Patent ID: 8300248

Claim:
A printing control system, comprising: a host interface configured to communicate with a host device, the host device submitting a print job; a user interface; a printing unit configured to execute a print job submitted by the host device, the printing unit operable according to print settings and image properties; and a controller configured to suspend operation at the printing unit including printing and image processing in response to a suspend request received at one of the host interface and user interface, to measure an elapsed time since a suspension of operation, and to transmit one of first and second commands upon determining that the elapsed time exceeds a given reference time, the first command causing the printing unit to automatically resume a suspended operation, the second command causing the host interface to send a notification of the suspension, wherein the print settings of the printing unit and image properties of a selected pending print job are modifiable using at least one of the host interface and user interface, while the printing and image processing are suspended, wherein the controller selectively suspends operation at the printing unit in a first suspend mode in which only printing is suspended, and wherein the controller selectively suspends operation at the printing unit in a second suspend mode in which both printing and image processing are suspended.