Method and system for dynamic flowing data to an arbitrary path defined by a page description language
Improvements to a method for flowing variable data, such as text data, image data, bar code data, and the like, into a path of a template defined by a PDL specification in a high-speed printing operation.
1 . A method for generating a multi-page document, such as a book, comprising the steps of:
(a) accessing a page description language file, the page description language file defining at least a boundary;
(b) accessing a text file external to page description language file;
(c) associating the boundary with the text file;
(d) accessing an attribute defining an aspect of the appearance of text data in a bitmap image;
(e) generating bitmap representations of text data in the text file and, during the generating step, applying the attribute to the text data;
(f) creating a page of the book by flowing the bitmap representations of the text data into the boundary until the bitmap representations fill the boundary; and
(g) creating a next page of the book by flowing the remainder of the bitmap representations of the text data into the boundary until the remainder of bitmap representations fill the boundary.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the creating step (g) is repeated for all of the remainder of bitmap representations.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the page description language file and the text file are defined in a job file external to the page description language file and the text file, and the method further includes the step of, prior to step (a), processing the job file to identify the external page description language file and the external text file.
4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of (h) dispatching the page and the next page to a printer.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the attribute is defined in the page description language file.
6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the attribute defined in the page description language file is associated with the boundary.
7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the boundary is defined by a path command and attribute is associated with a string command linked to the path command.
8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the attribute is part of a graphic state associated with the string command.
9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the attribute is defined in a file external to the page description language file.
10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the attribute is defined in a job file.
11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the text file includes a plurality of text blocks separated by delimiters.
12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the generating step (e) applies different attributes to at least two of the plurality of text blocks.
13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein at least one of the creating steps (f) and (g) include a step of flowing a bitmap of an artistic image between at least two of the plurality of text blocks.
14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the method further includes the step of redefining the boundary for the page into which the bitmap of the artistic image has been flowed to include a perimeter of the artistic image.
15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the text data is modified prior to the generating step (g) to insert personal information associated with an intended recipient of the multi-page document into the text data.