An image forming apparatus that dynamically and suitably switches login processing between a user who selects an icon and a user who is identified by reading of a card. The image forming apparatus searches user information of a user who logs in by selecting a user icon displayed on a display unit and a user who logs in using a card, and performs the login processing on a searched user.

A paper tray access system for a printer includes a locking cover of paper tray, an authentication device, a weight sensor located beneath the paper tray, a printer display, a computing device including electrical circuitry, a memory storing program instructions and at least one processor. The computing device is configured to receive user input from the authentication device and determine whether the user input matches the authentication record. When user input matches authentication record, the computing device presents a selection on printer display to access a paper tray, receives the selection, records a first weight of the paper tray upon receiving the selection, unlocks the locking cover, records a second weight of the paper tray, calculates an amount of papers removed from paper tray when second weight is less than first weight, and calculates an amount of papers added to paper tray when second weight is greater than first weight.

Provided is an image processing apparatus for generating a printed document with specific information embedded therein, including: a first obtaining unit configured to obtain image data to be used in printing; a second obtaining unit configured to obtain the specific information; an acceptance unit configured to accept designation of a printing apparatus for executing printing; an embedding condition determination unit configured to determine a condition for embedding the specific information into the image data according to a type of the accepted printing apparatus; a multiplexed image generation unit configured to generate a multiplexed image by executing embedding of the specific information under the condition determined by the embedding condition determination unit; and a control unit configured to perform control such that the printing apparatus prints the multiplexed image.

Provided is an image processing apparatus for generating a printed document with specific information embedded therein, including: a first obtaining unit configured to obtain image data to be used in printing; a second obtaining unit configured to obtain the specific information; an acceptance unit configured to accept designation of a printing apparatus for executing printing; an embedding condition determination unit configured to determine a condition for embedding the specific information into the image data according to a type of the accepted printing apparatus; a multiplexed image generation unit configured to generate a multiplexed image by executing embedding of the specific information under the condition determined by the embedding condition determination unit; and a control unit configured to perform control such that the printing apparatus prints the multiplexed image.

Examples disclosed herein relate to displaying, in a user interface, a list of available print jobs, wherein at least one of the available print jobs comprising a secured print job is displayed as a placeholder entry instead of an identifying entry, receiving a selection of the placeholder entry requesting an authentication for the secured print job, and displaying the identifying entry of the secured print job upon verification of the authentication.

Methods and systems for rendering a transparent pantograph pattern. A background path and a foreground path for a pantograph pattern can be determined. An intersection internal to the background path and external to foreground path that is to be marked can be defined. Areas to be masked can be defined with respect to the pantograph pattern. The pantograph pattern can be then rendered as a transparent vector pattern pantograph by writing a background based on the background path and a foreground based on the foreground path and the areas defined as masked.

An imaging system comprising: a system control component having host firmware stored thereon, the system control component comprising a print head operation module actuatable by the host firmware to transmit signals to a print head of the imaging system, the signals configured to cause the print head to operate; and a monitor-enforce module, the monitor-enforce module comprising: a monitor interface configured to receive security information from a security device of the imaging system, and an enforce module, the enforce module being configured to selectively interrupt said signals transmitted by the print head operation module, based on the security information.

A user device constructs a custom color table for an imaging device and transmits the custom color table to a computing device. The computing device digitally signs the custom color table constructed at the user device. The digitally signed custom color table is deployed to the imaging device. The imaging device processes an image using the using the digitally signed custom color table.

A printing apparatus management server manages a plurality of printing apparatuses, obtains, in response to a request from a voice device management server, information of a predetermined printing apparatus registered, from the plurality of printing apparatuses, as a printing apparatus to be used in the printing apparatus management server, transmits, to the voice device management server, the obtained information of the predetermined printing apparatus, obtains remaining amount information transmitted from the predetermined printing apparatus, and transmits the obtained remaining amount information to the consumable item management server. Voice notification to a user is performed, via a voice device configured to communicate with the voice device management server, based on the obtained remaining amount information, and processing for placing an order for the consumable item is performed based on a voice instruction from the user accepted by the voice device.

Embodiments disclosed include systems and methods for computer automated print services control comprising authenticating a user credential input via a user device. The system and method includes generating, by a printer driver comprised in the user device, a user interface comprising features supported by a plurality of printing devices. Further, it includes receiving via the user device over the network, a print instruction comprising the features supported by the plurality of printing devices connected to the computer system over the network. And based on the print instruction, generating a print job in an embodiment. Further, based on the user authentication at one of the plurality of printing devices, converting via a gateway, the received print instruction into a format compatible with that printing device and releasing the generated print job for printing at that printing device, according to an embodiment.