An image processing apparatus serving as a master device and a plurality of local image processing apparatus serving as local devices are connected to one another via a network, and each of the devices includes an authentication information storage unit and an authentication unit. The master device stores, as master authentication information, authentication information necessary for an authentication on each of users who are able to use each of the devices, for each of the devices, and allows editing of the master authentication information. When the authentication information on the local device in the master authentication information is edited, the edited authentication information is transmitted to the local device, and the authentication information stored in local device is updated. When a user login operation is performed on the local device, an authentication is performed by using the authentication information in the local device.

An information processing apparatus includes a memory and a processor coupled to the memory. The processor is configured to receive first print data from a client apparatus, generate at least one first preview image from the first print data for a predetermined period from a start of generation of the at least one first preview image of an initial page of the first print data, transmit the generated at least one first preview image to an image forming apparatus, and generate second print data for generating at least one second preview image that is not generated from the first print data during the predetermined period. The second print data are the first print data from which a page of which the at least one first preview image is generated during the predetermined period is excluded.

A communication device may output information according to a first scheme in a case where a first instruction is obtained in a first state, shift to a second state in a case where the first instruction is obtained in the first state, and shift to a third state in a case where a second instruction is obtained in the second state. In the first state, an authentication request according to the first scheme is not responded to and a search signal according to a second scheme is not responded to. In the second state, the authentication request using only a target channel can responded to and the search signal is not responded to. In the third state, the authentication request using only the target channel can be responded and the search signal using only the target channel can be responded to.

A printing unit configured to apply a color material to a printing medium to perform printing, a colorimetric unit configured to perform colorimetry, a storage unit configured to store patch data defining a color of a color patch for a plurality of the color patches, and a control unit are included, wherein the control unit uses patch data for one color patch of the plurality of color patches stored in the storage unit, to cause the printing unit to print the color patch on the printing medium, and determines whether a type of the printing medium on which the printing unit printed the color patch is a predetermined type, based on a colorimetric value obtained by the colorimetry performed by the colorimetric unit on the color patch printed by the printing unit.

An image forming apparatus comprises an accommodating unit that accommodates recording materials and a feeding unit that feeds an accommodated recording material, detects a fed recording material, and measures time from a predetermined timing until a recording material is detected. An information processing apparatus receives measured time data from the image forming apparatus, classifies the received plurality of time data into a first group and a second group in accordance with a length of time, selects a group for predicting a remaining life time of the feeding unit from the classified first group and second group, and predicts a remaining life time of the feeding unit using time data included in the selected group.

A virtual printer service according to the present disclosure acquires a response to a device search request from an actual printer and a virtual printer, determines based on the acquired response whether or not each device that has responded to the device search request is a virtual device, and presents, to a user, information on one or more devices in which a device determined as the virtual printer is excluded from the plurality of devices that have responded. A virtual device that transmits a print job to one device is then created based on information on the one device selected by the user from the presented information on one or more devices.

A printer, capable of appropriately extending an existing replacement recommendation time of a component determined based on a life prescribed for the component, includes: a time determination unit (timer), a comparison examination unit (comparator), and a notification unit (notifier). The timer determines a time at which replacement of a component is recommended based on tendency information indicating a deterioration tendency of the component with respect to an operation status. The tendency information is generated from collection and storage of information on the operation status collected from a plurality of printers and information on a degree of deterioration at a disposal time of the component. The comparator compares a time output by the time determination unit with a predetermined life of the component, and examines whether to perform recommendation for component replacement. The notifier notifies of information on recommendation for component replacement based on an examination result of the comparator.

An information processing apparatus includes a processor configured to: receive a scheduled date and time at which control information managed by a management apparatus is downloaded to a device via an external network and an internal network and is updated, the scheduled date and time being determined by the management apparatus; obtain a predicted traffic amount per predetermined time of the internal network at the scheduled date and time; and, in a case where the predicted traffic amount exceeds an acceptable traffic amount per the predetermined time, the acceptable traffic amount being set for the internal network, give a request to change the scheduled date and time to the management apparatus.

An image forming system includes a mobile communication terminal, and an image forming device. The mobile communication terminal includes memory that stores data, a location determiner that accepts specifying of data and instruction for printing the specified data and determines whether data is stored in memory or stored in an accessible external device, and a print instructor that, in a case where data is stored in the memory, sends data to the image forming device together with the print instruction, and in a case where data is stored in the external device, sends access information, which is for accessing data, to the image forming device, together with the print instruction. The image forming device includes a controller that, when receiving data together with the print instruction, prints the received data, and when receiving the access information together with the print instruction, acquires and prints data stored in the external device.

A policy-based printing system is implemented to allow access to a private domain to print using a public domain. The private domain includes private servers that store documents. The public domain includes servers and a printing device. A public policy server uses a domain list and a protocol connection with a private authentication server to validate a user and identify which private domain to access. The public policy server receives requests from the printing device to process a print job of a document in the private domain. The private server processes the requests using the policy and a ledger to determine whether to allow the print job to the printing device. If a parameter of the policy is exceeded, then the private server allows an overage for the parameter so that the document is accessed.