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 system comprising:
 a scalable group of web servers that interact with web browsers configured for interactive design by users creating discrete print jobs;   computer readable storage which stores information about the discrete print jobs that results from interaction with the users;   a scalable group of printing servers configured to aggregate the discrete print jobs into aggregate print jobs and deliver the aggregate print jobs electronically to printers.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the web servers making available to the users a plurality of pre-defined design templates which are selectable and editable by a user via the user's web browser to create a discrete print job.