Patent ID: 7821657

Claim:
A method for processing print jobs, comprising: during a rasterization process, receiving unrasterized print input data to be processed for printing; identifying a first job context for a first Raster Image Processing (RIP) segment wherein the first RIP segment comprises an RIP boundary indicator; identifying a second job context for a second RIP segment following the first RIP segment wherein a job context characterizes print job operational constraints corresponding to printing equipment or print processing units that reset or delay between RIP segments; determining whether the second job context is compatible with the first job context; if the second job context is compatible with the first job context then combining the first and the second RIP segments together and processing the combined RIP segments as a continuous RIP job to output a single print job without resetting compatible job context parameters to minimize printing delay; giving channel preferences to a next print job received on a same input channel as a previously received print job comprising the first RIP segment; reaching the RIP boundary on the first RIP segment of a current print job; sending a channel preference message to a channel selector indicating a preference to receive a next job from the same channel used for receiving the first RIP segment; performing a continuous RIP for the first RIP segment and the second RIP segment if the second RIP segment is received on the same channel as the first RIP segment within a predetermined period of time after reaching the RIP boundary on the first RIP segment; and processing the first RIP segment as an individual RIP when the second RIP segment is not received over the same channel as the first RIP segment within the predetermined period of time.