Patent ID: 7542059

Claim:
A method of page scheduling for printing where corresponding portions of each of an adjacent pair of a front and back images are mirrored relative to a binding point, and corresponding portions of each two front images and each two back images of the sequential sheets have the same location on the image, the method comprising the steps of: receiving at least sequential current and subsequent sheets of a print job, each sheet including a front image and a back image; and scheduling received sheets to be printed with at least one of a first and a second sequence by at least one of a first and a second marking engine, which step of scheduling includes: selecting at least a first portion and a second portion of each front and back image, comparing corresponding selected portions of the front and back images, scheduling the front and back images for printing with one of the first and second sequence based on the comparison; counting substantially similar pixels; comparing corresponding pixels of the first selected portions of each pair of front images of the received sequential sheets; identifying substantially similar pixels in the compared first portions of the front images; comparing corresponding pixels of the first selected portions of each pair of back images of the received sequential sheets; identifying substantially similar pixels in the compared first portions of the back images; for each adjacent pair of back and front images, comparing each pixel of the second selected portion of the back image with each corresponding pixel of the second selected portion of the front image; identifying substantially similar pixels in the compared second portions of the adjacent back and front images; counting identified similar non-white pixels of the compared first portions of the front images and the compared first portions of the back images as a first count; and counting identified similar non-white pixels of the compared second portions of the adjacent back and front images as a second count.