Claims
        
                - 1. A method comprising: 
supplying successive sections of an input line of a digital image to different imaging beams along a fast scanning direction defined by a vertical resolution, supplying each of a plurality of imaging beams with a respective data sequence comprising sections of successive input lines of a digital image, said successive input lines being exposed along a slow scanning direction defined by a horizontal resolution, and imaging at least one exposure line with a variable resolution along said fast scanning direction, wherein the size of said sections is determined by said variable resolution.
- 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising altering the data sequence of at least one active imaging beam when the number of active imaging beams is varied.
- 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising seamlessly attaching the tail of a section of an input line with the head of the next section of said input line.
- 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising seamlessly attaching the tail of a section of an input line with the head of a section of the following input line.
- 5. A method comprising: 
supplying each of a plurality of imaging beams with a respective data sequence comprising sections of successive input lines of a digital image so that the image generated by said plurality of imaging beams has desired geometrical properties, wherein said desired geometrical properties include having image edges parallel to a given line orientation, and imaging successive lines of at least one exposure along a first scanning direction, each line of said exposure having a variable resolution along a second scanning direction that differs from said first scanning direction, wherein the size of said sections is determined by said variable resolution.
- 6. The method of claim 5, wherein said desired geometrical properties include having image edges parallel to a gripper line of a plate holding system.
- 7. The method of claim 5, wherein said desired geometrical properties include having image edges parallel to a gripper line of a paper holding system.
- 8. A method comprising: 
supplying each of a plurality of marking elements with a respective data sequence comprising sections of successive input lines of a digital image along a first scanning direction, and recording at least one exposure with a variable resolution along a second scanning direction, said second scanning direction being different than said first scanning direction, wherein the size of said sections is determined by said variable resolution.
- 9. The method of claim 8, further comprising altering the data sequence of at least one active marking element when the number of active marking elements is varied.
- 10. The method of claim 8, further comprising seamlessly attaching the tail of a section of an input line with the head of the next section of said input line
- 11. The method of claim 8, further comprising seamlessly attaching the tail of a section of a particular input line with the head of another section of the following input line.
- 12. A method comprising 
supplying each of a plurality of marking elements with a respective data sequence comprising sections of successive input lines of a digital image so that the image generated by said plurality of marking elements has desired geometrical properties, said successive input lines being arranged along a first scanning direction, and marking with a variable resolution along a second scanning direction, which determines the size of each of said sections, said second scanning direction being different than said first scanning direction.
- 13. The method of claim 12, wherein said desired geometrical properties include having image edges parallel to a gripper line of a printing system.
- 14. The method of claim 12, wherein said desired geometrical properties include having image edges parallel to a given line orientation.
- 15. The method of claim 12 further comprises printing in a duplex mode.
- 16. The method of claim 15, wherein images printed on both sides of a sheet in said duplex mode are imaged at different resolutions.
- 17. The method of claim 15, wherein said printing uses a different number of active marking elements for each side of a sheet.
- 18. An imaging system comprising: 
a plurality of imaging beams; and means for supplying each of said imaging beams with a respective data sequence comprising sections of successive input lines of a digital image along a first scanning direction; wherein the size of said sections is determined by a variable resolution along a second scanning direction; said second scanning direction being different than said first scanning direction.
- 19. The system according to claim 18, further comprising means for altering the data sequence of at least one active imaging beam when the number of active imaging beams is varied.
- 20. A method of exposing an image comprising: 
scanning successive exposure lines of said image along a first scanning direction; and varying a resolution of each exposure line along a second scanning direction; said first scanning direction differing from said second scanning direction.
- 21. A method according to claim 20, wherein said first scanning direction defines a horizontal exposure of said image and said second scanning direction defines a vertical exposure of said image.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
        [0001] This is a continuation of pending U.S. application Ser. No. 09/708,089, filed Nov. 8, 2000, which claimed priority to U.S. Provisional Application 60/197,990, filed Apr. 18, 2000.
                
                
                
                        Provisional Applications (1)
        
            
                
                    |  | Number | Date | Country | 
            
            
    
        |  | 60197990 | Apr 2000 | US | 
            
        
        Continuations (1)
        
            
                
                    |  | Number | Date | Country | 
            
            
    
        | Parent | 09708089 | Nov 2000 | US | 
    
        | Child | 10658601 | Sep 2003 | US |