Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a scanner engine and an operation panel is provided, in which the image forming apparatus includes: a display part for displaying a selection screen for selecting a transfer destination of scanned data from among a plurality of transfer destinations on the operation panel; a scanning process part for causing the scanner engine to scan a document to produce scanned data; and a transfer part for transferring the scanned data to one or more selected transfer destinations.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus and an image forming method thereof store font information about a font of which a width of a dot line is less than a predetermined value; determine whether the width of the dot line of a text included in printing data is less than the predetermined value on the basis of the font information; and form an image by enlarging the width of the dot line that is less than the predetermined value among the dot lines of the text.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for generating a printout of a section of a global position-coding pattern in a system comprising a computer unit and a printer unit connected to the computer unit. The method is characterized by the steps of generating in the computer unit boundary information that describes the boundaries of the section in the global position-coding pattern; transmitting the boundary information from the computer unit to the printer unit; generating graphical information in the printer unit by means of an algorithm that defines the global position-coding pattern and on the basis of the boundary information, which graphical information describes pattern symbols in the section; and printing out the graphical information on a base by the printer unit.

Abstract: A terminal is provided with an image obtaining portion that obtains an image including a code representing a location of a web page, a web page obtaining portion that obtains the web page based on the code included in the image, a calculation portion that compares the image except the code with the web page to calculate a degree of relevance between the image except the code and the web page, and a print controller that issues a command to print the image with the code excluded if the degree of relevance is lower than a predetermined threshold, and to print the image without excluding the code if the degree of relevance is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold.

Abstract: Outline font data showing the original outside shape having a single closed curve made up of a parenthesized outside shape portion of the parenthesized image and a connecting line portion to connect both open ends is stored. The height and line width are determined. Based on the above data, a first-size solidly shaded image is formed having the determined height and is entirely filled inside the original outside shape thereof with effective pixels of logic “1.” A second-size solidly shaded image is formed of a second size which is smaller by the line width than the first-size solidly shaded image, along the parenthesized outside shape portion. Non-equivalence operation is performed with corresponding pixels by displacing the first-size solidly shaded image and the second-size solidly shaded image by the line width along the parenthesized outside shape portion.

Abstract: A text modification mechanism is provided for formatting data such that the information can be reasonably deciphered by a human, but cannot be easily recognized by computer recognition techniques. The text modification mechanism alters printed text so that computer recognition of characters becomes difficult. Modification of the text may be accomplished with manipulation of the fonts or the background. The mechanism may also modify the text based on user preferences.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus executes an image process by using a sheet feeding unit or a sheet discharging unit selected from a plurality of sheet feeding units and sheet discharging units. The image processing apparatus stores attribute information for specifying one of the sheet feeding units or one of the sheet discharging units to correspond to an application generating a print job and controls a selection of one of the sheet feeding units or one of the sheet discharging units so as to execute a print job based on the stored attribute information.

Abstract: A method for enforcing a user specified minimum font size (USMFS) in a hardcopy document (HD). The method includes: receiving a request to print an electronic document (ED) according to a magnification ratio; identifying a first character in the ED having a first font size smaller than a quotient of the USMFS divided by the magnification ratio; and increasing the first font size by a scale factor to match the quotient; where the HD is generated by scaling the ED according to the magnification ratio, and wherein the HD comprises the first character in the USMFS.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has an image acquisition portion that acquires image data on an image including a character. A character-periphery detector detects the peripheral part of the character in the image data acquired by the image acquisition portion. An outline emphasis portion sets the density of the image data acquired by the image acquisition portion, so that the density of the peripheral part of the character detected by the character-periphery detector becomes higher than the density indicated by this image data. A density changer sets the density of the image data so that this density gradually becomes lower from the peripheral part of the character detected by the character-periphery detector toward the inside thereof. An image former forms an image on a sheet of recording paper on the basis of the image data whose density is set by the outline emphasis portion and the density changer.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an interface unit which receives print data and file data; a printing unit which prints an image on a recording medium; a writing unit which stores tag data in a non-contact type tag when the recording medium provides the non-contact type tag; a buffer unit in which file data is stored in the non-contact type tag; and a control unit which controls the printing unit and the writing unit. The control unit stores the file data in the buffer unit when the file data is received. The control unit controls the printing unit to form an image on the recording medium based upon content of the print data when the print data is received. The control unit controls the writing unit to store the file data stored in the buffer unit in the non-contact type tag.

