Apparatus and method for high-throughput and flexible digital printing
View Patent ↗A digital printing system for producing prints in response to input digital images includes a digital printer and a plurality of computer processors. The plurality of computer processors includes one or more image-rendering units for rendering the input digital images to generate rendered digital images, wherein the image rendering is independent of specific characteristics of the digital printer. The plurality of computer processors further includes one or more image processors for processing the rendered digital images in accordance with one or more specific characteristics of the digital printer. The processed images are subsequently input to the digital printer to produce the prints. The computer processors can be dynamically assigned to be the image-rendering units or the image processors.
1. A digital printing system, comprising:
a scheduler configured to schedule a print to be printed at a first site or a second site in response to an input digital image;
a first digital printer located at a first site;
a first image-rendering unit at the first site and in communication with the scheduler through a computer network, wherein the first image-rendering unit is configured to render the input digital image to generate a first rendered digital image without using a first printing resolution of the first digital printer;
one or more first image processor at the first site, wherein the one or more first image processors are configured to process the first rendered digital image in accordance with the first printing resolution of the first digital printer and to produce a first processed digital image, wherein the first digital printer is configured to produce the print in response to the first processed digital image;
a second digital printer located at a second site remote to the first site;
a second image-rendering unit at the second site and in communication with the scheduler through the computer network, wherein the second image-rendering unit is configured to render the input digital image to generate a second rendered digital image without using a second printing resolution of the second digital printer; and
a second image processor at the second site, wherein the second image processor is configured to process the second rendered digital image in accordance with the second printing resolution of the second digital printer and to produce a second processed digital image, wherein the second digital printer is configured to produce the print in response to the second processed digital image.
2. The digital printing system of claim 1 , wherein the first rendering unit is configured to render the input digital image to generate the first rendered digital image without using color or tone calibration of the first digital printer.
3. The digital printing system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more first image processors are configured to process the first rendered digital images in accordance with color or tone calibration of the first digital printer.
4. The digital printing system of claim 1 , further comprising an image archive in communication with the first image rendering unit and the second image rendering unit, wherein the image archive is configured to store the input digital image.
5. The digital printing system of claim 1 , further comprising a first image cache configured to store the first rendered digital images from the first image-rendering unit and to provide the first rendered digital images to the first image processor.
6. The digital printing system of claim 5 , further comprising a second image cache configured to store the second rendered digital image from the second image-rendering unit and to provide the second rendered digital images to the second image processor.
7. The digital printing system of claim 1 , wherein the first site is at a central location, wherein the second site is located remotely relative to the first site.
8. The digital printing system of claim 1 , wherein the first image rendering unit renders the input digital image by conducting one or more of color and tone calibration, sharpening, white balance or adding a border pattern to the input digital image.
9. The digital printing system of claim 1 , further comprising an order database in communication with the scheduler, wherein the order database is configured to store order information related to the input digital image.
10. The digital printing system of claim 1 , wherein the first digital printer or the second printer is configured to produce a dye image, an ink image, or a toner image on a substrate.