Method and apparatus for controlling printing of electronic applications

Abstract

Method and apparatus for controlling printable content from textual and graphical sources, and reducing consumable print medium such as toner, ink, and paper. The method and apparatus include a print medium formatting program for configuring data identification options and print options via at least one graphical user interface (GUI) generated by a print option formatting module. The configured data identification options and print options are then stored in one or more print configuration data files. A print monitoring module monitors for a print request. The print medium formatting program intercepts the print request and matches data identification from a spooled print file, which is generated from the print request, with the stored data identification options. If the print medium formatting program finds a match, a transforming program module transforms the spooled print file in accordance to the print options, and then prints the transformed print file to an output device.

1 . A method for controlling printable content from textual and graphical sources, comprising: 
 monitoring for a print request;    upon detecting the monitored print request, accessing a print file generated by a printer driver from the print request;    matching the print file with stored identification data, the stored identification data preexisting the print request; and    in response to matching the print file with the stored identification data, transforming the print file in accordance with stored print options; whereby the transformed print file produces a printed output different from a printed output that would have been produced by the print file generated by the printer driver.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein at least one print configuration data file is configured to store the identification data and print options, wherein a print monitoring module is configured for monitoring the print request, and wherein a transformation program module is configured for transforming the print file.  
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the matching step further comprises: 
 identifying identification data in the print request; and    comparing said identification data in the print request to the stored identification data in a currently selected print configuration data file.    
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 printing the transformed print file to an output device.    
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the output device is selected from the group consisting of a printer, a copier, and a scanner.  
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the stored identification data and print options are user configured.  
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein prior to the monitoring step, the method further comprises the step of receiving the identification data and print options from a graphical user interface generated by a print option formatting module.  
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the receiving step further comprises selecting a current print configuration data file from a listing of at least one print configuration data file.  
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the print file is a spooled print file.  
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein prior to the transforming step, the print file is configured by print drivers.