METHOD OF SCHEDULING PRINT JOBS

A method of scheduling print jobs for printing on a printer which has printing elements provided for printing in a number of different colors, characterized by the steps of: a) calculating, for each color, a constraint time (Tc Y - Tc W ) which specifies a time at which the printing elements for the respective color should be either operated or subjected to a maintenance treatment in order to avoid a risk of malfunction; b) calculating, for each of a plurality of print jobs (a - d) that have been scheduled already and are waiting in a print queue, an operation time (To) at which the printing elements will be operating in the course of the processing of the print job; and c) when a new print job (e) is to be scheduled and the print jobs, including the new print job, comprise at least one job in which printing elements for at least one color (W) are not operated, determining a sequence of the print jobs in the print queue, with corresponding recalculation of the constraint times (Tc Y - Tc W ) and operation times (To), with an aim to extend the constraint times by operating the printing elements before expiry of their previously calculated constraint times.