Abstract: A multi-function device (MFD) is disclosed. For example, the MFD includes, a communications interface to establish a communication session with other MFDs within a community of MFDs, a processor, and a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to detect an undesirable image quality level of a print job, determine an optimal setting MFD in the community of MFDs, request optimal settings from the optimal setting MFD, receive the optimal settings from the optimal setting MFD, configure settings on the MFD in accordance with the optimal settings, and execute the print job with the optimal settings.

Abstract: A method for printing a document with user-defined boundaries is disclosed. For example, a method is executed by a processor of a multi-function device (MFD) and includes receiving a user-defined boundary of a document that excludes a portion of at least one page, identifying content within the user-defined boundary, generating an MFD job with the content, and executing the MFD job.

Abstract: A multi-function device (MFD) is disclosed. For example, the MFD includes a communication interface to establish a communication path with a network, a user interface to display a plurality of fields associated with different settings of a configuration file of the MFD, a processor, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a plurality of instructions. The instructions when executed by the processor cause the processor to detect selection of a field associated with a setting of the configuration file, establish a connection with at least one networked MFD on the network, query the at least one networked MFD for a value used in the field associated with the setting of the configuration file that is selected, receive the value from the at least one networked MFD, and populate the field with the value.

Abstract: A method for generating a document with specialty imaging includes: receiving a document with three pages, including a content page, a mask page with a background color and a foreground color, and an effect page with special imaging effect(s); processing the mask and effect pages by hiding a portion of the effect page overlapped by the background color to form a transformed effect page with a remaining portion, wherein the foreground color at least partially unhides the remaining portion such that the transformed effect page includes at least one specialty imaging effect; and processing the transformed effect and content pages by overlaying the transformed effect page on the content page to generate a transformed content page that forms a transformed document with specialty imaging. A computing device for implementing the method is also provided. A non-transitory computer-readable medium associated with the method is provided.

Abstract: A multi-function device (MFD) is disclosed. For example, the MFD includes, a communication interface to establish a communication session with other MFDs within a community of MFDs, a processor, and a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to determine a feature of the MFD is operating incorrectly, transmit a help message to the other MFDs within the community of MFDs, receive a configuration file for the feature that is operating incorrectly from a second MFD within the community of MFDs that has a health status of fully operational, upload the configuration file, determine the feature is operating correctly after the configuration file is uploaded, and update a health status of the MFD to fully operational.

Abstract: A multi-function device (MFD) is disclosed. For example, the MFD includes a communication interface to establish a communication path with a network, a user interface to display a plurality of fields associated with different settings of a configuration file of the MFD, a processor, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a plurality of instructions. The instructions when executed by the processor cause the processor to detect selection of a field associated with a setting of the configuration file, establish a connection with at least one networked MFD on the network, query the at least one networked MFD for a value used in the field associated with the setting of the configuration file that is selected, receive the value from the at least one networked MFD, and populate the field with the value.

Abstract: A method of automatically creating trust communities in a fleet of devices. The method includes finding candidate devices in a fleet of devices via one or more candidate discovery techniques and generating device-related data based on the candidate devices that are found, analyzing the device-related data via an analytics engine and creating one or more fleet orchestrator device lists based on the analysis of the device-related data, and automatically creating one or more new trust communities or suggesting joining one or more previously existing trust communities based at least on the one or more fleet orchestrator device lists for the candidate devices, wherein the one or more new trust communities or previously existing trust communities include at least a sub-set of the devices in the fleet, and wherein at least one of the managed devices in the sub-set of devices is configured as a root device to publish files via a file sharing function.

Abstract: A multi-function device (MFD) is disclosed. For example, the MFD includes a communication interface to establish a communication path with a network, a user interface to display a plurality of fields associated with different settings of a configuration file of the MFD, a processor, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a plurality of instructions. The instructions when executed by the processor cause the processor to detect selection of a field associated with a setting of the configuration file, establish a connection with at least one networked MFD on the network, query the at least one networked MFD for a value used in the field associated with the setting of the configuration file that is selected, receive the value from the at least one networked MFD, and populate the field with the value.

Abstract: A method of automatically creating trust communities in a fleet of devices. The method includes finding candidate devices in a fleet of devices via one or more candidate discovery techniques and generating device-related data based on the candidate devices that are found, analyzing the device-related data via an analytics engine and creating one or more fleet orchestrator device lists based on the analysis of the device-related data, and automatically creating one or more new trust communities or suggesting joining one or more previously existing trust communities based at least on the one or more fleet orchestrator device lists for the candidate devices, wherein the one or more new trust communities or previously existing trust communities include at least a sub-set of the devices in the fleet, and wherein at least one of the managed devices in the sub-set of devices is configured as a root device to publish files via a file sharing function.

Abstract: A method for customizing settings on a multi-function device (MFD) is disclosed. For example, the method is executed by a processor and includes monitoring user interactions with the MFD, determining that an interaction threshold is exceeded, customizing a setting on the MFD for the user in response to the interaction threshold being exceeded, and adjusting the setting from a default setting on the MFD in response to a subsequent login by the user on the MFD.

Abstract: A method for creating a consolidated work-flow on a multi-function device (MFD) is disclosed. For example, the method is executed by a processor and includes monitoring user interactions with the MFD, determining that an interaction threshold is exceeded, creating the consolidated work-flow for a particular user interaction with the MFD, and creating a short-cut associated with the consolidated work-flow, wherein the short-cut is to be displayed on a user interface (UI) of the MFD, wherein the consolidated work-flow is executed when the short-cut is selected.

Abstract: In a process for ensuring compatibility of components in a system, system components are defined and relationships between two or more system components identified. From relationships between components, inter-relationships between these identified relationships and possibly other components are determined. By validating integrity of either or both of the identified relationship and determined inter-relationship and, based on a validating result, ensuring integrity of the identified relationship or determined inter-relationship, compatibility of the components in the system is ensured. This process is particularly useful in eliminating incompatibilities between resident and migrational software in an automated computer system.