Abstract: This invention provides a printing apparatus which controls to inhibit any inadvertent write to a memory in an expendable so as to securely manage the exchange timing and the like of the expendable. For this purpose, the expendable such as a toner cartridge or the like comprises a rewritable nonvolatile memory (21) which holds information indicating whether or not its service life has expired. When the toner cartridge is attached to the printing apparatus, it is ready to communicate with a printer engine controller in the printing apparatus, and write to the nonvolatile memory (21) can be made in accordance with an instruction from a control unit. A lock functional unit (21a) writes information indicating write inhibition at a predetermined address in the nonvolatile memory (21), thus inhibiting write to the address position that stores the information indicating whether or not its service life has expired.

Abstract: A print control apparatus and a print control method perform optimum page layout processing in accordance with properties of output apparatus capable of book bind printing. The order of sheets and the order of sides are obtained as book bind print setting information from the type of printer capable of book bind printing or paper discharge orifice or the type of finisher, then based on the obtained setting information, the page layout upon book bind printing is determined, and print data transmitted to the output apparatus is generated in accordance with the determined page layout.

Abstract: A system and method of using character set matching to identify the matching or best-matching font to print text of indeterminate language are presented. Today's operating systems do not provide the native tools and functions to easily display text of unknown language or multiple languages. The complexity of any underlying code that handles a multilingual display is sharply increased due to the text being segmented into multiple text runs. The invention employs character set engine that provides necessary character set guessing functionality, as well as an enumerator module to build a linked list of suitable output fonts to display text from an arbitrary language, and multilingual text. Output on a laser, inkjet or other printing apparatus can be granted by traversing that list.

Abstract: A compact printer module for an imaging system comprising a stationary printhead, an ink reservoir, a feeder and an image storage device all housed within a housing. The feeder carries a printable media past the printhead which prints a full width image in a single pass. A power supply is also preferably housed within the housing. The body is preferably cylindrical and approximately the size of a large pen. The printhead is suitably a monolithic drop-on-demand inkjet printer.

Abstract: A plurality of input digital pixel images, having differing pixel array sizes, are scaled to a plurality of common pixel dimension input images based on a printer resolution value, a data characterizing dimensions of the printed image, and a final size value for at least one of the plurality of digital pixel images. A lenticule resolution data is received. A composite image file is formed of the plurality of scaled input digital pixel images, and at least one left-right image file pair is generated from the composite image file. The left-right image file pair are interlaced and printed on a printer associated with the printer resolution value.

Abstract: A method of clearing an internal print queue in a print output device includes processing a print job in a print output device to make a processed print job; storing the processed print jobs in the internal print queue of a print output device; detecting an overload condition in the internal print queue; determining which processed print jobs are not ready to be physically printed; selecting at least one not ready to be printed processed print job in the internal print queue for transfer out of the internal print queue to clear the overload condition; moving the selected processed print job to a temporary storage print queue; and moving the selected processed print jobs from a temporary storage print queue to the internal print queue upon occurrence of a predetermined event.

Abstract: A method and system of producing image prints and other physical manifestations of images from an order specifying one or more recipients and, for each specified recipient, a set of one or more images associated with that recipient. For each recipient specified by the order, the images associated with the recipient are separated into at least one printable unit of images. Each printable unit of images can be scheduled for image processing and/or printing in an optimized manner (e.g., according to a global scheduling algorithm and/or a “just-in-time” scheduling algorithm). Also, for each recipient, the images associated with the recipient may be separated into one or more sub-orders, and each sub-order may be separated into one or more sub-batches.

Abstract: Informing the user when consumables and/or customer replaceable units will have to be resupplied, changed and/or replaced, relative to the jobs sent to the image forming system, is a beneficial way to avoid unnecessary printing delays. When a job is added to a job queue or repositioned within the job queue, a warning can be associated with that job, and displayed to the user. With this information, the user can pre-emptively add a consumable and/or to replace a customer replaceable unit to avoid delays and maintain productivity. Alternatively, if such a system fault would occur prior to an urgent job reaching the top of the job queue, the user can manipulate the order and/or presence of the various jobs in the queue to ensure the high-priority job is completed before the consumable is fully exhausted and/or the customer replaceable unit reaches the end of its useful life.

Abstract: A printer apparatus terminates printing and discharges paper when an interface is disconnected during a printing process, whereby the next print data is received and is appropriately printed. In particular, when a printer apparatus that selectively uses a plurality of interfaces to receive print data from one of plurality of host units so that the print data can be printed by a single printing mechanism has an error such as interface disconnection during a process for printing print data received via the selected interface, the printer apparatus terminates the printing and discharges paper, whereby when print data is received via another interface and is printed, the printing can be smoothly performed without requiring the user to perform any operation.

