Abstract: At least one exemplary embodiment is directed to an image forming apparatus configured to perform printing when a reservation request including a count value for the printing is accepted by a management apparatus that performs charging management according to a print result, the image forming apparatus including: a transmission unit configured to transmit, to the management apparatus, a reservation request including a count value for printing a part of a print job before completing analysis on the entire print job; and a printing unit configured to perform printing according to an acceptance of the reservation request by the management apparatus.

Abstract: An image processing method generates a halftone-dot image by forming a halftone dot, which is represented by a set of one or plural output dots and corresponds to an intensity of an input image signal, while making a part of the dots constituting the halftone dot to be an actual non-output dot so as to reduce an amount of a coloring material of the halftone-dot portion. When the intensity of the image signal exceeds a predetermined value and is in a predetermined range, while maintaining contour dots, which are output dots contribute to formation of a contour of the halftone dot, to be the output dot, the image processing method makes a part of dots inside the contour dots to be the actual non-output dot.

Abstract: Methods of the present invention allow for optimization of color and shades of gray documents prior to their conversion to a monochrome format. If color/gray elements are identified in the document, the distance between them and their intensity is determined. If there are elements with the same or similar intensity in close proximity to each other, colors of some of the elements may be replaced with solid monochrome colors, and/or dithered surfaces, and/or monochrome patterns. Further, the elements may be outlined. These improvements make elements in the document more distinguishable after its conversion to a monochrome format. The described color optimization and outlining may have wide applicability in the Internet Fax technology.

Abstract: A printing system includes a printer and at least one workstation operatively connected to the printer. The work station comprises at least one input/output device connecting the workstation to the printer, a controller connected to the at least one input/output device, and a memory connected to the controller. The workstation further includes an operating system, a first application, a second application, and a print driver, all residing on the memory. A first item of the first application and a second item of the second application are both receivable by the print driver. The print driver is selectively able to concatenate the first and second items into a compound print set, able to receive a selected number of copies to be printed of the compound print set entered through the at least one input/output device and able to submit the compound print set and the selected number of copies as a single print job to the printer.

Abstract: Color management which uses a color conversion LUT for transformation from an N-dimensional source device color space (N?4) to a destination device color space, in which the color conversion LUT is constructed in a two-step process. In the first step, an intermediate color conversion LUT is constructed that converts colors in a three-dimensional device-independent color space through a gamut mapping step and through an inverse destination device transform so as to obtain colors in the destination device color space. In the second step, the overall color conversion LUT is obtained by applying a source device transform to color combinations in the source device color space so as to obtain color values in the three-dimensional device-independent color space, and thereafter performing three-dimensional color look-ups in the intermediate color conversion table.

Abstract: A system (1321) for accessing an image album comprising a plurality of source images over a network (1305) is disclosed. A representation of the image album is stored on a server (1301). The system (1321) comprises means (1304) for downloading, from the server (1301), the representation of the image album. The means (1304) accesses a reduced resolution version of a said one of the plurality of source images dependent upon the representation of the album, and retrieves, from a storage device (eg 1302) located remotely from the server (1301), the source image corresponding to the reduced resolution version.

Abstract: This invention provides an image editing method having a selecting step of selecting an edit target area, a cancellation step of canceling a selection of the edit target area selected in the selecting step, and an area selecting step of selecting again the edit target area by indicating the inside of the edit target area.

Abstract: This invention provides an image processing device and a printing apparatus that obviate the need for manual processing on the part of the user or operator and which can automatically perform an optimum image correction without using added information such as photographing information. For this purpose, this invention including: a highly chromatic color area detection unit to detect highly chromatic color area in an original image according to the input color image data; a concentration calculation unit to calculate a concentration level of the highly chromatic color area; and a print data generation unit to generate output color image data according to the concentration level of the highly chromatic color area.

Abstract: The present invention makes it possible to obtain output results consistent with a user's intentions without the front and back sides of the pages getting out of order by not performing output only when both the front and back are blank when performing a blank page save. As a result, print data is input and a sheet management table for each page is produced. Then, when a sheet management table is generated in which print data for both the front and the back of a single printing sheet does not exist, that sheet management table is deleted.

Abstract: A printing system includes a plurality of printers, at least a first and a second of the plurality of printers printing in a first print modality. A scheduling system schedules printing of a set of pages by the plurality of printers. The set of pages, when assembled, may include pages where a high level of consistency is desired, such as facing pages or pages which are otherwise to be placed in close relationship. The scheduling system includes at least two scheduling modes, a first mode in which a consistency constraint is applied to the set of pages, and a second mode, different from the first mode, in which the consistency constraint is not applied. The printing system is configured for printing the set of pages in accordance with the first mode and in accordance with the second mode.

