Method of creating and managing packages, including multiple documents, in a printing system

Claim 2

The method of claim 1 including, after programming the first and second print jobs, automatically substituting a third instruction for both the first instruction and the second instruction.

Claim 3

The method of claim 2, in which the first instruction and the second instruction relate to respective manners in which the first print job and the second print job are to be printed or finished, further comprising configuring the third instruction so that it relates to a manner in which both of the first print job and the second print job are to be printed or finished.

Claim 6

A printing system, with a memory, for processing and printing a package of print jobs, wherein each print job includes a set of instructions so that, upon printing the package, each print job is printed in accordance with a preprogrammed set of characteristic printing properties, and at least one of the print jobs is finished in accordance with a finishing instruction, comprising: a processor for creating a first package, the first package residing in said memory and including a first reference and a second reference, a first print job being operatively linked with the first package by way of the first reference and a second print job being operatively linked with the first package by way of the second reference; a user interface, communicating with said processor, for programming the first print job with a first set of instructions and the second print job with a second set of instructions, the first set of instructions including the finishing instruction; and a printing machine, communicating with the memory, for producing a collated print set of the first package, the collated first package print set including a finished print set of the first print job, produced in accordance with the first set of instructions and a print set of the second print job, produced in accordance with the second set of instructions.

Claim 7

The printing system of claim 6, wherein: a second package is created in memory; a third print job is programmed with a third set of instructions; the second package is provided with a third reference so that the third print job is operatively linked to the second package; and the second package is provided with the first reference so that the first print job is operatively linked to both the first package and the second package, and so that a change to the first print job of the second package automatically causes a corresponding change to the first print job of the first package.

Claim 8

The printing system of claim 7, wherein: an electronic copy of the first print job of the second package is generated; the electronic copy is edited so that the first print job of the first package is not corrupted by changes made to the first print job of the second package; the second package is provided with a reference that operatively links the electronic copy with the second package; and the first reference of the second package is deleted.

Claim 9

A printing system with a first memory section and a second memory section, the second memory section being disposed remotely of the printing machine, each job in the package being outputted in accordance with a programmed set of characteristic printing properties, comprising: a processor for creating, in the first memory section, a first package, the first package including a first reference and a second reference, the first job being stored in the second memory section and operatively linked with the first package by way of the first reference, and the second job being operatively linked with the first package by way of the second reference; a user interface for programming the first job with a first set of instructions and a second job with a second set of instructions; a connection, operatively coupling said first memory and said second memory section, for transmitting a copy of the first job, with a copy of the first set of instructions, from the second memory section to the first memory; and a printing machine, communicating with first memory section, for producing a package representation of the first package, the package representation including a representation of the first job copy, produced in accordance with the first set of instructions, and a representation of the second job, produced in accordance with the second set of instructions.

Claim 10

The printing system of claim 9, wherein one or both of the first job and the second job are generated at a location disposed remotely of the printing machine, the remote location being in communication with the second memory section.