Guiding a hand-operated printer

1. A method for use in guiding a hand-operated printer having an integrated display screen and positioned over a print medium, comprising:

determining a position of said hand-operated printer relative to said print medium; and

generating on said integrated display screen a virtual image of at least a portion of an area under said hand-operated printer corresponding to said position of said hand-operated printer, wherein the virtual image includes a first virtual image portion corresponding to a first actual image portion already printed on said print medium in said area under said hand-operated printer and a second virtual image portion as a preview of a second actual image portion yet to be printed on said print medium in said area under said hand-operated printer.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said virtual image dynamically changes as said hand-operated printer is moved relative to said print medium.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said first virtual image portion is displayed on said display screen having first visual characteristics and said second image portion is displayed on said display screen having second visual characteristics different from said first visual characteristics.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said virtual image includes a third virtual image portion having a representation of a printing mechanism of said hand-operated printer, said third virtual image portion being at a fixed location on said display screen which does not change with movement of said hand-operated printer, while said first virtual image portion and said second virtual image portion dynamically change as said hand-operated printer is moved relative to said print medium.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein said third virtual image portion includes at least one swath projection line extending from said representation of said printing mechanism.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said virtual image includes a third virtual image portion having a representation of a printing mechanism of said hand-operated printer, and a fourth virtual image portion that represents an overlap of a projection of a current swath of said printing mechanism with said first virtual image portion.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein an orientation of said projection of said current swath is dependent on a direction of movement of said hand-operated printer.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein said virtual image includes warning indicia that provides a visual warning to a user of said hand-operated printer of an unprinted region within said first virtual image portion.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein said virtual image includes warning indicia that provides a visual warning to a user of said hand-operated printer if a projection of a current swath of said hand-operated printer does not overlap with said first virtual image portion.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein said virtual image is generated based on a bitmap of print data representing an image to be printed by said hand-operated printer.

11. A method for use in guiding a hand-operated printer having an integrated display screen and positioned over a print medium, comprising:

accessing a bitmap of print data representing an image to be printed by said hand-operated printer; and

generating on said integrated display screen, based on said bitmap of print data, a virtual image of at least a portion an area under said hand-operated printer corresponding to a current position of said hand-operated printer relative to said print medium, wherein said virtual image includes a first virtual image portion corresponding to a first actual image portion already printed on said print medium in said area under said hand-operated printer and a second virtual image portion as a preview of a second actual image portion yet to be printed on said print medium in said area under said hand-operated printer.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein said virtual image dynamically changes as said hand-operated printer is moved relative to said print medium.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein said first virtual image portion is displayed on said display screen having first visual characteristics and said second image portion is displayed on said display screen having second visual characteristics different from said first visual characteristics.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein said virtual image includes a third virtual image portion having a representation of a printing mechanism of said hand-operated printer, said third virtual image portion being at a fixed location on said display screen which does not change with movement of said hand-operated printer, while said first virtual image portion and said second virtual image portion dynamically change as said hand-operated printer is moved relative to said print medium.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein said third virtual image portion includes at least one swath projection line extending from said representation of said printing mechanism.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein said virtual image includes a third virtual image portion having a representation of a printing mechanism of said hand-operated printer, and a fourth virtual image portion that represents an overlap of a projection of a current swath of said printing mechanism with said first virtual image portion.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein said virtual image includes warning indicia that provides at least one of a visual warning to a user of said hand-operated printer of an unprinted region within said first virtual image portion, and a visual warning to said user of said hand-operated printer if a projection of a current swath of said hand-operated printer does not overlap with said first virtual image portion.