Abstract: A printer includes: an area judging unit which judges whether a character printing area necessary for standard printing of an image corresponding to the character data on the printing material exceeds a definite length printing area; a printing data processing unit which creates corrected image data corresponding to a corrected printing image produced by thinning out the image corresponding the character data in the printing direction to perform compressive conversion process for fitting the character printing area to the definite length printing area when the area judging unit judges that the character printing area exceeds the definite length printing area; and a printing device which prints the corrected printing image on the printing material based on the corrected printing data created by the printing data processing unit.

Abstract: A system and method for arranging and printing characters, words, or other textual information that is typically printed in a series of rows or columns. A first row is printed to be read in a standard fashion, while a second row is printed in the opposite direction, with the direction of reading being in the opposite direction. Likewise, the letters and words in the second row are inverted about a vertical axis. Each successive row is presented in the opposite direction from the preceding row.

Abstract: Systems and methods are presented that process documents, identify fonts being used to reproduce the documents, and identify conflicts based on the identified fonts. The systems and methods may identify a font associated with a document, identify a conflict between the font and another font, determine a substitute font for the document, and then modify information of the substitute font and the document based on the conflict to prevent the identified conflict from causing the document to be incorrectly processed. The systems and methods may then allow the document to be further processed based on the modified information.

Abstract: An image data producing apparatus includes: a page dividing portion that divides data described in a page description language into a page unit; a plurality of image processors that form raster data from divided data; and a controlling portion that allocates pages on which the raster data is formed to each of the plurality of the image processors, and causes each of the plurality of the image processors to execute registration of a printing resource on respective pages with at least a change of the printing resource by controlling each of the plurality of the image processors irrespective of a page allocation.

Abstract: A data capture system receives a sequence of document objects and, for each, writes output data values to a structure. A first tier extraction system is adapted to receive each document object. For each required data element, the first tier extraction system obtains identification of a positional element value from a positional data set that includes, as its data element, identification of the required data element; and, if the document object includes a qualifying text string, writes an output data value to the output data structure in association with identification of the required data element. A second tier extraction system receives each such document object that does not include a qualifying text string, performs character recognition on a graphical representation thereof and, for each required data element, writes an output data value to the output data structure in association with identification of the required data element.

Abstract: A printer contains a list of objects to be printed under control of a controller. Different resolutions for the objects are included in the list of objects to be printed. In one embodiment, each item has an associated resolution indicating a minimum resolution for printing the item, unless the item before it has the same resolution. In such a case, the previous resolution is used to render ensuing objects for printing until an object requires a different resolution. A rendering module renders the object for printing as a function of the listed resolutions and resolutions supported by the printer. If the desired resolution is lower than that supported by the printer, the lowest resolution of the printer is used to render the object.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method, system and computer program product for automated data entry performs a data recognition function on a document to recognize data from a plurality of fields including information entered by a user into at least one field, identifies at least one field that has an issue with recognized data from the field, compiles at least one correction page formatted to resolve the issue for each identified field of the document after completion of the correction page by the user, prints each correction page, and performs a data recognition function on each correction page, including information entered by the user in each field of each correction page, to resolve the issue for each identified field of the document.

Abstract: A system and method for parsing data formatted in a plurality of encoding schemes at a printer is provided. The method comprises receiving data from at least one host computer at the printer, wherein at least a portion of the data is encoded in a plurality of encoding schemes. The method also includes determining a parser state of the data based on a plurality of characters and/or at least one printer control command associated with the plurality of encoding schemes.

