Abstract: A method for controlling printing in a system that prints both single-color and multicolor documents includes determining the number of documents of a print job, ascertaining that a number of consecutive documents of the print job can be printed in a single-color mode, and switching the printer to the single-color mode based on the ascertaining and the determining step.

Abstract: An apparatus for obtaining product documentation is attached to the product, and has a memory, an activation switch, and a transmitter. Upon activation, the transmitter retrieves document download instructions stored in the memory, and transmits the instructions via a short range wireless protocol to a portable processor based device. The processor based device then executes the document download instructions, with the result that the device is caused to connect to a data network, locate a specified data file, and download the data file.