Method and system dynamic flowing data to an arbitrary path defined by a page description language

Abstract

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 printing a page of a book comprising the steps of: 
 (a) providing a page description language specification defining static data to be printed on each page of a book and a wrapping path;    (b) generating a first bitmap representation of the static data;    (c) generating a second bitmap representation of at least one variable data area;    (d) writing the second bitmap representation over at least a portion of the first bitmap representation according to the wrapping path to produce a pagemap; and    (e) outputting the pagemap for printing to produce a page of the book.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1  further including retrieving the first bitmap representation and repeating steps (c) through (e) to produce a second pagemap representing a second page of the book.