Distributed imaging and control architecture for digital printing presses and platesetters

Abstract From the Canadian patent

A distributed architecture for control of printing presses includes a job-control computer facilitating at least selection of printing jobs, and a separate image-control computer or computers managing operation of the various imaging devices. The job-control and image-control computers interact over a computer network, which can range from a single LAN to the Internet; typically, the image-control computer is physically associated with the press, while the job-control computer may be proximate or remote. The job-control computer may contain on-board storage for retaining multiple printing jobs, or the system may instead include a server computer connected to and accessible over the network …