Abstract: A printer includes a first receiving unit that receives a print job containing a printing requirement, where the printing requirement is set as either an indispensable requirement that is indispensable for executing the print job or a desired requirement that is desirable for executing the print job; a second receiving unit that receives, from each of external image forming apparatuses connected to the image forming apparatus via a network, a printability level indicating whether the external image forming apparatus has a printing function satisfying the indispensable requirement or a printing function satisfying the desired requirement; a selecting unit that selects an image forming apparatus that executes the print job from the external image forming apparatuses by checking the printability level; and a print-operation control unit that sends the print job to the selected image forming apparatus and causes the selected image forming apparatus to execute the print job.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus prints images of different document sizes on paper having a predetermined paper size. The image forming apparatus includes a computation processing part to compute a print position of the image with respect to the paper, based on the document size, the paper size and moving amount computation information that is input thereto, and a print processing part to arrange and print the image on the paper, based on the print position computed by the computation processing part.

Abstract: When a printing device is in a state in which a printing process of a print job including at least one print data and a series of process commands from a host apparatus cannot be executed, a printing processing unit transfers a printing right corresponding to the print job that is left unprinted to other printing device. When the printing device is in a state in which the printing process can be executed and if the printing right corresponding to the print job that is left unprinted is transferred to the printing device from the other printing device, the printing processing unit executes the printing process.

Abstract: A printing apparatus performs a printing process for a printing job including at least one print data and a series of process commands from a host apparatus. A session setup unit sets up a session with the host apparatus and other printing apparatus. A status obtaining unit obtains a status of the other printing apparatus that is in session with the printing apparatus. Upon performing the print process, a job synchronizing unit maintains a synchronization of the print job with the other printing apparatus that is in session with the printing apparatus.

Abstract: A first transmitting unit transmits print hold information to other printing apparatus connected on a downstream side in a data transmitting direction. A second transmitting unit transmits printing data from a host apparatus to the other printing apparatus. A third transmitting unit transmits page deletion information to the other printing apparatus every time a page is printed. When a printing condition cannot be satisfied, a fourth transmitting unit transmits print-disable information to the other printing apparatus, and releases a hold of the printing process in the other printing apparatus according to the print-disable information.

Abstract: A printing system includes a host apparatus and two or more printer devices connected to each other via a network. The host device sends print data to the printer devices. If a network disconnection occurs while the host device is sending the print data to the printer devices, the printing devices maintain a session with the host device and keep the print data that has been received at a time point before the network disconnection occurred. When a network reconnection takes place, the printer devices receive only un-received print data from the host device.

Abstract: A printing device is connected to a host apparatus and a lower level printing device. When the printing device receives printing target data from the host apparatus, it sends the same printing target data to the lower level printing device. A printing unit prints the printing target data on a recording medium on a page by page basis. A data-delete command issuing unit, for each printed page printed by the printing unit, issues a print data deleting command to the lower level printing device to instruct the lower level printing device to delete a portion of the printing target data corresponding to the printed page.