Managing print jobs

Abstract

Systems and methods for managing print jobs associated with multiple customers. Customer-editable design templates for printed products and design software tools enabling creation by customers of custom print product designs are provided, via a network, to multiple customers operating corresponding electronic devices. Individual print jobs corresponding to custom print product designs created by multiple different customers via the electronic devices are received and automatically aggregated into an aggregate print job comprising individual print jobs from different customers. The aggregated individual print jobs in the aggregate print job are printed simultaneously on one or more units of a shared substrate when the aggregate print job is printed.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A print job management system comprising:
 one or more web servers which receive information defining discrete print jobs, the discrete print jobs comprising graphical print data and commercial print job data;   a printing server which aggregates a plurality of the discrete print jobs into an aggregate print job, the aggregate print job comprising a layout and aggregate commercial data, the layout being configured for printing as a single print job on units of a common substrate and having different individual discrete print jobs arranged on respective portions of the layout, the aggregate commercial data comprising commercial information from the commercial print job data of the discrete print jobs in the aggregate print job;   a bidding web server comprising a bidding program which provides information concerning the aggregate print job and allows printing firms to post a bid for printing the aggregate print job.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the bidding program automatically selects a bid posted by one of the printing firms based on the posted bid and in accordance with predetermined criteria, and transmits the layout corresponding to the aggregate print job to the selected printing firm to print the aggregate print job. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the predetermined selection criteria includes at least one from the group consisting of price, quality, lead time, history, and availability. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the bidding program allows printing firms to post their availability for printing. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein the bidding program makes available, for bidding by a given printing firm, the aggregate print job information, if the given printing firms is available to print the aggregate print job as determined by the bidding program based upon the availability posted by the given printing firm. 
     
     
         6 . A method comprising:
 receiving, via a web server, information defining discrete print jobs, the discrete print jobs comprising graphical print data and commercial print job data;   aggregating, by a printing server, a plurality of the discrete print jobs into an aggregate print job, the aggregate print job comprising a layout and aggregate commercial data, the layout being configured for printing as a single print job on units of a common substrate and having different individual discrete print jobs arranged on respective portions of the layout, the aggregate commercial data comprising commercial information from the commercial print job data of the discrete print jobs in the aggregate print job;   a bidding program executing on a bidding web server providing information concerning the aggregate print job and providing a mechanism via the web server to allow printing firms to post a bid for printing the aggregate print job.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the bidding program automatically selects a bid posted by one of the printing firms based on the posted bid and in accordance with predetermined criteria, and transmits the layout corresponding to the aggregate print job to the selected printing firm to print the aggregate print job. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the predetermined selection criteria includes at least one from the group consisting of price, quality, lead time, history, and availability. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the bidding program allows printing firms to post their availability for printing. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the bidding program makes available, for bidding by a given printing firm, the aggregate print job information, if the given printing firms is available to print the aggregate print job as determined by the bidding program based upon the availability posted by the given printing firm.