Patent ID: 8654375

Claim:
A printing method comprising: inputting a user determinable priority criteria for a first print job from a user interface; assigning all non-idle resources to said first print job when said first print job is the only print job; assigning a fraction of said non-idle resources to said first print job when there is at least a second print job; assigning all of said non-idle resources, less than said resource fraction, to said second print job; and printing the print data with at least one image marking engine; wherein said resources comprises a plurality of RIPs, said RIPs are operable in parallel, wherein assigning the fraction of said non-idle resources comprises providing a plurality of RIPs with chunks of print data in proportions; wherein the proportions includes an estimation of the work required by each chunk of print data and allocating the work, wherein a first chunk of print data is assigned to a first RIP and a second chunk of print data is assigned to a second RIP, and at least a third chunk of print data is assigned sequentially to the next available RIP, and wherein said user determinable priority is changeable for an already-running job from a first priority to a second priority.