Abstract: An image reading apparatus is provided that includes an image sensor configured to convert image light of a document into an image signal, an optical unit configured to project the image light of the document on the image sensor, a drive unit configured to drive the optical unit in a sub scanning direction, a document size detecting unit configured to detect a size of the document using the image signal, an image signal processing unit configured to digitally convert the image signal of the image sensor into image data, a power circuit configured to output an operating voltage in standby mode and stop the outputting of the operating voltage in sleep mode, and a power saving control unit configured to position the optical unit to a document size detecting position before switching the power circuit from the standby mode to the sleep mode.

Abstract: A device management apparatus is adapted to be connected to devices which constitute at least one device group. An application is running in the device management apparatus. Each of the device managers is associated with one of the devices and is operable to create usage information of the associated one of the devices. A device group manager is associated with the at least one device group and coupled to the device managers to receive the usage information from each of the device managers. The device group manager is operable to notify the usage information in response to an inquiry from the application.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, software, and systems of the present invention allow for optimization of color and shades of gray documents prior to their conversion to a monochrome format. If color/gray elements are identified in the document, the distance between them and their intensity is determined. If there are elements with the same or similar intensity in close proximity to each other, colors of some of the elements may be replaced with solid monochrome colors, and/or dithered surfaces, and/or monochrome patterns. Further, the elements may be outlined. These improvements make elements in the document more distinguishable after its conversion to a monochrome format. The described color optimization and outlining may have wide applicability in the Internet Fax technology.

Abstract: An input of a user ID is accepted upon executing a copying process and the accepted user ID is transmitted to a department-management server, whereby a department ID of a department to which the user belongs is inquired. Then, in case that the department-management server receives the user ID, the department ID is searched based upon the received user ID. In case that it is determined that the corresponding department ID is present and the copying process is allowed, the department ID is replied. An image forming apparatus receiving the department ID executes the copying process, counts the number of copies and registers the number of copies as associated with the department ID.

Abstract: One or more adjustable printer driver settings are displayed, and one or more pages of a print job corresponding to the document are displayed in accordance with the adjustable printer driver settings. The user is permitted to adjust the adjustable printer driver settings, such that the pages of the print job are redisplayed based on adjustments made to the adjustable printer driver settings.

Abstract: In order to allow any device to use a graphics device interface (GDI) driver without having to modify it once the GDI driver has been developed, the GDI driver is configured to create a spool format in a next-generation print path (NGPP) graphics engine specification and to convert drawing data in the spool format in the NGPP graphics engine specification into a page description language (PDL) by using an NGPP driver.

Abstract: A document management apparatus and a document management system that selects the document which are best to digitize from among document being used in an office, and set the priority for digitization of each document are provided. The document management apparatus comprising: an accumulator apparatus that stores, the document ID, used place and used time for a document that is used; a computing part that analyzes information stored in accumulator apparatus, and for each document, computes the usability of the document data to be digitized; a specifying part that specifies document that correspond to document data for which the usability is relatively high by comparing it to the usability already computed for the data for each document; and output part that outputs the specified result to client.

Abstract: A multi-functional print platform includes at least two marking engines that process information at different processing rates and a scheduler that distributes portions of a job across the at least two marking engines based at least on a content of the job and the different processing rates of the at least two marking engines.

Abstract: A method of printing a pixel defined by C, M, Y color values having a sum that is not less than a maximum allowed paper coverae max_cov, including assigning a maximum of the C, M, Y values to max_color; assigning a minimum of the C, M, Y values to min_color; selecting a black color value K that is not greater than a minimum of min_color and (C+M+Y-max_cov)/2; determining adjusted non-black primary color values Cout, Mout, Yout and a secondary value S_color such that the sum of the black color value K, the adjusted non-black primary color values Cout, Mout, Yout, and the secondary color value S_color is equal to the maximum allowed paper coverage max_cov; and half-toning K, Cout, Mout, Yout, and S_color.

Abstract: The positioning of image data written along a laser beam scan path in the scan direction, e.g., the margin and/or line length is adjusted in a manner that compensates for changes in the laser beam scan path as a result of one or more operating conditions, such as changes in temperature. Further, the positioning of image data in the process direction may be adjusted in a manner that compensates for changes in the laser beam scan path as a result of the one or more operating conditions.