A printer includes an input device for receiving an input operation to the printer from a user, a memory, a printing device, and a controller. The controller is configured to: receive print data from a terminal; in a case where the controller determines that the print data received from the terminal is raster data, determine whether a particular condition is met; in a case where the controller determines that the particular condition is met, send, to the terminal, request information that requests the terminal to send page description language (PDL) data; and, in a case where the controller receives the PDL data from the terminal after sending the request information to the terminal, allow the printing device to execute printing on a basis of the PDL data. The PDL data specifies types of drawing objects and drawing positions with commands.

In a printing system capable of supplying a sheet of a job having undergone print processing by the printing unit of a printing apparatus to a post-processing unit capable of executing at least a specific type of post-processing among a plurality of types of post-processes, when the target job requires the specific type of post-processing, the printing apparatus is inhibited from executing print processing of the job without explicitly determining a sheet necessary for the print processing of the job by a user using a user interface unit. When the target job does not require the specific type of post-processing, the printing apparatus is permitted to execute print processing of the job without explicitly determining a sheet necessary for the print processing of the job by the user using the user interface unit.

In a printing system capable of supplying a sheet of a job having undergone print processing by the printing unit of a printing apparatus to a post-processing unit capable of executing at least a specific type of post-processing among a plurality of types of post-processes, when the target job requires the specific type of post-processing, the printing apparatus is inhibited from executing print processing of the job without explicitly determining a sheet necessary for the print processing of the job by a user using a user interface unit. When the target job does not require the specific type of post-processing, the printing apparatus is permitted to execute print processing of the job without explicitly determining a sheet necessary for the print processing of the job by the user using the user interface unit.

A non-transitory computer readable medium stores a program causing a computer to execute a process including: generating plural page description language (PDL) files written in plural types of PDLs for one portion of data; and performing control such that the generated plural PDL files and a different portion of the data other than the one portion are stored in an internal or external storage device in association with each other.

An image processing apparatus uses a first rendering processor that performs rendering of a first area within a page based on print data and a second rendering processor that performs rendering of a second area within the page based on the print data. The image processing apparatus includes a controller, having a processor which executes instructions stored in a memory or having circuitry, being configured to acquire image data arranged across the first area and the second area based on the print data, cause the first rendering processor having accessed the image data to acquire all pixels of the image data and to perform rendering with pixels within the first area of all the pixels of the image data, and cause the second rendering processor having accessed the image data to acquire all the pixels of the image data and to perform rendering with pixels within the second area of all the pixels of the image data.

A print control apparatus includes a network interface to receive, from an external device, print job data including a plurality of ordered separate document files and two sequential serial page numbers in the plurality of ordered separate document files for specifying sequential target pages to be printed. The print job data has been generated and sent by the external device. One of the two sequential serial page numbers indicates, as an initial page, a page of one of the plurality of ordered document files, and the other of the sequential serial page numbers indicates, as a last page, a page of another one of the plurality of ordered document files. A rasterizer rasterizes at least the sequential target pages specified by the two sequential serial page numbers, and does not rasterize one or more pages of one or more document files that do not include the sequential target pages.

An extension computing device connects to a printing device using a fast data transfer connector to enable additional functionality and capabilities to support the printing device. Print jobs and other tasks may be performed in the extension computing device so that the printing device addresses more important tasks in real time. The extension computing device receives and processes a print job without the need to engage the printing device or its engine. The print job then may be stored in the extension computing device until it is printed on demand by the printing device. Other applications also may be located in the extension computing device. An extension engine performs tasks to determine when to process the print job in the extension computing device. The extension computing device includes a processor, a print job manager, a storage, an operating system, and input/output capabilities.

A data processing method processes data using a processor including N (N is an integer equal to or more than 2) cores and a memory. The data processing method includes: searching a new character as a character whose raster data is not stored in the memory among a plurality of characters specified by character data included in print data to count a count of the searched new characters; generating M (M is an integer equal to or less than the N) threads, wherein the M is a count determined based on the count of the counted new characters among the N; dividing and allocating the plurality of characters to the M threads to generate raster data for the new characters using any one of the N cores for each of the M threads; and rendering the plurality of characters using raster data corresponding to the character data.

An image forming apparatus operable at a plurality of image forming speeds includes a pattern detection unit configured to detect a registration correction pattern at a first image forming speed, a writing start timing determination unit configured to determine writing start timing at which an electrostatic latent image is started to be written on a photosensitive member by a light beam emitted from a light source, and a storage unit configured to store in advance a correction amount for correcting the writing start timing. When the image forming apparatus operates at the first image forming speed set in advance, an image is formed at the writing start timing determined by the writing start timing determination unit. When the image forming apparatus operates at a second image forming speed, an image is formed at a writing start timing corrected based on the correction amount and a speed ratio.

In a printing system capable of supplying a sheet of a job having undergone print processing by the printing unit of a printing apparatus to a post-processing unit capable of executing at least a specific type of post-processing among a plurality of types of post-processes, when the target job requires the specific type of post-processing, the printing apparatus is inhibited from executing print processing of the job without explicitly determining a sheet necessary for the print processing of the job by a user using a user interface unit. When the target job does not require the specific type of post-processing, the printing apparatus is permitted to execute print processing of the job without explicitly determining a sheet necessary for the print processing of the job by the user using the user interface unit.