Abstract: A photo kiosk containing a cpu, digital video camera, monitor, a self-contained, limited access cabinet, a payment collection device, a removable electronic storage device, a modem, a microphone, speaker, telephone line, power supply, and lights. The camera takes a picture of the user which is converted into an electronic image. The user can selectively add to the electronic image a banner message, a text message, and/or an audio message. The electronic image, optional banner message, optional text message, and optional audio message are combined into an electronic file. The user can save the electronic file on a removable electronic storage device or can send the electronic file to an electronic address which the user inputs. The photo kiosk can perform system utilities and diagnostics and send the results to a remote location. One can access the photo kiosk from a remote location to perform maintenance and repair.

Abstract: When data is received from a host computer A, a printing apparatus stores the received data in a reception buffer that has been segmented into memory blocks of a prescribed size. When one memory block is filled to capacity with the data received from host computer A, the printing apparatus determines whether there is a print request from another host computer. If there is a print request from a host computer other than host computer A, reception of the printing data accompanying this request is started and the data is stored in an unused memory block of the reception buffer. When this memory block is filled to capacity, reception of data from the host A is resumed. Thus, the printing apparatus receives data from a plurality of host computers concurrently and prints out data the reception of which has ended.

Abstract: A network print system includes at least one host and plural printers, and a communication network that connects the host and the printers. In each printer, a host is selected in which print data is generated, a request is made to the host to be transmitted the print data, and a document is printed based on the received print data. In the host, plural print data is stored, and respective owners of the plural print data are set on the basis of the identification data allotted per each user. Also, in the host, a determination is made as to whether a person who has requested the print data to be transmitted is the owner of the print data, and if so, the print data is transmitted to the printer.

Abstract: A printing system includes a network, a first computer connected to the network, a second computer connected to the network, and a printer connected to the network. The first computer instructs the printer to print. The printer includes a printer controller and a printer engine. The printer controller includes an individual printer management part for managing the printer, and an individual printer information DB part. The second computer includes a total printer management service processing part for managing a plurality of printers including the printer connected to the network, and a total printer management information DB part. The second computer communicates with the printer controller and/or the first computer over the network to manage the printer to cope with trouble in the printer, order consumable items and replacement parts for the printer, and update programs and data for using the printer.

Abstract: An image processor includes an input device which inputs coded recording data, and a table generator generates a table which stores, by a scan line unit, memory addresses at each of which a function is stored for developing an image for one line into a memory, the function being generated based on the input coded recording data. The image processor also includes a developing unit which develops the input coded recording data into the memory in accordance with functions stored in the generated table.

Abstract: A code printing method and apparatus which prints an image and a code on the same recording medium. The apparatus stores a plurality of density patterns corresponding to each density, and codes corresponding to the density patterns. When code data is inputted and printing of the code is instructed, the apparatus determines the density of each pixel of image data, selects the density pattern representing the code data among the density patterns corresponding to the pixel density, and prints the density pattern instead of the image pixel. Thus, the image and code are printed without deterioration of image quality.

Abstract: The inverter makes it possible to use a very simple conveyor for coupling the outlet of a printer in a word processor system to the inlet of a folder-inserter, even though the printer outputs printed pages in an order that is unsuitable for direct insertion into envelopes. The inverter includes a read/write memory in which the sequence of binary words representing the text of a letter is stored as it is output by the word processor system, with the address of the beginning of each page of text being identified. These binary words are played back, page by page, with the pages being played back in inverted order of text pages, but with the characters making up the pages being played back within each page in their initial order. The invention is applicable to folder-inserters for preparing mail.

Abstract: A printer has monochrome and color printing heads for printing color and monochrome images, respectively, and a media feed path for moving sheets of media by the printing heads. The media feed path has a color position in which the color printing heads print color images and the monochrome printing head prints monochrome images, and a monochrome position in which the monochrome printing head prints monochrome images but the color printing heads cannot print color images. A memory stores data on prior print jobs, and a control circuit switches the media feed path from the color position to the monochrome position in response to the data stored in the memory.

Abstract: An electronic image registration system for a high-speed raster printer controller includes dedicated hardware for performing run-time registration, in both the horizontal and vertical directions, on a continuous stream of rasterized bit-map data generated by the rendering units of the raster printer controller. The registration takes place in hardware, between the rendering section of the controller and the print engine, thus allowing the registration to be performed in real-time without slowing the controller's processing speeds. The dedicated run-time electronic-image registration hardware for the vertical registration of the image includes a vertical holding register and a vertical counter. The vertical holding register is loaded by a CPU and indicates the magnitude of the vertical registration, which in turn indicates a length of delay in scan-line units before the start of the page-map's print cycle after seeing a “top-of-form” signal from the print engine.

Abstract: There is printed on the same substrate on which the design is to be printed and under identical printing conditions a colour atlas that comprises a number of colour charts each of which comprises a number of colour fields that represent the printing one on top of another of three selected printing inks from a limited set of predetermined printing inks with different grades of the grid percentages of the grid screen printing stencils for the three printing inks, which stencils form the basis of the printing operation. The printing original is divided into a large number of, especially punctiform, image areas, and the colour impression is determined for each of those areas. The grid percentages of the grid screen printing stencils are determined for each area by comparison with the colour fields of the colour atlas. The necessary grid films are produced with reference to those grid percentages, and the grid screen printing stencils for the printing inks involved are produced from the grid films.