System, method, and program for automatically switching operational modes of a printer between direct and print-on-demand (POD) modes

A method, system, and program for automatically switching operational modes of a printer between direct and on-demand modes. A rasterizer receives a data stream containing various data sets to be presented. The rasterizer detects occurrences of an include command that specifies remotely stored data that is to be presented. In response to the detected include commands, the rasterizer automatically switches between a direct mode and an on-demand mode of presentation as an operational mode for the printer while continuously processing the data stream. The printer is initialized to operate in a desired operational print mode. If the printer is operating in the on-demand mode of presentation, the print rasterizer switches the printer to operate in the direct mode when the print rasterizer detects a predetermined number of consecutive pages that do not have the include command. Conversely, when the printer is operating in the direct mode of presentation, the print rasterizer switches the printer to operate in the on-demand mode when the print rasterizer detects a predetermined number of consecutive pages containing the include command. The present invention is not limited to being implemented in a printer and may also be implemented in a display device.