Patent ID: 7653324

Claim:
In a dual engine color printer having a first print engine and a second print engine, each engine comprising a single multi-color printing drum set, a scheduling method for imbalanced dual sided printing of a plurality of sheets in a print job, in which a first side of each sheet of said plurality requires a first set of separations and a second side thereof requires a second set of separations, said first and second sets having different numbers of separations, the method comprising: feeding respective ones of said plurality of sheets in sequence between said print engines, and alternating for successive sheets between printing said first set at said first engine and said second set at said second engine and printing said second set at said first engine and said first set at said second engine, wherein said feeding and alternating comprises repetitively until said print job is complete: feeding one of said plurality of sheets to said first engine, and printing said first number of separations on a first side thereof; subsequently, feeding said one sheet to said second engine, and printing said second number of separations on a second side thereof; simultaneously with said feeding of said one sheet to said second engine, feeding a following one of said plurality of sheets to said first engine, and printing said second number of separations on a first side thereof; and subsequently feeding said following sheet to said second engine, and printing said first number of separations on a second side thereof.