Roll-fed printing apparatus, raster image processor, software medium, method for controlling a roll-fed printing apparatus, and method for controlling the raster image processor

A roll-fed printing apparatus, a raster image processor, a software medium, and a method of controlling a roll-fed printing apparatus. The roll-fed printing apparatus comprises a print engine and a controller. The controller comprises a roll managing system for managing the printing of ripped images on at least one recording medium. The method comprises the steps of the controller receiving a plurality of ripped images from a raster image processor in memory of the roll managing system irrespectively of the presence of the least one recording medium in the roll-fed printing apparatus, for each ripped image the roll managing system establishing an arbitrary position in the plane of the at least one recording medium at which arbitrary position the ripped image is intended to be printed, the controller creating subsequent image swathes for printing the ripped images according to the established arbitrary positions of the ripped images, the print engine subsequently printing the created subsequent image swathes, while printing the created subsequent image swathes, the roll managing system monitoring a first actual status of printing of the created subsequent image swathes, a second actual status of a timing of the ripped images to be printed and a third actual status of the at least one receiving medium; and the roll managing system displaying and keeping up-to-date a dynamic roll preview area representing the at least one recording medium, planned ripped images to be printed on the at least one recording medium, ripped images currently being printed on the at least one recording medium and image items representing the monitored first, second and third actual statuses.