Calibration requests are received at a network service. The network service assigns a request identifier for the data of a request. The request identifier is encoded into a control strip on a test color sheet using color patches. A color encoding key encodes the request identifier using the color patches. After the test color sheet is printed, a color measurement tool is used to decode the information from the control strip, including the request identifier. The color measurement tool measures the test color strips on test color sheet. The request identifier corresponds to the measurement data. The measurement data along with the request identifier is sent to the network service. The measurement data is processed to generate calibration data, which is used to update the printing device.

A method of operating an image forming apparatus includes receiving a request to perform an image forming operation, performing a calibration operation based on obtained urgency level information in response to the request, when a condition to perform a calibration is determined to be satisfied, the urgency level indicating a level of urgency to perform the image forming operation and the calibration is to standardize standardizing color representation of the image to be formed, and performing the image forming operation after the calibration operation is performed.

Systems, methods, and media for optimizing and facilitating 3D printing services in a marketplace environment are provided. In one example, a system comprises a hosting system to enhance a 3D printing service marketplace environment including marketplace participants and a federated network of 3D printing service providers. In one aspect, operations include receiving a 3D printing request to print a 3D object selected from among a selection of 3D objects, responsive to the 3D printing request and the 3D object selected from among the selection of 3D objects, listing at least some of the 3D printing service providers based on a 3D printer identifier metric, wherein the 3D printer identifier metric includes one or more of a 3D printing quality metric, a 3D printer model number, a 3D printer serial number, and a 3D digital model type. The operations further include receiving a selection of a preferred 3D printing service provider from among the list of at least some of the 3D printing service providers.

A RIP simulation device that enables a rapid grasp of a part having a problem in RIP speed and a specific detail of the problem is achieved. While the RIP prediction screen is displayed on a display unit, the result display control unit causes the display unit to display a sheet number corresponding to a position that is on a line graph representing a predicted RIP time for each sheet and is being designated by an input operation unit. When a sheet number displayed on the display unit is selected by the input operation unit, the result display control unit causes the display unit to display an analysis result screen indicating an analysis result related to the page corresponding to the sheet number on the basis of the correspondence relationship between sheets and pages when print output is actually executed.

An image forming system includes a terminal device, a management apparatus, and a plurality of image forming apparatuses. The terminal device includes a first controller that generates a print job, and transmits the print job to the management apparatus. The management apparatus includes a storage queue, and a second controller that stores the print job in the storage queue upon receipt thereof, determines one of the image forming apparatuses that completes a printing operation based on the print job most rapidly, as transfer destination, on a basis of printing ability of each of the image forming apparatuses, and transmits the print job to the image forming apparatus determined as the transfer destination. The image forming apparatuses each include an image forming device, and a third controller that causes the image forming device to execute the printing operation based on the print job, upon receipt thereof.

An information processing apparatus includes circuitry. The circuitry, as a component displayed on a screen by an application that processes tabular data, receives a print instruction for an element included in the tabular data to be printed. The circuitry generates print data corresponding to the element in response to the print instruction. The circuitry transmits the print data generated to a printing apparatus.

A terminal device includes: a printer driver execution unit that generates divided job execution data that causes a printer to perform printing; a terminal storage unit that stores divided job execution data generated by the printer driver execution unit; a determination unit that determines whether or not a predetermined aggregation condition is met; an aggregation unit that, when the determination unit determines that the predetermined aggregation condition is met, generates aggregated divided job execution data in which a plurality of divided job execution data stored in the terminal storage unit are aggregated; and a terminal communication unit that transmits the aggregated divided job execution data generated by the aggregation unit to the printer.

An information processing apparatus configured to, on the basis of submitted data, generate a quality report for a printed material inspected by an inspection apparatus is provided. The apparatus comprises a first specifying unit that, when the submitted data is a new version and an old version of the submitted data is present, specifies a difference by comparing the new version of the submitted data with the old version of the submitted data; a second specifying unit that, on the basis of the difference, specifies an inspection for which an inspection result will be affected by the difference; and a creation unit that creates a quality report which makes it possible to distinguish, among inspection results received from the inspection apparatus, an inspection result for the inspection that will be affected from another inspection result.

A method for printing a variable data document includes receiving the variable data document which has a specified or estimated repeat length L; receiving or selecting a designated queue size (DQS) and a parameter Q representing a number of repeated pages to be provided in a chunk; arranging at least a portion of the variable data document into at least one cycle of chunks for processing using raster image processors (RIPs), wherein each of the at least one cycle of chunks contains R chunks and each chunk of a first cycle of the at least one cycle of chunks has a size C determined using DQS, Q, and L; and processing, using the RIPs, the portion of the variable data document into rasters for printing by providing at least one chunk of the at least one cycle of chunks to each of the RIPs.

Systems and methods are disclosed for managing workload among server clusters is disclosed. According to certain embodiments, the system may include a memory storing instructions and a processor. The processor may be configured to execute the instructions to determine historical behaviors of the server clusters in processing a workload. The processor may also be configured to execute the instructions to construct cost models for the server clusters based at least in part on the historical behaviors. The cost model is configured to predict a processor utilization demand of a workload. The processor may further be configured to execute the instructions to receive a workload and determine efficiencies of processing the workload by the server clusters based at least in part on at least one of the cost models or an execution plan of the workload.