Patent ID: 7317547

Claim:
A method of sending rasterized print data to a plurality of lasers in a laser printer comprising the steps of: compressing rasterized print data from a print data buffer by a single print data compressor, said print data compressor having a compressed print data output; storing compressed print data in a single, compressed print data buffer; transferring segments of the compressed print data in said compressed print data buffer to individual ones of a plurality of data decompressors; at each of said decompressors, selectively decompressing said compressed print data into rasterized print data to control a predetermined one of said plurality of lasers, wherein only data associated with the predetermined one of said plurality of lasers is decompressed; using the print data to deposit a first line across a width of a first roller of the laser printer with a first plural set of lasers while simultaneously aiming a second plural set of lasers to irradiate and deposit a second line that is radially adjacent to the first line on a second roller of the laser printer, wherein the first and second lines are irradiated as successively adjacent lines as the rollers rotate; steering each laser onto localized regions of the lines across the width of the rollers as the rollers rotate based on the rasterized print data so that each of the plural lasers paints only one line at a time across the width of the roller while an adjacent laser paints an adjacent line across the width of the roller; and using the decompressors to count down a number of data words received as the compressed print data from the print data comprerssor corresponding to a number of picture elements that the plural lasers consider when painting the width of a roller after selectively decompressing the compressed print data.