Patent ID: 7995233

Claim:
A printing control method for reducing printing memory requirement, comprising: (A) receiving print data of a page from a host through an interface; (B) determining a number of bands of the page to be divided, and a printing time length of each band; (C) interpreting the print data to intermediate format data corresponding to each band; (D) computing a rasterizing time length for rasterizing each band in the form of the intermediate format data; (E) defining each band whose printing time length is less than its rasterizing time length as a complicated band; (F) defining each band whose printing time length is larger than or equal to its rasterizing time length as a simple band; (G) determining start timing of rasterization of each band and setting the start timing of printing a first band as 0, further comprising: (1) initializing the start timing of printing of each band as the result arising from multiplying TP and the value of said respective band number minus 1, wherein the TP refers to the necessary printing time length of one band; (2) setting end timing of rasterization of each band as the start timing of printing the same band, wherein the start timing of rasterization of each simple band is set as a result of the end timing of rasterization of the same band minus the rasterizing time length TR for rasterizing the same band; (3) initializing printing idle time length of each band as the printing time length of respective band; (4) subtracting time length occupied by rasterization of each simple band except for the first band from the printing idle time length, wherein a concrete method is that the rasterizing time length of a certain band is subtracted from the printing idle time length of a previous band; (5) turning to the step (10) if unmarked complicated bands do not exist; (6) computing the start timing of rasterization of each unmarked complicated band; (7) selecting the band which has the maximal start timing of rasterization and is an unmarked band as an operating band, wherein if the start timing of rasterization of the operating band is less than 0 the step (G) is ended; (8) updating the end timing of rasterization of the operating band as the band number of the last band prior to the operating band, whose printing idle time length is not equal to 0 and marking the operating band; (9) removing the time length occupied by rasterization of the operating band from a printing idle time length information and turning to the step (5); (10) updating the start timing of rasterization of each complicated band; and (H) starting a printing task to print the page until the end of the printing.