Patent ID: 7586629

Claim:
A printing system for providing a predetermined image processing including a plurality of image processing items to an image data generated by an image input device and for after said image processing, outputting said image data through an image output device; said system comprising: an image input device, said image input device having, or being capable of acquiring, image data processing abilities; an image output device, said image output device having, or being capable of acquiring, image data processing abilities, and a control unit, said control unit being in communication with said image input device and with said image output device, and (i) selectively and respectively ordering said image input device and said image output device to perform pre-allocated selected ones of said plurality of image processing items, according to processing abilities of said image input device and processing abilities of said image output device; (ii) causing said image input device to perform at least all items of image processing within its abilities and not within the processing abilities possessed or acquirable by said image output device, (iii) causing said image input device to add information indicative of those of said items of image processing allocated to said image input device actually performed thereby to image data as processed by said image input device, (iv) causing the image data as processed by said image input device and information indicative of those of said items of image processing allocated to said input device by said control device actually performed by said image input device to be transferred to said image output device, and (v) causing said image output device (a) to determine which of said predetermined items of image processing have not been completed by the image input device, (b) to determine what processing abilities not possessed by said image output device are necessary to complete all of the items of image processing that have not been completed by the image input device, (c) to acquire the processing abilities not possessed by the image output device necessary to allow the image output device to complete all of the items of image processing not completed by the image input device, (d) to complete all of the items of image processing not completed by the image input device, and (e) to output a fully processed image data.