Patent ID: 8749812

Claim:
A variable data printing method implemented in a print shop management apparatus for generating a plurality of print jobs, the method comprising: (a) receiving input data including variable data and form data, the variable data including a plurality of entries each having a plurality of attributes, the attributes of each variable data entry being selected from the group consisting of a target's name, address, demographic information and behavioral history information, the form data including a plurality of types of form data each to be printed in multiple print jobs, the input data further including association rules specifying an association between the attributes of each of the variable data entries and the types of form data to be present in a printed piece for that variable data entry, wherein at least some different attributes of variable data entries are associated with different types of form data, and at least some common attributes of variable data entries are associated with the same types of form data; (b) receiving input tray selection rules which specify an association between input trays of one or more first printers and either the types of form data or one or more attributes of the variable data entries; (c) generating print data for a plurality of print jobs, each print job corresponding to one variable data entry, wherein the print data for each print job is generated by first determining the types of form data to be present in the printed piece for that variable data entry using the association rules, and then excluding a first type of form data from the determined types of form data using an exclusion rule while keeping a second type of form data, and each print job includes an input tray parameter which is set using the input tray selection rules based on the one or more attributes of the variable data entries or the excluded first type of form data; and (d) submitting the print jobs including the print data and the input tray parameters to the one or more first printers.