the computer system from the divided image data, a data packet in accordance with a communications protocol, the protocol defined to consist of: a first layer defining transmission line, transmitters, and receivers for transmission of the data packet, a second layer defining encoding and decoding of the data packet, and a third layer defining a frame format of the data packet, wherein generating the data packet comprises encoding the data packet according to the second layer of the protocol in a frame format according to the third layer of the protocol; transmitting the data packet from the computer system to the external printing device, wherein the data packet is transmitted according to the first layer of the protocol; and decoding the data packet in accordance with the second layer of the protocol at the external printing device, wherein the frame format for the third layer of the protocol defines the data packet to comprise a start of frame, a data section, and an end of frame, wherein the data section is defined to comprise a portion of image data for each of said plurality of print element associations at a printing device, wherein the portions of image data are time-shifted based on the deployment of the print element associations. dividing image data according to a deployment of a plurality of print element associations in an effective print area of the printing device at the computer system, wherein the division of the image data according to the deployment of a print element association includes the identification of portions of the image data that are to be printed by an association of print elements based on the deployment of the association; generating, at the computer system from the divided image data, a data packet in accordance with a communications protocol, the protocol defined to consist of: a first layer defining transmission line, transmitters, and receivers for transmission of the data packet, a second layer defining encoding and decoding of the data packet, and a third layer defining a frame format of the data packet, wherein generating the data packet comprises encoding the data packet according to the second layer of the protocol in a frame format according to the third layer of the protocol; a first layer defining transmission line, transmitters, and receivers for transmission of the data packet, a second layer defining encoding and decoding of the data packet, and a third layer defining a frame format of the data packet, wherein generating the data packet comprises encoding the data packet according to the second layer of the protocol in a frame format according to the third layer of the protocol; transmitting the data packet from the computer system to the external printing device, wherein the data packet is transmitted according to the first layer of the protocol; and decoding the data packet in accordance with the second layer of the protocol at the external printing device, wherein the frame format for the third layer of the protocol defines the data packet to comprise a start of frame, a data section, and an end of frame, wherein the data section is defined to comprise a portion of image data for each of said plurality of print element associations at a printing device, wherein the portions of image data are time-shifted based on the deployment of the print element associations.