Patent ID: 6943905

Claim:
A computer-based printing system comprising: a computer device; one or more output devices accessible from said computer device for rendering a print job, said output devices having one or more corresponding printer drivers in support thereof; means for initiating said print job, said means indicating that said print data is to be despooled to one or more of said output devices, said print job comprising print data; a virtual printer driver supported by said printing system and called by said means for initiating said print job, wherein said virtual printer driver determines and selects which of said output devices to send at least a portion of said print job for rendering, said determination based upon a best fit analysis between said output devices and one or more options and requirements of said print job, without manual enumeration of each of said output devices; and a print control assembly in communication with said computer device, said print control assembly capable of storing, processing and directing a set of printing instructions as received from said virtual printer driver by said virtual printer driver switching a device context to corresponding printer drivers of said selected output devices, an application or background process writing said printing instructions to said corresponding printer drivers, which spool said print data to a spooler that despools said print data to a port manager or a print processor.