A method and system for recommending a transaction to replace a target device by calculating a total cost of ownership based upon actual device usage data. Based, at least in part, on the TCO for the target device, a recommendation is provided to replace the target device with a replacement device that has a lower TCO than the target device, or a TCO difference compared to the TCO of the target device that is within a predefined range.

A controller to control an apparatus (e.g. a printer) can include multiple secondary sub-controllers and a main sub-controller. Each of the secondary sub-controllers can have an operator process and one or more executable control processes. Each of the control processes can be configured to exchange data with one or more other of the control processes. The main sub-controller can be communicatively coupled to the secondary sub-controllers via a data network. Each of the main and secondary sub-controllers can include at least one processor and an operating system. The respective operator processes can be configured to communicate via the data network, and the control processes of each of the secondary sub-controllers can be configured such that the control processes communicate exclusively with the operator process of their respective secondary sub-controller to communicate via the data network.

A print controller includes a memory and a processor coupled to the memory. The memory is configured to store therein print data transmitted from a terminal and first site information in association with each other. The processor is configured to receive, from an instruction device, a printing instruction for printing the print data. The processor is configured to identify second site information corresponding to the instruction device. The processor is configured to determine whether the second site information matches the first site information. The processor is configured to permit to print the print data depending on a result of the determination.

An information processing system includes an apparatus and a server system. The server system includes an apparatus information receiving unit, a content generation unit, a content information request receiving unit, a content information transmitting unit, a content request receiving unit, and a content transmitting unit. The apparatus information receiving unit receives apparatus information. The content generation unit generates a content based on the apparatus information. The content information request receiving unit receives a content information request from the apparatus. The content information transmitting unit transmits content information that can identify one or more contents generated by the content generation unit to the apparatus. The content request receiving unit receives a content request from the apparatus. The content transmitting unit transmits the content to the apparatus.

The location of a printing device is determined. Environmental conditions in which the printing device operated when printing a print job are determined based on the determined location. An environmental adjustment factor for the printing device is determined based on the determined environmental conditions. A predicted print material usage of the printing device in printing the print job is adjusted based on the determined environmental adjustment factor.

Examples disclosed herein relate to receiving a request to initiate a new subscription for an entity, determining whether the entity is associated with an existing subscription, and in response to determining that the entity is associated with the existing subscription, initiating the new subscription with a subscription period coinciding with the existing subscription.

In one example of the disclosure, for each of a plurality of printers of a printer fleet, identification data indicative of marking agent cartridges installed is obtained via a network. The identification data is caused to be stored in association with a fleet identifier for the printer fleet. A request for fleet installation information with respect to a first marking agent cartridge is received from a computing device. It is determined, based upon the identification data, whether a first marking agent cartridge was previously installed at a printer of the printer fleet. Determination data indicative of the determination is sent to the computing device.

An image forming apparatus includes a print restriction information table, a print job receiver, a print job decider, a communication unit, a print job reception notifier, and a print job executor. The print restriction information table contains a document under print restriction and an approver. The print job receiver receives a print job for printing the document. The print job reception notifier transmits a notice that the print job has been received, to the terminal managed by the approver through the communication unit, when the print job decider has decided that the print job is for printing the document registered in the print restriction information table. The print job executor executes the print job, when the print job that is same as the print job received by the print job receiver is received from the terminal managed by the approver.

A method for improving the print quality of graphic elements, in particular vectorized letter graphics, in PDF documents in the prepress stage of a printing process by using a computer, includes analyzing the page content of the PDF document by using the computer and saving the page content in a suitable data structure, searching the data structure for graphic elements, in particular letter graphics, that fulfill specific predefined criteria relating to an evaluation of the height and width of the graphic paths of graphic elements that are present in the PDF document, by using the computer, converting the selected graphic elements into image masks by rendering the selected graphic elements on the computer and substituting the generated image masks for the originally selected graphic elements in the PDF document by using the computer. The PDF document with the generated image masks are printed on a printing machine.

A printing system allowing an administrator to conveniently limit a function of a print device when used by a general user is provided. The printing system includes a print device, an information processing apparatus in which a general-purpose printer driver commonly usable for a plurality of models of print devices is initially set as a cloud printer driver used when printing is performed by the print device, a first server, and a second server. The printing system increases or decreases the number of functions settable by a general user by using the cloud printer driver. The first server manages an APPID of the print setting extension application to be installed when the general user uses the print device as print setting extension application designation information in association with a GUID of the print device. The second server manages a plurality of print setting extension applications in association with their APPIDs.