Ink saturation for a print job varies according to prioritized elements identified within a given document or print job. Elements are prioritized according to pre-defined values according to document type and identified elements within the document type. High priority elements of a document are assigned greater ink saturation than lower priority elements of the same document. Automated prioritization is made possible by a crowd-sourced knowledge corpus including pre-defined document types and corresponding elements of the documents. Historic configurations accepted by a user drive a learning process using a feedback loop for refined decision-making as print jobs are submitted for printing.

Print jobs may be broken down according to consumable types, job cost categories, and print speed to determine job costing information. Using this information, an operator can see how resources are being used for printing print jobs. After a print job is completed, the total number of pages, an amount of ink, or an amount of toner is allocated to at least one job costing category. Job costing categories include good use of the consumable type or waste. Waste is further broken down into additional job costing categories. This information also is broken into print speeds based on different media types, media trays, or printing devices. This process provides a more holistic overview of the costs incurred to finish a print job.

The present disclosure is characterized by: transmitting a command executing a task to plural devices to be managed; and checking a status of a device in case where a task to be executed in the device is a predetermined task being likely to cause a system error in the device, wherein a command executing the predetermined task is transmitted to a first device determined to be in a state where the predetermined task is executable, among the plural devices, without transmission of a command causing the device to be in the state where the predetermined task is executable, and wherein the command executing the predetermined task is transmitted to a second device determined to be in a state where the predetermined task is not executable, among the plural devices, after transmission of the command causing the device to be in the state where the predetermined task is executable.

An image forming apparatus capable of preventing a delay in a processing for delivering other printed matter due to the absence of a user is provided. The image forming apparatus that performs a print processing to produce a printed matter in accordance with an instruction from a user, and that transmits a delivery instruction that a delivery destination of the printed matter is set to a printed matter delivery apparatus, includes a controller that executes a presence confirmation processing for the user, and in a case that the presence of the user has been confirmed, transmits a delivery instruction that the user is set as the delivery destination to the printed matter delivery apparatus, and in a case that the presence of the user has not been confirmed, transmits a delivery instruction that a deputy for the user is set as the delivery destination to the printed matter delivery apparatus.

A plurality of electronic documents utilized in a transaction are automatically managed. For each separate document of the plurality, a custom printer driver receives instructions to a printer for printing the document. Instead of printing the document, the custom printer driver creates a file in a standard format such as PDF containing the document, based on the received print instructions. Content concerning the transaction is automatically added to at least one corresponding field of the file containing the document in the standard format. At least one electronic signature for the document is received, and automatically added to at least one corresponding location of the document in the standard format. The file containing the document in the standard format is saved with the added content concerning the transaction and the at least one electronic signature, and the saved file is associated with the transaction.

A terminal management system includes a main management device, a sub-management device, a first type terminal device that is communicably connected to the sub-management device, a second type terminal device that is not communicably connected to the main management device and the sub-management device, and a storage device that is configured to communicate with the main management device, the sub-management device, and the second type terminal device. The main management device uploads, to the storage device, first processing instruction information and second processing instruction information. The sub-management device downloads the first processing instruction information and uploads first notification information after the first type terminal device executes a first target processing. The second type terminal device downloads the second processing instruction information from the storage device, and uploads second notification information after the second type terminal device executes a process.

Example printing devices and methods of the printing devices are disclosed. Target data is received responsive to imaging the source item. The source item includes a mark indicative of rendering information. The target data is used to detect the rendering information. The target object is output based on the target data and the rendering information.

An image forming system includes: a recording material information detecting apparatus; an image forming apparatus; and a management server, wherein the recording material information detecting apparatus includes: a first hardware processor that detects recording material characteristic information; and a second hardware processor that acquires first environmental information, the image forming apparatus includes: an image former that forms an image on a second recording material; a third hardware processor that acquires second environmental information; a fourth hardware processor that transmits the second environmental information to the management server and requests the recording material characteristic information corresponding to the second environmental information; and a fifth hardware processor that sets an image formation condition for the image former to form the image on the second recording material, and the management server includes a sixth hardware processor.

A terminal management system includes a main management device, a sub-management device, a first type terminal device that is communicably connected to the sub-management device, a second type terminal device that is not communicably connected to the main management device and the sub-management device, and a storage device that is configured to communicate with the main management device, the sub-management device, and the second type terminal device. The main management device uploads, to the storage device, first processing instruction information and second processing instruction information. The sub-management device downloads the first processing instruction information and uploads first notification information after the first type terminal device executes a first target processing. The second type terminal device downloads the second processing instruction information from the storage device, and uploads second notification information after the second type terminal device executes a process.

An example method comprises identifying a plurality of supply levels corresponding to a plurality of print supplies of a print device, and adjusting a color for a region of a print job for the print device based on the plurality of supply levels. The method further comprises initiating execution of the print job using the adjusted color for the region.