Abstract: There is provided an image forming apparatus capable of realizing a trial printing function that minimizes unnecessary consumption of time and supplies. Images that are inputted are accumulated in a memory. An output mode is set and a setting is made as to whether trial printing is to be carried out in the output mode or not. A CPU provides control to read out a corresponding image from the memory according to the set output mode and form the readout image on a sheet. When it is determined that the trial printing is to be carried out during image formation according to the set output mode, the CPU provides control to set the number of trial print pages according to predetermined conditions and carry out the trial printing for the set number of trial print pages.

Abstract: Print commands are saved in increments of pages, based on usable storage capacity, at the time of printing processing of a first copy, so that page spacing to save the print commands is as uniform as possible. At the time of printing processing of the second copy, the stored print commands are reused and transferred to a printer, and the print commands not stored are generated again. The transferring and generating of the print commands are performed in parallel.

Abstract: In order to control printing of at least one of a plurality of digital images, zero or no value is set as a default value for a number of print copy of every one of the digital images. If any, an instruction for setting the number of print copy of at least one of the digital images is received. An instruction for printing the at least one of the digital images is received, under a condition that an identifier associated with one of the digital images is designated in a display. It is judged whether the at least one of the digital images includes at least one digital image to which one or more is set as the number of print copy, upon receipt of the instruction for printing. The at least one of the digital images is printed in accordance with the set number of print copy when it is judged the at least one of the digital images includes at least one digital image to which one or more is set as the number of print copy.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus having: image forming means for visualizing image data read out by image reading means and forming it onto transfer materials; post-processing means for executing a post-process including a stapling process, a folding process, and/or a sorting process in order to execute a book-binding process to the transfer materials on which the image data has been formed; and a trimmer for executing a trimming process to a bundle of the transfer materials subjected to the binding process by the post-processing means, wherein when the trimming process by the trimmer is executed, the image forming means sets a non-image forming area including a processing portion to which the trimming process is executed and a valid image forming area excluding the non-image forming area onto the transfer material and forms the image data read out by the image reading means into the valid image forming area of the transfer material.

Abstract: When authentication data input before execution of print processing based on a secure print job is authenticated, a copy is printed based on the secure print job (S1909). When print processing for the designated number of copies is to be executed after the print processing, the control prompts the user to input authentication data (S1914) before the print processing. When the authentication data is authenticated, print processing is executed based on the secure print job for the designated number of copies (S1916).

Abstract: There is provided an image forming apparatus capable of realizing a trial printing function that minimizes unnecessary consumption of time and supplies. Images that are inputted are accumulated in a memory. An output mode is set and a setting is made as to whether trial printing is to be carried out in the output mode or not. A CPU provides control to read out a corresponding image from the memory according to the set output mode and form the readout image on a sheet. When it is determined that the trial printing is to be carried out during image formation according to the set output mode, the CPU provides control to set the number of trial print pages according to predetermined conditions and carry out the trial printing for the set number of trial print pages.

Abstract: An image forming system has an image forming apparatus which has a printing unit which can perform a printing process of data of a storage unit which can store data of a plurality of jobs and which has a conveying unit which can convey a sheet from the print unit to a sheet processing device which can perform sheet processing, including at least a gluing process, for sheets from the printing unit, the system comprising: a controller adapted to permit a predetermined process related to the gluing process when the job to be processed is a job which meets a predetermined condition, and to inhibit the predetermined process related to the gluing process when the job to be processed is not a job which meets the predetermined condition, thereby overcoming obstacles to realization of an image forming system capable of a gluing process.

Abstract: In order to maintain stackability while taking printing conditions into consideration, a control method for controlling a printing system for a stacking unit stacking a sheet printed by a printing unit, includes: determining whether or not a predetermined number of sheets on which the same printed data is printed by the printing unit are stacked continuously by the stacking unit; and controlling, in a case where a predetermined number of the sheets on which the same printed data is printed are determined by the determining unit to be continuously stacked by the stacking unit, the stacking unit so as to not continuously stack more of the sheets on which the same printed data is printed than the predetermined number of sheets.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus for forming an image on sheets, includes: a storage unit for storing the number of jobs in which a discharge position of the sheets is switched; a switching unit for switching the discharge position of the sheets; a sheet discharge unit for stacking the sheets; and a control unit for controlling the switching unit to switch the discharge position of the sheets per the number of jobs, which is stored in the storage unit, to discharge the sheets.

Abstract: There is provided an image forming apparatus capable of realizing a trial printing function that minimizes unnecessary consumption of time and supplies. Images that are inputted are accumulated in a memory. An output mode is set and a setting is made as to whether trial printing is to be carried out in the output mode or not. A CPU provides control to read out a corresponding image from the memory according to the set output mode and form the readout image on a sheet. When it is determined that the trial printing is to be carried out during image formation according to the set output mode, the CPU provides control to set the number of trial print pages according to predetermined conditions and carry out the trial printing for the set number of trial print pages.

