Importance

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Abstract

A raster printer with sufficient flexibility so that text data and image data of any size and orientation can be placed at any position on a page. Input data has a succession of coded character data along with control data which specifies information concerning font selection and the placement of the characters on the page. Control circuits process the input data, one character at a time, and generate for each of the characters, data relating to the position of the character on the page, the size of the character and the address in storage of the graphic pattern for the character. The data is utilized by pattern move control logic to access the graphic pattern in the order the characters are to be printed and move the graphic data to a strip buffer. Data is read out of the strip buffer to energize imaging apparatus to print a page corresponding to the graphic pattern of the character data. An accumulator provides temporary storage for parts of the graphic pattern data and this data is logically ORed with later data so that a page of unlimited complexity can be printed.

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First Claim