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.

An image forming apparatus includes a first ejection destination, a second ejection destination, and a controller. The first ejection destination is a destination to which sheets having an image formed thereon by using rendered data are to be ejected. The second ejection destination is a destination to which a sheet serving as a sample print among the sheets is to be ejected. The controller sets the sheet serving as the sample print by using at least one of pixel density, number of colored pixels, number of extra colors, number of objects, object size, and object color information that are included in the rendered data.

A method of using an interface device to interface to a processing unit is disclosed. The interface device and the processing unit are part of a station of a plurality of stations in a sheet processing line. The method involves using the interface device to receive a control signal from an upstream station, and comparing a selection part of the control signal with a reference, the selection part being part of an addressing part of the control signal. If the comparison result is negative, a further control signal is determined from the control signal, which is derived from and differing from the addressing part of the control signal and the interface device outputs the further control signal to a different interface device corresponding to a processing unit of a downstream station. If the comparison result is positive, an instruction signal is sent from the interface device to the processing unit.

An image forming apparatus includes: a plurality of paper feed trays that feed accommodated sheets of paper; a detector that detects absence of paper in the paper feed trays; an image former that forms an image on a sheet of paper fed from one of the paper feed trays based on a print job; and a hardware processor that identifies a job attribute of the print job issued, selects a first tray switching condition or a second tray switching condition that is more lenient than the first tray switching condition in accordance with the job attribute identified, and in response to the detector detecting absence of paper in the paper feed tray in use during execution of the print job, switches to another paper feed tray that satisfies the tray switching condition selected.

A printer having a single-sheet manual feed tray improves user convenience. A printer configured to print based on print request data has a manual paper feeder in which only one sheet of print media can be loaded at one time; another paper feeder in which multiple sheets of print media can be loaded at one time; and a manual feeder priority function that prioritizes using the manual paper feeder over the other paper feeder when automatic paper feeder selection is specified in the print request data.

A post processing apparatus is used effectively, an execution waiting time of a print job due to moving of a self-travelling post processing apparatus is shortened, and a total printing time is shortened, whereby productivity is increased. In an image forming system which includes a self-travelling post processing apparatus being separably connected to an image forming apparatus, when receiving a plurality of print jobs including both a print job which performs the post processing by the post processing apparatus and a print job which does not perform post processing, an execution order of the plurality of print jobs is changed in accordance with a connecting state of the post processing apparatus to the image forming apparatus.

An image forming apparatus includes a communication interface, an image forming unit, a plurality of sheet feeders, and a motor configured to selectively apply a drive force any of the sheet feeders. A transmission assembly switches transmission to any one of the sheet feeders. A controller receives preceding data from the communication interface, and, in response, controls the transmission assembly to initiate a switch of the transmission of the drive force to a standard sheet feeder among the plurality of the sheet feeders. In response to receipt control data received after the preceding data, the controller controls the image forming unit, motor, and transmission assembly to form an image on the sheet based on an image forming condition included in the control data.

An image forming apparatus includes a main assembly including an image forming portion configured to form an image on a sheet; a front cover mounted on a front side of the main assembly and configured to expose the image forming portion by being rotated from above toward below about a rotational axis crossing a vertical direction; a fixing portion configured to fix a position of the front cover in an open state; an exchange unit detachably mountable to the image forming portion in the open state of the front cover; and a projecting portion provided above the front cover in the vertical direction and configured to project information on exchange of the exchange unit onto an inner surface of the front cover in the open state when the exchange unit is to be exchanged.

A printer-verifier is provided for printing and verifying a printed indicium. Printer-verifier includes imaging module for capturing image of printed indicium on print media, memory communicatively coupled to imaging module and configured to store print quality verification program, and processor communicatively coupled to memory. Processor is configured by print quality verification program to evaluate print quality of printed indicium, determine if print quality meets print quality standard, reject printed indicium on print media as rejected printed media when print quality does not meet print quality standard, and one of output location-specific feedback about rejected printed media or send a command signal to cutting device to destroy rejected printed media. Location-specific feedback is in same language as language associated with printer-verifier. A printer and methods for verifying the printed indicium are also provided.

According to an embodiment, an image erasing apparatus includes a reading unit, an erasing unit, an image forming unit, and a controller. The reading unit reads identification information formed on a sheet conveyed. The erasing unit erases a part or all of a first image formed on the sheet after the identification information is read. The controller obtains image data corresponding to the identification information that is read by the reading unit. The controller controls the image forming unit so as to form a second image, which is indicated by the obtained image data, onto the sheet from which the first image has been erased.