Abstract: A method, device and computer readable storage media for enhancing an image for optical character recognition by detecting the edges of the image to create an edge detected image, binarizing the edge detected image to create a binary edge image for processing, dilating the binary edge image to create a dilated binary edge image, taking the XOR difference between the binary edge image and the dilated binary edge image to obtain a text boundary, superimposing the text boundary on the image and determining the pixels of the image that are covered by the text boundary, calculating the average grayscale value of the pixels of the image that are covered by the text boundary, and setting background pixels of the image to the calculated average grayscale value of the pixels of the image that are covered by the text boundary.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for performing font subsetting. One or more font subsetting parameters are received. The one or more font subsetting parameters indicate a granularity level for which font subsetting is performed for portions of a data container. The font subsetting parameters indicate a font subsetting granularity level other than an entire document associated with the data container. A first portion of the data container is determined in accordance with the font subsetting granularity level. A subset of font data for at least one font family is determined in accordance with what font data for the at least one font family is actually used by the first portion. The subset of font data is embedded in an output for a consumer.

Abstract: A document security system for securely printing documents that are uniquely marked on each page of ordinary or specialized paper with a security mark such that copying and or alteration is prevented, the security mark comprising information relating to the document and further being unique to each page having specific information relating to each page of the document.

Abstract: A document editing device includes: a data set storage unit that stores a plurality of data sets, each including a character string, an attribute of the character string, and a font size for the attribute; a threshold value storage unit that stores a threshold value indicating an acceptable range for a ratio between font sizes for at least two of a plurality of attributes stored in the data set storage unit; a ratio calculation unit that calculates the ratio between the font sizes for at least two of the plurality of attributes stored in the data set storage unit; and a resize unit that changes the font sizes for at least two of the plurality of attributes so as to cause the ratio between the font sizes for at least two of the plurality of attributes to fall within an acceptable range if the ratio calculated by the ratio calculation unit is outside [SN1]the acceptable range indicated by the threshold value stored in the threshold value storage unit.

Abstract: An aspect of the invention provides an image forming apparatus including: a image forming section that forms an image based on a print data on at least one sheet equipped with a non-contact tag; a writing section that wirelessly writes a tag data into the non-contact tag of the at least one sheet; a first cassette that holds a plurality of sheets equipped with first type non-contact tags having a first storage capacity; a second cassette that holds a plurality of sheets equipped with second type non-contact tags having a second storage capacity larger than the first storage capacity; and a selecting section that selects a print cassette from among the first and second cassettes based on a data size of the tag data. The at least one sheet on which the image is formed by the image forming section is provided from the print cassette.

Abstract: A method of defining a glyph font character representing an input binary code includes defining a first portion of a matrix using an input binary code including a plurality of input bits. A second portion of the matrix is defined by performing a transformation on the input binary code so that the second portion of the matrix includes a plurality of transformed bits. A glyph character is derived that corresponds to the matrix. The glyph character is defined by a plurality of components corresponding in location to said bits of said matrix, wherein the components of the glyph character comprise a first component (e.g. a forward slash /) that corresponds to and represents a “1” bit of the matrix and second component (e.g., a backslash \) that corresponds to and represents a “0” bit of the matrix. The transformation operation includes a NOT operation or other logic operation, and includes a shift operation.

Abstract: A system for determining a plurality of PCS values for a document image representing a document having at least one area of interest on a surface of the physical item for containing critical data and a background image positioned on the surface, the document suitable for positioning in a digital image recorder, the system comprising: an input module configured for obtaining a plurality of reflectance values distributed across the surface of the document; a memory configured for storing a plurality of PCS threshold values assigned to a corresponding plurality of locations on the surface; a calculation module configured for determining respective PCS values of a plurality of target portions of the surface, each of the respective PCS values based on a target reflectance value of the corresponding target portion and a region reflectance value of a corresponding defined region located adjacent to the target portion on the surface, each of the defined regions being different for each of the target portions, each of

