A management apparatus connected to an image forming apparatus for managing usage of the image forming apparatus is disclosed. The management apparatus includes a user data storage part for storing user identification data and use restriction data corresponding to the user identification data, and a use restriction data acquiring part for acquiring the use restriction data corresponding to the user identification data.

An information processing apparatus including a processor, and a memory for storing a printer driver. The processor causes the printer driver to perform accepting, from software different from the printer driver, first drawing data including rasterized object data and information of a print processing type, specifying, in a case where the print processing type included in the first drawing data is a predetermined print processing type, a target area in the rasterized object data, and generating second drawing data based on the accepted drawing data so that the specified target area of the rasterized object data is not drawn. The printer driver also generates PDL data based on the second drawing data, and transmits the PDL data to an image forming apparatus. The software performs raster image generation processing based on object data received from an application different from the software to generate the rasterized object data.

A mobile terminal that is capable of reducing time and effort of a user when the user gives an execution instruction to an image processing apparatus. A memory device stores a set of instructions. At least one processor executes the set of instructions to detect an image processing apparatus that performs wireless communication, display, on a display unit, a lock screen that accepts an unlocking operation by a user, display, on the display unit, a screen of a control application for controlling an image processing apparatus, after the unlocking operation is accepted, accept, while displaying the lock screen, an execution instruction for controlling the detected image processing apparatus, without accepting the unlocking operation by a user.

A method is provided of digitally imaging a secure portion and a non-secure portion of scratch-off-coating protected documents of at least one game using middleware. The method includes: (a) generating the secure variable indicia in non-vector raster format; (b) generating vector graphics to be imaged on physical document locations; (c) assigning the secure variable indicia in a non-vector raster format to documents in and shuffling the documents throughout a print run; and (d) linking via middleware the secure variable indicia in the non-vector raster format to associated vector graphics variable indicia to be digitally imaged on the documents and to generate vector graphics-formatted data for each document in the print run. The secure variable indicia assignment and shuffling are executed by non-vector raster game generation software output that is reinterpreted by the middleware to produce related vector graphic output for the secure variable indicia.

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.

Systems and methods applicable, for instance, to the generation and usage of authentication images. In one aspect, unauthorized attempts to duplicate authentication images can be thwarted. In another aspect, there can be provision for authorized authentication image generation using low-resolution print devices.

In a printing apparatus, printing requests for first and second target data are received via a network interface from a terminal device. First target data, first password information, and first identification information are stored in association with one another in a memory, and second target data, second password information, and first identification information are stored in association with one another in the memory. When it is determined that the specific password information received via the inputting device matches the first password information, the printing device is controlled to print a first image represented by the first target data, the second target data whose associating identification information is the first identification information associated with the first target data is extracted from the memory, and the printing device is controlled to print a second image represented by the second target data.

A management apparatus connected to an image forming apparatus for managing usage of the image forming apparatus is disclosed. The management apparatus includes a user data storage part for storing user identification data and use restriction data corresponding to the user identification data, and a use restriction data acquiring part for acquiring the use restriction data corresponding to the user identification data.

A data processing device includes a feature specification unit that analyzes document data indicating a print target document to specify a feature of the print target document, an acquiring unit that acquires feature data indicating a feature of at least one document specified by analyzing each document and setting data indicating a print setting corresponding to each document, from a storage device, a selection unit that compares the specified feature of the print target document with the features indicated by the feature data of the documents acquired by the acquiring unit and that selects setting data used for printing of the print target document among the acquired setting data based on a comparison result, and a print instructing unit that instructs a printing device to print the print target document in accordance with the selected setting data.

An authenticated print session allows a mobile device to authenticate an encrypted file for printing at a print device sent by a base computer. The base computer authorizes the mobile device to release printing when in close proximity to the print device. The authenticated print session uses the mobile device to authenticate the owner of the encrypted file, and to authorize the release of the file at the print device over a non-secure communication channel.