At least one embodiment of a post-processing apparatus performs post-processing on a product printed by a printing apparatus, and transmits a command for a temporary stop of print processing for a first job and information indicating a period of time during which the temporary stop continues to the printing apparatus. At least one embodiment of the printing apparatus receives the command for the temporary stop of the print processing for the first job and the information indicating the period of time during which the temporary stop continues from the post-processing apparatus, stops the print processing for the first job according to the command for the temporary stop, and controls print processing for a second job based on the period of time during which the temporary stop continues.

There is provided an image forming apparatus, including: a feeder mechanism that feeds a sheet in a sheet-feeding direction; a metal-detector antenna capable of detecting an NFC (Near Field Communication) tag on the sheet entirely in the carriage-moving direction over the sheet; a carriage that moves back-and-force in the carriage-moving direction and includes a print head, the print head forming an image on an area of the sheet, the area having passed the metal-detector antenna; an NFC antenna on the carriage, the NFC antenna being capable of communicating with the NFC tag via near field communication; and an NFC writer that writes NFC data in the NFC tag via the NFC antenna.

An image forming system includes an image forming apparatus configured to form an image on a sheet, a plurality of accessory apparatuses arranged side by side along a conveyance direction of the sheet, and a base station configured to wirelessly communicate with the image forming apparatus and the plurality of accessory apparatuses. The image forming apparatus includes one or more controllers configured to function as (i) a unit configured to acquire, from the base station, information that the base station acquires by wirelessly communicating with the plurality of accessory apparatuses, and (ii) a unit configured to output screen information for registering information about an arrangement order of the plurality of accessory apparatuses, based on the information acquired from the base station.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, an image forming device performs printing based on setting information of a print job in a mode giving priority to the setting information, and the device comprises: a feeding unit that feeds paper based on the setting information; a first determining unit that determines whether or not a first paper type is same as a second paper type, the first paper type being the setting information of the print job, and the second paper type being a type set in a paper feeding section; a second determining unit that determines a degree of mismatch between the first and second paper types if the first determining unit determines that the first and second paper types are not the same type, wherein the feeding unit does not feed paper if the second determining unit determines that the degree of mismatch exceeds a threshold value.

A sheet discharging apparatus includes a sheet supporting portion supporting a sheet discharged out of a nip portion nipping the sheet and a guide portion provided opposed to an upper surface of the sheet fed out of the nip portion. The guide portion includes a fixed restricting portion restricting a rear end of the sheet with respect to a sheet discharging direction to moving upward away from an extension line in a sheet discharging direction of the nip portion after passing through the nip portion.

An apparatus that operates with a detachable unit mounted therein, includes: a storage unit configured to store a public key; and a verification unit configured to verify data held by the mounted unit, based on the public key. The data includes attribute information indicating an attribute of the unit, and authentication information generated from target information including the attribute information with a secret key paired with the public key and from which the target information is restorable, and the verification unit is further configured to detect an anomaly in the attribute information or the authentication information included in the data, by determining whether the attribute information included in the target information restored from the authentication information using the public key matches the attribute information included in the data.

A method for processing a print job by a printing system and a finishing system resulting in an end product is disclosed. The printing system includes a print controller. The finishing system is an in-line or near-line finishing system and includes a finishing controller for controlling the finishing process by means of a collection of finishing templates stored in memory of the finishing controller. The printing system and the finishing system are connected via a digital connection. The method includes the steps of the print controller receiving the print job including a plurality of print job settings, the print controller establishing an identifier of a finishing template from the collection of finishing templates in accordance with at least one print job setting of the plurality of print job settings, the print controller sending the established identifier of the finishing template to the finishing system, the finishing controller receiving the established identifier of the finishing template, the printing system printing the print job, the finishing system retrieving the finishing template identified by the received identifier from memory of the finishing controller, and the finishing system finishing the print job according to the retrieved finishing template.

An image forming apparatus includes: a transceiver circuit configured to transmit a signal. A carriage having a recording head is movable relative to the transceiver circuit. A counter counts how many times the carriage moves. An amplifier circuit mounted on the carriage receives the signal from the transceiver circuit through a cable and amplifies the received signal. A carriage controller changes a gain of the amplifier circuit, based on a count value of the counter.

Whether there exists a side area image within side areas of the recording medium is determined. When it is determined that there exists no image within the side areas, a command is transmitted to a printer. The command causes a printer to start conveying of the recording medium at an earlier timing. The side areas of the recording medium are difficult to be heated by a heater arranged at a central portion of a fixing roller. Therefore, in order to heat the side areas, a long time for heating by the heater is necessary. When there is no image within the side areas, the heating time is shortened. Thereby, it is possible to start conveying the recording medium at an early timing, and a time period for completing a printing operation can be shortened.

An image forming apparatus configured to perform simplex printing and duplex printing includes a recording medium ejection device, a suction duct, a blower, and a pair of rotating members. The recording medium ejection device includes a recording medium outlet through which a recording medium is ejected outside of the image forming apparatus and a recording medium reverse port through which a part of the recording medium is ejected to reverse the recording medium in the duplex printing. The suction duct includes a suction port to suck air. The blower is disposed in the suction duct and sucks air from the recording medium ejection device to the suction port. The pair of rotating members is disposed between the suction port and at least one of the recording medium outlet and the recording medium reverse port and reverses both sides of the recording medium in the duplex printing.