An image reading apparatus includes a conveyor defining a conveyance path including an upper path, a lower path including a reference portion and a first and second inclined portions, and a curved path, and a first reading unit for reading an image of the sheet when passing the first inclined portion. The conveyor includes a chute member forming a guide surface. The chute member includes a first chute member forming a first guide surface defining the upper path and a second chute member forming a second guide surface defining the first inclined portion. The first chute member forms a third guide surface defining the second inclined portion.

Systems and methods associated with resource provisioning are disclosed. One example method includes dividing a set of printing resources into a first partition and a second partition. The example method also includes provisioning the first partition to handle print jobs from a print queue that have a specified attribute. The first partition may be provisioned when print jobs having the specified attribute exceed a first predefined threshold.

An image forming apparatus and a method of controlling the same, after obtaining print data from a server and causing an image formation process by an image forming unit based on the print data to start, notify identification information of the print data to the server, and upon obtaining error information related to the identification information as a response to the notification, cause image formation by the image forming unit to stop.

A print management server provided outside a predetermined LAN includes a receiver, a processor, and a transmitter. The receiver receives a print output instruction from a communication terminal of a user, the print output instruction being issued to a print output device provided inside the predetermined LAN and being an instruction to print out a print target file. The processor determines whether the print target file is present inside the predetermined LAN. When it is determined that the print target file is present inside the predetermined LAN, the transmitter transmits a generation command to a communication relay device inside the predetermined LAN, the generation command being a command to generate print job data on the basis of the print target file acquired by the communication relay device and a print setting instruction.

A network device that is capable of notifying of a factor of an error when reboot in response to an instruction cannot be performed due to an operating state. The network device is connected to a network. A receiving unit receives a reboot instruction through the network. A determination unit determines propriety of reboot based on an operating state of the network device when the receiving unit receives a reboot instruction. A reply unit replies information indicating no error when the determination unit determines that reboot is available, and replies information indicating an error together with information indicating a factor of unavailable reboot when the determination unit determines that reboot is unavailable.

Systems, methods, and apparatus for composing an imposed, intermingled output in pre-sorted postal order from an intermediate file are disclosed. A composition engine populates a template with variable printing data from a data file and generates an intermediate file. The composition engine repeats the process and generates a second intermediate file from a second data file and template. The intermediate files are merged and intermingled to generate a third intermediate file. The third intermediate file is converted to a renderable format and transmitted to a printing system to produce a ganged, imposed output.

In one embodiment, a print job and an identification of a network-connected printer to print the job are received via a network. A printer location is determined for the printer. Associations of rendering computer systems with rendering system attributes are accessed or received. An identified rendering system is determined utilizing the printer location and a system attribute. The print job is sent to the identified rendering system.

An information processing device includes: an identification information acquiring unit that acquires, from a mobile terminal having acquired, from a machine, first machine identification information for identifying the machine, mobile terminal identification information for identifying the mobile terminal and the first machine identification information; a job information acquiring unit that acquires, on a basis of the mobile terminal identification information, job information including at least job identification information for identifying a job being executed in another machine according to an instruction from the mobile terminal; an executability determining unit that determines, on a basis of used function information indicating a function to be used in the job, and first capacity information indicating a function executable by the machine, whether the machine can execute the job; and a job control unit that causes, when the job can be executed, the job to be distributed to and executed by the machine.

Embodiments described herein provide for the reuse of some locations in a hash table of color conversions during processing of a print job, while preventing the reuse of other locations. If a determination is made that the hash table is to be re-initialized, then the locations in the hash table that are marked as non-persistent are marked as saved to allow them to be reused, while the locations in the hash table that are marked as persistent are prevented from being reused. During processing of the print job subsequent to re-initialization of the hash table, if a color in the print job does not have a color conversion, then a location in the hash table is identified that is marked as saved. If the location stores the color conversion for the color, then the non-persistent mark is restored for the location to bypass performing a color conversion for the color.

A data state manager may include a production intent module to define a production intent, a capability module to identify a number of capabilities of a plurality of media printing devices to which the data state manager is coupled, and a data stream module to, through a plurality of communication links to the media printing devices, stream a plurality of data streams to the plurality of media printing devices in a synchronized manner based on a number of characteristics of the streamed data and the identified capabilities of the media printing devices, with the data streams defining the production intent.