Abstract: Parallel printing systems and methods incorporate inverter assemblies for not only inverting media during transport through the system but also to register the media or provide a velocity buffer transports with different drive velocities. The inverter assemblies can include the capability to optionally deskew the media and provide lateral registration corrections. The inverter assembly nip rollers are sufficiently spaced from process drive nip rollers to decouple a document in the inverter assembly from the highway paths. The method comprises combining the inverting function selectively with either the registering or the velocity buffering functions.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus having a document feeder for taking up a document from a document bundle placed on a document tray, a controller has a normal mode to perform a normal-size conveyance control by taking up each document from a bundle of documents having the same size, a multi-size mode to perform a multi-size conveyance control by taking up each document from a bundle of documents having various sizes. When the normal mode is carried out, the controller controls to stop the document after the first preset time passes after the trailing edge of the document has been detected, and when multi-size mode is carried out, the controller controls in place of using the first preset time by the second preset time which is set to be a longer time than the first preset time.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus for outputting a page image corresponding to print data inputted from an external source has an analyzer for analyzing the print data at the time of outputting the first copy and generating a page image, an image spooler for holding the page image at the time of outputting the first copy, and a page image reading unit for reading out the spooled page image at the time of outputting the second and subsequent copies. Whether the image spooler and the page image reading unit are used or not is discriminated in accordance with the maximum number of sorting page images which can be processed at once by a mechanical sorter and the designated number of print copies.

Abstract: Parallel printing systems include first and second adjacent electronic printers and at least one sheet bypass section extending around the second electronic printer to provide a sheet transporting path overlying the second electronic printer and bypassing the second electronic printer. The sheet bypass section includes an output for merging printed sheets from the first electronic printer with printed sheets printed by the second electronic printer. The output preferably comprises a intermediate transport section having a first input aligned with the output of the bypass section and a second input aligned with the output of the second electronic printer.

Abstract: There are provided an image printing method method, an image printing apparatus, an image printing system, as well as a label producing method and a label producing system, which are capable of communicating print image data representing a desired print image in units of line data items, and at the same time printing a plurality of the print images at a high speed.

Abstract: The image formation by the plural-image formation mode is manually inhibited by the user in case the image formation is interrupted or the formed image is distorted by defective original feeding in the image formation by such plural-image formation mode. As a result, image formation of high quality can be achieved without trouble. The configuration for this purpose is featured by manually inhibiting the plural-image formation mode by depression of a touch key on an operation unit.

Abstract: In a tandem type color printer, a second memory memorizes bitmap data sets in a second arrangement. In the second arrangement, each of the bitmap data sets is divided into a plurality of data units. In addition, the data units of all of the bitmap data sets are arranged on the basis of predetermined output order regardless of the colors. A first memory separately memorizes the bitmap data sets in a first arrangement different from the second arrangement. A data line control circuit reads out the bitmap data sets from the first memory when a first copy of a printed matter is made by the use of the bitmap data sets. In this time, the data line control circuit stores the bitmap data sets in the second memory with changing its arrangement. When a second or later copy of the printed matter is made, the data line control circuit reads out the bitmap data sets at high speed.

Abstract: A system for printing media includes a plurality of marking engines for outputting printed media in a stream, a media path system operable to transport the printed media from the marking engines to one or more finishing stations such that the streams are merged and transported one on top of the other and one or more finishing stations capable of compiling media in groups of 2 or more sheets for post processing the printed media into one or more completed jobs.

Abstract: A print request managing task (61) for managing a print request is placed between a language interpreting task (60) and a print execution task (63). Upon receipt of a print request (PREQ) from the language interpreting task (60), if it requests collate printing, for the printing process of the first copy, the print request managing task 61 generates a print data (PDAT) changed in the number of copies into 1 and transmits it to a print execution task (63) for the first copy. Then, after receiving a print end report from the print execution task 63, the print request managing task 61 stores data necessary for printing the second copy, et seq. as a storage data (SDAT)in a hard disc (39). For the printing process of the second copy, et seq., the print request managing task (61) read out the storage data (SDAT) stored in the hard disk (39), and transmits a print data (PDAT) generated from the storage data (SDAT) to the print execution task (63).

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) for incrementing a mechanical counter in accordance with the count of an electronic counter. For example, when the count of the electronic counter exceeds zero or similar preselected value, the CPU starts incrementing the mechanical counter. Alternatively, after the count of the electronic counter has been restored to zero, the CPU may increment the mechanical counter at the same time as it increments the electronic counter. The two different counters are maintained coincident at all times by simple control.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is equipped with a document reading device for reading image data on a document at a reading section; a memory to store the image data therein, the memory capable of storing the image data of plural pages of documents; and an image recording system for recording an image on a recording sheet based on the image data stored in the memory. A recording sheet reversing system receives the recording sheet from the image recording system, wherein the image is recorded on one side of the recording sheet, reverses the recording sheet, and refeeds the reversed recording sheet to the image recording system without stacking the recording sheet, whereby another image is recorded on the other side of the recording sheet by the image recording system.

Abstract: A method of printing image information on a receiving material, two sides of which are provided with a binding portion for collecting a plurality of receiving materials into a booklet, the image information of at least two images being printed next to one another on the receiving material such that the images situated next to one another are printed with reading orientations rotated 180.degree. relative to one another and forming a right angle with the sides of the receiving material that are provided with the binding portion. To rotate the images, a fast method of rotating digital images is described which requires minimal memory space. Furthermore, the rotation method is particularly applicable to rotating a series of images and includes the capability of rotating each image in the series differently while utilizing minimal memory space and processor time.

Abstract: A method of printing image information on a receiving material, two sides of which are provided with a binding portion for collecting a plurality of receiving materials into a booklet, the image information of at least two images being printed next to one another on the receiving material such that the images situated next to one another are printed with reading orientations rotated 180° relative to one another and forming a right angle with the sides of the receiving material that are provided with the binding portion. To rotate the images, a fast method of rotating digital images is described which requires minimal memory space. Furthermore, the rotation method is particularly applicable to rotating a series of images and includes the capability of rotating each image in the series differently while utilizing minimal memory space and processor time.