Patent ID: 7081969

Claim:
A printing system comprising: a means for searching for a plurality of printers coupled to a network to create a first printer list, the searching means adapted to allow a user to perform the search automatically or manually; a first means for selecting a plurality of printers from the first list to create a second printer list, the first selection means adapted to allow the user to add or delete printers from the second printer list; a second means for selecting a plurality of printers from the second printer list to create a third printer list, the second selection means adapted to allow a user to assign a group name to the third printer list; a means for determining to which of the printers in the third printer list the print job is to be transmitted so as to balance the print job based upon a load balancing scheme; a means for transmitting the print job to the determined printers based on the load balancing scheme; and a means for printing the print job by the determined printers.