Abstract: In a printing apparatus, the number of delimiters included in received data from a host apparatus is smaller than the number of input items of a template by one. Therefore, the number of delimiters included in the received data from the host apparatus is calculated to be three. A character string which is periodically repeated in the received data three times as the number of the delimiters is obtained and set to be a delimiter candidate. Further, a print start character string candidate is obtained from a data group which is located after a last delimiter candidate in the received data. Using the provisionally determined candidates for a delimiter and a print start character string, the four item data included in the received data are assumed. Then, a print preview is displayed on a LCD so as to show a state where the four item data is input to each of the input items of the template.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product for font reproduction in electronic documents are provided. The method includes: receiving an image of a printed document; extracting pairs of consecutive characters from the image of the printed document; storing the extracted pairs as images of the characters; and reproducing the printed document as an electronic document with text of overlapping extracted character pair images. Extracting pairs of consecutive characters includes extracting adjacent horizontal characters, extracting spaced horizontal characters, and extracting spaced vertical characters. Reproducing the printed document as an electronic document includes reproducing the spacing between words and between lines using the spaced horizontal characters and the spaced vertical characters as anchors in the reproduced document.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus in a data processing system for printing characters. Data received includes glyphs for output on an output device, wherein the glyphs are to be output using a selected device font. Monitoring for unsupported glyphs in the selected device font is performed. In response to detecting a glyph unsupported by the selected device font, a back up system font is used to output the glyph to the output device.

Abstract: The invention distinguishes not only character areas and halftone dot areas in an image, but also makes highly accurate decisions concerning characters present in halftone dot areas. A decision signal generating unit generates a decision signal having luminance as a main component from a signal indicating inputted image data, and supplies the decision signal to a character decision unit, a halftone dot decision unit, and a character-in-halftone dot decision unit. The character decision unit generates data indicating whether a pixel of interest is inside a character image area. The halftone dot decision unit generates data indicating whether a pixel of interest is inside a halftone dot area. The character-in-halftone dot decision unit generates data indicating whether there is a character image inside the halftone dot area. Based on these three signals, an attribute flag generating unit generates attribute data of the pixel of interest.

Abstract: The present invention decides whether an OCR processing is necessary or not for a printing job by using a difference between text data extracted by performing the OCR processing on an image generated based on a previous printing job having been processed previously and text data extracted from text drawing command of the previous printing job having been processed previously. If the OCR processing is decided to be unnecessary, the text data extracted from the text drawing command of the printing job is registered in a database for retrieving an image data. If the OCR processing is decided to be necessary, text data extracted by performing OCR processing on the image data generated based on the drawing commands of the printing job and the text data extracted from the text drawing command of the printing job are registered in a database for retrieving an image data.

Abstract: A label printer having a plurality of input devices for inputting information to said label printer where a first input device can be a keyboard, and a second input device can be a connectable external controlling entity; a supply of image receiving medium such as a tape; a printer adapted to print an image on the tape; and a printer controller for controlling the label printer, so that when the label printer is connected the label printer can be operated in a stand alone mode in which information can only be input to said label printer via said first input device, or an external control mode in which information can only be input to said label printer via the connecting device, such that for a predetermined period of time after use in one of the said stand alone mode and the said external control mode, any information input via the input device not in use can not operate the label printer, but after the predetermined period of time information can be input to operate the label printer via either the first in

Abstract: In print processing performed for a print document based on a print instruction that instructs plural processes applied to the print document, a process that uses resource information embedded in the print document is identified among the plural processes instructed by the print instruction. Then, a process for embedding the resource information into the print document is performed before starting the identified process.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus for forming print data to be print-processed by a printer is constructed by: designation receiving means for receiving designation of a duplex printing, discriminating means for discriminating the number of pages in the case where data to be printed has been arranged on a recording paper, and command adding means for receiving the designation of the duplex printing by the designation receiving means and, in the case where it is determined by the discriminating means that the number of pages of the recording paper on which the data to be printed has been arranged is equal to an odd number, adding a command to urge a forced paper ejection in the printer lest a blank page of the last page is logically counted in the printer. A print data forming method and a print control program for realizing such an apparatus and a memory medium which stores such a program are provided.