Abstract: A system and method for obtaining prints or other services from a digital camera uses a camera and a transceiver module, each having unique identifiers that are stored in a database stored on a remote print routing server. To obtain the service, the user couples the camera to the transceiver module and requests an image service, such as by pressing a button. The transceiver module sends image files and a request for prints to the routing server. The routing server confirms that the request is authorized by querying its database to determine if the camera identifier is authorized for use with the transceiver module. Provided the service request is authorized, the routing server sends the image files to a print center. The service request is coupled with shipping and billing information, such that the print center is able to ship prints to the shipping address and bill the appropriate account.

Abstract: A printer for receiving document data from a computer system and printing an interface onto a surface. The interface is based on the document data, which includes identity data indicative of at least one identity. The identity is, in turn, associated with a region of the interface. The interface also includes coded data. The printer includes a coded data generator configured to generate the coded data based at least partially on the identity data. A printing mechanism in the printer prints the interface onto the surface.

Abstract: A printer for receiving document data from a computer system and printing an interface onto a surface. The interface is based on the document data, which includes identity data indicative of at least one identity. The identity is, in turn, associated with a region of the interface. The interface also includes coded data. The printer includes a coded data generator configured to generate the coded data based at least partially on the identity data. A printing mechanism in the printer prints the interface onto the surface.

Abstract: A printhead controller controls printing of a page by at least one printhead. The printhead controller, in use, receives data, in a compressed format relating to the page to be printed, the data including a page description comprising a bi-level black layer and a contone color layer. The printhead controller extracts from the compressed data relating to the bi-level black layer the contone color layer. Memory is provided for temporary storage of the expanded data. A dithering/compositing unit produces a ditherer page from the data temporally stored in the memory and feeds its out put to the printhead.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus incorporating an image forming unit capable of execution in a layout print mode in which a plurality of pages of image data is formed on a single sheet, whether or not to permit the image forming unit to execute in the layout print mode for a plurality of sets of image data to be laid out in the layout print mode is controlled based on the image property information of the plurality of image data, so that layout functions desired by users are provided and ease of operation by the users is improved without incurring excessive processes or additional cost.

Abstract: A relay device for providing communication between a sensing device and a computer system includes first and second communications modules and a processor. The first communications module receives first indicating data transmitted from the sensing device in a first format. The indicating data is sensed by the sensing device when it is placed into an operative position in relation to first coded data forming part of a first interface disposed on a first surface. In particular, the indicating data includes a first region identity indicative of an identity of a region associated with the first interface. The processor is configured to generate second indicating data based on the first indicating data. The second communications module then transmits the second indicating data in a second format to the computer system.

Abstract: A digital copying machine provided with both a scanner function and a printer function is used. The use of this type of machine enables a scanner apparatus to have a printout function as well. An input image can be transmitted to a final registration destination or a transfer destination and printed by operating only the scanner apparatus. Owing to this feature, the user need not check the image output to the final registration destination, the user is only required to confirm the printed image. Hence, the burden imposed on the user by the confirmation of captured images is significantly reduced.

Abstract: This invention relates to an image processing apparatus and method for controlling output of a specific image, and a storage medium. For example, image data which is open to the public on the Internet may be printed out without permission by an ill-disposed person, even if it has a copyright. In this invention, when information indicating the presence of a copyright is stored in extended property information of image data, which complies with a hierarchical data format that hierarchically stores image data of a plurality of resolution, original image data, i.e., the image data of interest is controlled not to be output at a high resolution, thereby preventing original image data from being printed out without permission of the copyright holder.

Abstract: A relay device for providing communication between a sensing device and a computer system includes first and second communications modules and a processor. The first communications module receives first indicating data transmitted from the sensing device in a first format. The indicating data is sensed by the sensing device when it is placed into an operative position in relation to first coded data forming part of a first interface disposed on a first surface. In particular, the indicating data includes a first region identity indicative of an identity of a region associated with the first interface. The processor is configured to generate second indicating data based on the first indicating data. The second communications module then transmits the second indicating data in a second format to the computer system.

Abstract: Selection of an optimum print data conversion is provided such that: in a first conversion, print data is converted into image data, in a second conversion, the print data is converted into code data which is used by a printer to generate the image data; predictions are made as regards a printing time using the image data converted in the first conversion and a printing time using the code data converted in the second conversion, a determination is made whether the printing time using the image data is shorter than the printing time using the code data, and the first conversion is selected when it is determined that the printing time using the image data is shorter and the second conversion is selected when it is determined that the printing time using the image data is not shorter.

Abstract: A supervising server (2) is connected to a communication network. The communication network includes a plurality of clients (3) and facsimile servers (1). The supervising server (2) has recipient information such as facsimile numbers of recipients, and the clients (3) can refer to the recipient information under predetermined constraint. All the information about recipients is administered by the supervising server (2). The facsimile servers and clients communicate with each other via the supervising server.