An information processing apparatus includes a receiving unit configured to receive output object information on an object to be output; a storage unit configured to store therein output device information on different types of output devices; and a determining unit configured to determine an output device based on the output object information and the output device information.

In one example method, a determination is made via a processor that a document is to be printed using a printer including a printhead assembly and a printhead accessory based on a received print job. A determination is made via the processor that a first portion of the document is to be printed by the printhead assembly and a second portion is to be printed by the printhead accessory based on a characteristic of the printhead accessory. The first portion of the document is printed via the printhead assembly and the second portion of the document is printed via the printhead accessory.

A communication system includes an information processing apparatus and a printer. A controller of the information processing apparatus is configured to receive a layout instruction, generate image data representing a layout image including a first object and a second object, generate edit order data indicating an edit order of the first object and the second object, and send the image data and the edit order data to the printer. A controller of the printer is configured to edit the received image data in accordance with the received edit order data, and activate the printer engine to form the layout image based on the edited image data.

A print data editing device performs editing print data such that when dots constituting an input image represented by the print data are compared by units of columns before and after performing the editing, a coincidence is maximized when an image of each column in the input image after the editing is the same position as an image of the corresponding column in the input image before the editing or is shifted by a corresponding shift amount relative to the image of the corresponding column in the input image before the editing and an editing condition is met. The editing condition includes that an absolute value of at least one shift amount is one dot or greater, an absolute difference value for any two neighboring columns is one dot or less, and at least one absolute difference value for all possible combinations of two columns is less than one dot.

A print data editing device is configured to perform: editing print data such that when dots constituting an input image represented by the print data are compared by units of columns before and after the editing, a coincidence is maximized when an image of each column in the input image after the editing is the same position as an image of the corresponding column in the input image before the editing or is shifted by a corresponding shift amount in a sub-scanning direction relative to the image of the corresponding column in the input image before the editing. An absolute value of at least one of shift amounts for columns in the input image after the editing is one dot or greater. An absolute difference value for any two neighboring columns in a main scanning direction in the input image after the editing is one dot or less.

In one example method, a determination is made via a processor that a document is to be printed using a printer including a printhead assembly and a printhead accessory based on a received print job. A determination is made via the processor that a first portion of the document is to be printed by the printhead assembly and a second portion is to be printed by the printhead accessory based on a characteristic of the printhead accessory. The first portion of the document is printed via the printhead assembly and the second portion of the document is printed via the printhead accessory.

Provided is an image processing apparatus that improves the performance when performing image processing accompanying an analysis. An image acquisition unit acquires processing image data for performing processing. A normal image processing unit performs normal image processing for normal output on the processing image data acquired by the image acquisition unit and outputs the normal image data. An analysis image processing unit performs analysis image processing accompanied by analysis in parallel with the normal image processing by the normal image processing unit and outputs the analysis image data. A merge processing unit merges the normal image data output by the normal image processing unit and the analysis image data output by the analysis image processing unit and outputs print data for printing.

Provided are an image forming apparatus for outputting a plurality of images having different sizes according to a method pre-set by a user without interrupting a current printing operation when the plurality of images having different sizes are obtained and a method of operating the image forming apparatus.

A communication system includes an information processing apparatus and a printer. A controller of the information processing apparatus is configured to receive a layout instruction, generate image data representing a layout image including a first object and a second object, generate edit order data indicating an edit order of the first object and the second object, and send the image data and the edit order data to the printer. A controller of the printer is configured to edit the received image data in accordance with the received edit order data, and activate the printer engine to form the layout image based on the edited image data.

Provided is an image processing apparatus that improves performance of reading data of a RIP process. A multi-channel DMA (Direct Memory Access) controller performs reading or writing of stored data related to a RIP (Raster Image Processor). A FIFO (First In, First Out) is able to change a number of entries for each of the channels of the multi-channel DMA controller. An image processing control unit interprets the RIP order, and according to that order, changes the configuration of the number of entries for each of the channels, and controls processing of the data.