Abstract: A method for an image forming device, an electronic medium, and an image processing program, which enables external output of image data and font data for the image data with ease. The image forming device includes an input unit, a font data memory unit, a font data read-and-write control unit, a font control unit, and an output unit. The input unit inputs image data. The font data memory unit stores font data by associating it with a character code. The font data read-and-write control unit controls read-and-write operation on the font data of the font data memory unit. The font control unit acquires the font data to be used for the image data and controls conversion of the acquired font data according to an image forming mode. The output unit controls external output of the image data from the image control unit and the converted font data to be used to for the image data.

Abstract: A system and method for parsing data formatted in a plurality of encoding schemes at a printer is provided. The method comprises receiving data from at least one host computer at the printer, wherein at least a portion of the data is encoded in a plurality of encoding schemes. The method also includes determining a parser state of the data based on a plurality of characters and/or at least one printer control command associated with the plurality of encoding schemes.

Abstract: A system with for capturing and storing an image of a user's handwritten alphanumeric characters. The characters are stored in memory in association with a standard alphanumeric character set such as an ASCII character set. A text document can then be transcribed into the stored handwritten alphanumeric characters for resembling a handwriting of the user. The characters can be represented by mathematical functions such as Taylor Series or McLauren Series and can be digitally reproduced based on the stored functions.

Abstract: An image forming device includes a scanner for scanning a document image, and a controller for controlling the image forming device. The controller determines whether or not a loss detection image for determining presence or absence of data loss has been superimposed on a first document image scanned by the scanner, and when it is determined that the loss detection image has been superimposed on the first document image, extracts the loss detection image from the first document image and determines presence or absence of data loss in the extracted loss detection image, and notifies a user of presence or absence of data loss based on a result of the determination of presence or absence of data loss in the extracted loss detection image.

Abstract: When an inquiry of a device state is received at a first communication port from an information processing terminals, a corresponding printer determines whether a second communication port that is communicably connected to the information processing terminal is present besides the first communication port, and if the second communication port is present, determines whether the first communication port is a communication port of the highest priority among the communication ports currently connected to the communicable terminals, and if the second communication port is not present or the first communication port is the communication port of the highest priority, makes the status information expressing the operation state of the device be sent from the first communication port to the information processing terminal that inquired the device state.

Abstract: There is disclosed a character rendering device capable of rendering characters at a higher speed.

Abstract: A host computer is connected to a printer that prints text according to settings specifying a text printing format. Using a function of a driver setup program, the host computer acquires a file set including an MOT file (recording device settings data) and a corresponding INF file (control device settings data) that are configured to produce the same or substantially the same printout as a printer with different printing format specifications, and configures settings stored in a registry that is referenced by a printer driver based on the acquired INF file. Using a function of a firmware setup program, the host computer generates or updates settings based on the MOT file.

Abstract: A character string recognition method for recognizing a character string may include a first step in which a first projection data of image data are calculated in a direction of the character string and a second step in which a position of the character string is detected on the basis of the first projection data. In the first step, the image data are divided into a plurality of segments in the direction of the character string and projection in the segment is calculated. The method may further include a third step in which a second projection data in the segment are calculated on the basis of the position of the character string and a fourth step in which a position where the second projection data exceeds a threshold value is detected as a boundary position of a character, and the threshold value may be changed according to pixel number between both ends of the character string.

Abstract: Imposition system and drivers for printer products prepare a document for printing by receiving an electronic document to be printed, determining a smallest font size of the text of at least a portion of the document; determining a scale factor for at least one portion of the document based on the smallest font size and a predetermined minimum font size; and scaling at least a portion of the document by the scale factor.

