An image forming apparatus includes: a processor that analyzes printable data to generate rendering data, renders the rendering data to generate image data, and acquires the number of pages of the image data, supplies the printable data to one or more external image forming apparatuses, and acquires, from each external image forming apparatuses, the number of pages of image data generated by the corresponding external image forming apparatus by analyzing the printable data to generate rendering data and rendering the generated rendering data, sorts the information processing apparatus itself and the one or more external image forming apparatuses into one or more groups of the same number of pages, and determines whether or not the information processing apparatus itself belongs to a group having the largest number of image forming apparatuses, and outputs the generated image data where the information processing apparatus itself belongs to the group.

A method is provided for converting image data from a source format into a target format in a system including a converter for converting a sequence of data from the source format into an intermediate format, and an image processing system for converting the data from the intermediate format into the target format. The inverter is capable of dividing the data in the intermediate format into separate files. The method includes the steps of processing a first file in the image processing system; compiling a second file in the converter; and when the first file has been processed completely, instructing the converter to close the second file and send it to the image processing system and to open a new file for the next data to be converted.

An image forming apparatus includes a controller configured to (a) acquire an image of a document, (b) identify a mark region containing a predetermined mark in the acquired image of the document, (c) decide a variable region containing a variable object that is variable based on an input based on the identified mark region, (d) decide a fixed region indicating a format of the document and containing a fixed object that is not variable, and (e) generate document data based on the decided variable region and the decided fixed region.

The data processing system includes a reading device and a first computer. The first computer communicates with the reading device and a second computer. The reading device performs a reading process to read an original document to generate a set of resultant data based on the read original document, and a transmission process to transmit the set of resultant data to the first computer. The first computer performs a transferring process to transfer the set of resultant data received from the reading device to the second computer, and an acquisition process to acquire a billing amount or an evaluation value. The billing amount and the evaluation value both are based on information concerning the set of resultant data. The billing amount is an amount of a fee to be charged, the evaluation value being a value for use in calculating the billing amount.

A print controlling apparatus includes a user interface to input a printing command of a document displaying a plurality of overlaid objects, a printing data generator to detect a transparency region where a transparency is set, in the overlaid objects, to generate a transparency image by calculating a pixel value of the transparency region, based on the pixel value of each object and the transparency, and to generate printing data comprising the transparency image, and a communication interface to send the printing data to the image forming apparatus.

A method is provided for converting image data from a source format into a target format in a system including a converter for converting a sequence of data from the source format into an intermediate format, and an image processing system for converting the data from the intermediate format into the target format. The inverter is capable of dividing the data in the intermediate format into separate files. The method includes the steps of processing a first file in the image processing system; compiling a second file in the converter; and when the first file has been processed completely, instructing the converter to close the second file and send it to the image processing system and to open a new file for the next data to be converted.

A printing apparatus is provided with a plurality of analyzing units, and a control unit. Each of the plurality of analyzing units analyzes each of different pages of print data, and notifies an error in a case that an analysis error occurs. The control unit receives the error notification from the analyzing unit, at which the analysis error occurs, among the plurality of analyzing units. And, the control unit notifies a cancel to another analyzing unit at which the analysis error does not occur. The control unit is further configured to notify, on a condition that a printing of all pages before a page at which the analysis error occurs is completed, the cancel to the another analyzing unit.

A data processing apparatus includes a holding unit holding a code table, in which each of the codes in the table determines the dot arrangement pattern, a determining unit determining a predetermined number of first offset values which is power of 2, the first offset values denoting a number of pixels by which an arrangement of the codes is shifted in the code table, a table generating unit, in a case where a size of the code table is not power of 2 and the determining unit determines the first offset value wherein a quotient and a remainder when the predetermined number is divided by the size is 1 or more, determining a second offset value wherein the quotient is zero, as substitute for the determined first offset value, and to generate the code table to which an offset is made with the second offset value.

A printing method is provided, in which character sizes are enlarged gradually as going from a lower portion to an upper portion of a printing surface which may be a page of a book or an article region on which an article of a newspaper is printed. The longitudinal size (height) of characters at a lowest portion in each page of the book or in the article region is k times larger than a longitudinal size of characters at a highest portion, and wherein a value of k is about 1.281.79. The horizontal size (width) of characters at the lowest portion in each page of the book or in the article region is k times larger than a longitudinal size of characters at a highest portion, and wherein a value of k is about 0.71.0 times larger than the k.

In one embodiment, a method for the simulation of preprinted forms is disclosed. The method includes receiving a first image as a back drop of a form, the image including a plurality of printable features corresponding to positions of the image. A second image is received as data to be filled in to the form, the second image including a second plurality of printable features corresponding to positions of the image, wherein the second plurality of printable features each have an assigned ink transparency. A feature of the first image is blended with a corresponding feature of the second image based on the assigned ink transparencies to form a blended feature. The blended features are combined to form a blended image that blends the first and the second images and is suitable for printing.