Abstract: A management server includes a printing-device management unit that receives consumables information indicating respective usage statuses of a plurality of consumables being used by a printing device from one or more printing devices, an order-timing estimating unit that calculates an estimated order timing at which each of the consumables is to be ordered based on a temporal variation in the usage statuses of each of the consumables, and a consumables-order planning unit that, when there are a plurality of estimated order timings within a predetermined period for one printing device, or when there are a plurality of estimated order timings within a predetermined period for a plurality of printing devices included in a certain neighboring area, changes and outputs a price of consumables associated with the estimated order timings corresponding to delivery statuses of the consumables.

Abstract: A management server includes a printing-device management unit that receives consumables information indicating respective usage statuses of a plurality of consumables being used by a printing device from one or more printing devices, an order-timing estimating unit that calculates an estimated order timing at which each of the consumables is to be ordered based on a temporal variation in the usage statuses of each of the consumables, and a consumables-order planning unit that, when there are a plurality of estimated order timings within a predetermined period for one printing device, or when there are a plurality of estimated order timings within a predetermined period for a plurality of printing devices included in a certain neighboring area, changes and outputs a price of consumables associated with the estimated order timings corresponding to delivery statuses of the consumables.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus prints a print job stored in a memory by a paper supply/feed setup associated with a paper setting of the print job. The apparatus includes a confirmation means for confirming whether or not print jobs with an identical paper setting exist in the print jobs every time when a predetermined condition is satisfied, a changing means for changing, when the print jobs with the identical paper setting exist, a print order of the print jobs stored in the memory so that the print jobs with the identical paper setting are to be printed continuously, and a continuous printing means for printing the print jobs with the identical paper setting continuously by a single paper supply/feed setup without making a temporary wait. According to the apparatus, the print jobs can be printed continuously and efficiently with no temporary wait, and thereby printing productivity can be improved.

Abstract: An apparatus for encrypted communication in which transmission data is encrypted based upon a cipher key and is transmitted. The received encrypted data is decrypted based upon a cipher key. A cipher key checker checks for agreement of the cipher keys by decoding the decrypted received data. The cipher key checker decodes the decrypted data in a unit of a preselected number of lines and determines whether the data are properly decoded or not.

Abstract: A facsimile machine with a plurality of cassettes which is capable of printing a transmission report including first data and second data on a printing sheet accommodated in the cassette where the first data being a result of the transmission and the second data being an image data of a transmitted data, said facsimile machine includes: a memory unit for storing the first data and the second data therein to be read out; an editing unit for reading out the first data and the second data from the memory unit and formulating a resultant data; a sheet size set unit for detecting and setting a size of printing sheet on which the resultant data is to be printed; a divider unit for dividing the resultant data into a plurality of block data according to the size set by the sheet size set unit; a judgment unit for judging whether the block data corresponding to the last page of report is solely the second data; and a print control unit for inhibiting printing of the second data on the last page of report when it is ju