Abstract: A method and a system are disclosed for the automatic substitution of font with a toner saving font. Dynamic substitution of document specified fonts with a toner saving font can reduce the amount of toner used and minimize system resource usage that can slow printing speeds. Substitution software first determines whether a document print request matches a set of predefined conditions. If the document print request does not match all of the conditions, the inquiry ends. Substitution software then determines whether font substitution is selected or mandated at any level of print control. Where a document print request matches all of the predefined conditions and where font substitution is selected or mandated at any level of print controls, the substitution software performs a font substitution to replace original font with a toner saving font.

Abstract: A method of providing a printed interactive document with printed user information and printed advertising material. The method includes the steps of: receiving a print request from a user, formatting the user information in the electronic document so as to include a first user interactive element; determining the advertising material for printing with the user information; formatting the advertising material so as to include a second user interactive element; and causing the formatted user information and the formatted advertising material to be printed together with coincident coded data on a substrate. The coded data is readable by a sensing device and is indicative of a document identity and the first and second interactive elements.

Abstract: A system, method and computer readable medium for adjusting font pitch during a print process is disclosed. The method on a computer system includes observing a print command issued by an application. The method further includes generating an output file in response to the print command and modifying the output file to conform to a template. The method further includes determining the type of each character in the output file and adjusting the font pitch of characters in the output file based on their type. The method further includes sending the output file to an output destination. In one alternative, the method includes determining whether each character in the output file is at least one of a numerical character and an alphabetic character and 1) adjusting the font pitch of numerical characters to be fixed font pitch, and 2) adjusting the font pitch of alphabetic characters to be variable font pitch.

Abstract: An exemplary device implementation includes: a manager that is capable of monitoring a process for preparing a page for printing; and a print engine that is capable of printing the page after the process for preparing the page for printing is complete; wherein the device is adapted to temporally overlap the process for preparing the page for printing with preparation of the print engine for printing. An exemplary method implementation includes actions of: beginning processing of a page of a printing job; providing at least one command to a print engine responsive to at least one time remaining estimate for the processing of the page of the printing job prior to completion of the processing of the page of the printing job; and changing a state of the print engine responsive to the providing of the at least one command to the print engine.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a mode selector that can select a mode of operation in which the image forming apparatus remains online despite an empty printing media container or another error condition. This mode enables a host device to switch from an empty printing media container to a printing media container that is not empty, a feature useful during normal operation, or to continue to issue commands and make settings despite the presence of an error, a feature useful during tests and inspection of the image forming apparatus. Tests and inspection are also facilitated by a mode that simulates the presence of non-installed optional printing media containers, or disables counters and resets error priorities.

Abstract: A method of printing a string of characters includes receiving a sequence of character data codes. Each character data code corresponds to a respective character to be printed in the string of characters. The method also includes transcoding the sequence of character data codes to generate a sequence of glyph codes. Each glyph code corresponds to a respective glyph. Each glyph corresponds to at least part of a respective character. At least some of the glyphs correspond to less than a complete character. The method further includes using the sequence of glyph codes to generate print image data and printing an image on the basis of the print image data.

Abstract: In a system in which a host computer and MFP are connected via a communication medium such as a network or the like, upon transmitting image data stored in a box of the MFP to the host computer, the transmission data size (file size) is displayed before transmission. The user can transmit image data with a desired file size. When the amount of transmission data is large, the load on resources such as a memory, CPU, and the like of a device as a destination of transmission can be reduced.

Abstract: A variable data pantograph is formed by receiving a variable data string and retrieving at least one character representation from a vocabulary of character representations stored in memory. The retrieved at least one character representation corresponds to the variable data string. Each of the character representations in the vocabulary include a foreground region including a character shape and a background region suitably sized and arranged for encompassing the foreground region. The background region incorporates a first pattern of elements and the foreground region incorporates a second pattern of elements. The retrieved at least one character representation is assembled to form a variable data pantograph, whereby when the variable data pantograph is rendered in an original document, the foreground and background regions are similar in tone, the foreground and background regions being substantially less similar in tone in a copy of the original document to render the character visible.