Print paths that are employed by systems such as Microsoft Windows provided by Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash. are usually statically defined. Static print paths associate a system or network printer with a computer system or other physical device. To print to a system or network printer, a computer system employs a printer specific print driver to render a document into a printer ready file that is compatible with the specified printer. The printer ready file is then provided to a port monitor that is responsible for transmitting the data contained therein to the specified printer. The print path is statically defined in that the printer driver and the port monitor are both predefined for printing to a specific printer.
Statically defined print paths can be burdensome when a user wishes to print to a new printer that is undefined in their computer system. Specifically, in order to print to an undefined printer, a user is required to construct the print path to the new printer identifying the new printer driver, port monitor, and other aspects.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds