1-20. (canceled)
21. A system comprising:
memory storage including an operating system;
a printer driver in the memory storage and executable by a processor, wherein the printer driver is operable to
receive a print request, with associated print data representing an image, through an interface of the operating system;
divide the print data into at least first and second print data portions;
render the first data portion of the print data to a first bitmap stored in the memory storage;
communicate commands through an application programming interface to a video card, wherein the commands direct the video card to render the second print data portion to a second bitmap for storage in the memory storage, wherein the memory storage differs from the video memory used by the video card to display video to a screen; and
assemble at least the first and second bitmaps for provision to a printer.
22. The system of claim 21, wherein the print data comprises vector graphics.
23. The system of claim 21, wherein the print data comprises bitmap graphics.
24. The system of claim 21, wherein the second print data portion comprises vector graphics and the commands communicated through the application programming interface to the video card comprise vector graphic processing commands.
25. The system of claim 21, wherein the first print data portion comprises bitmap graphics and the commands communicated through the application programming interface to the video card comprise bitmap graphic processing commands.
26. The system of claim 21, wherein the printer driver is further operable to direct post-processing of bitmap data before provision to the printer.
27. A system comprising:
a host processor;
a video card adapted to render video data for provision to a display;
memory storage including an operating system and a printer driver executable by the host processor;
wherein the printer driver is operable to communicate with the video card through an application programming interface;
wherein the printer driver is further operable to direct the video card to render at least a portion of print data representing an image as bitmap data for provision to a printer.
28. The system of claim 27, wherein the printer driver is further operable to divide the print data into first and second print data portions for rendering using the host processor and video card, respectively.
29. The system of claim 28, wherein the host processor renders the first data portion of the print data to a first bitmap stored in the memory storage, and the video card renders the second data portion of the print data to a second bitmap stored in the memory storage.
30. The system of claim 29, wherein the printer driver is operable to assemble at least the first and second bitmaps for provision to the printer.
31. The system of claim 29, wherein the print data comprises vector graphics.
32. The system of claim 29, wherein the print data comprises bitmap graphics.
33. The system of claim 23, wherein the print data comprises bitmap graphics.
34. The system of claim 28, wherein the second print data portion comprises vector graphics.
35. A method for processing an image for provision to a printer, comprising:
receiving a print request, with associated print data representing an image, through an interface of an operating system;
dividing the print data into at least first and second print data portions;
rendering the first data portion of the print data to a first bitmap stored at a first location in memory storage using a printer driver;
communicating commands from the printer driver, through an application programming interface, to a video card for directing the video card to render the second print data portion to a second bitmap;
storing the second bitmap at a second location in memory storage; and
assembling at least the first and second bitmaps for provision to a printer.
36. The method of claim 35, further comprising post-processing the assembled bitmap data before provision to the printer.
37. A method for rendering an image for provision to a printer, comprising:
communicating with a video card through an interface to provide print data representing an image;
directing the video card, through the interface, to render at least a portion of the print data as bitmap data for provision to a printer, where the video card provides video data to a display while rendering the print data.
38. The method of claim 37, further comprising post-processing the bitmap data before provision to the printer.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A conversion layer comprising chromium(III), said conversion layer being chromium(VI)-free, said conversion layer being a substantially coherent conversion layer on zinc or a zinc alloy, said conversion layer presenting a corrosion protection of about 100 to 1000 h in the salt spray test according to DIN 50021 SS or ASTM B 117-73 until first attack according to DIN 50961 Chapter 10, said conversion layer having across the conversion layer thickness an average chromium content of more than approximately 5 weight % based on only zinc and chromium up to a depth where the Cr content is 1 weight % based on only zinc and chromium, said conversion layer having a chromium index greater than approximately 10, wherein the chromium index is defined as said average chromium content, expressed as content by weight of Cr divided by the sum of contents by weight of Cr and Zn, multiplied by said depth in nm,
wherein said conversion layer is free from the presence of silicate, cerium, aluminum, and borate, is clear or substantially colorless, and further comprises one or more anions and one or more metal compounds selected from the group consisting of 1- to 6-valent metal compounds.
2. A conversion layer according to claim 1, said conversion layer further comprising cobalt.
3. A conversion layer comprising chromium(III), said conversion layer being chromium(VI)-free, said conversion layer being a substantially coherent conversion layer on zinc or a zinc alloy,
wherein, whether in the presence of any of silicate, cerium, aluminum and borate, or in the absence of all of silicate, cerium, aluminum and borate, said conversion layer presents a corrosion protection of about 100 to 1000 h in the salt spray test according to DIN 50021 SS or ASTM B 117-73 until first attack according to DIN 50961 Chapter 10,
said conversion layer being hard and resistant to wiping, said conversion layer having across the conversion layer thickness an average chromium content of more than approximately 5 weight % based on only zinc and chromium up to a depth where the Cr content is 1 weight % based upon only zinc and chromium.
4. A conversion layer according to claim 3, said layer further comprising cobalt.
5. A conversion layer according to claim 3, said chromium(III) being provided via a chromium(III) complex having ligand replacement kinetics more rapid than the fluoride replacement kinetics in chromium(III)-fluorocomplexes.
6. A conversion layer according to claim 3, said layer being free from the presence of silicate, cerium, aluminum, and borate.
7. A conversion layer according to claim 3, said layer having a layer thickness of about 100 nm to 1000 nm.
8. A conversion layer according to claim 3,
said conversion layer being transparent and substantially colorless and exhibiting a multicolored iridescence,
said conversion layer having a thickness of 100 nm to 1000 nm,
said conversion layer being hard and is resistant to wiping,
said conversion layer having a chromium rich zone having more than 20 weight % chromium based on only zinc and chromium, said chromium rich zone being more than 15 nm thick, and
said conversion layer having a chromium index greater than 10, wherein the chromium index is defined as said average chromium content expressed as content by weight of Cr divided by the sum of contents by weight of Cr and Zn, multiplied by said depth in nm.