A print instruction device includes: a communicator that communicates with plural printers, each of which has a function as a parent machine storing print data and a function as a child machine acquiring and printing the print data; a print data sending processor that sends the print data to be stored in the parent machine; a print completion reception processor that receives print completion information from the child machine; a print history manager that updates print-related history on the basis of the received print completion information; and a parent machine setting device that specifies a most frequently used printer on the basis of the updated history when sending the print data, switches the parent machine to a specified printer, and causes the switched parent machine to send the print data.

A control device includes: a receiving unit that receives a request for processing; a determination unit that determines a processing apparatus to be moved from among a plurality of processing apparatuses based on a predetermined standard in a case where the receiving unit receives a request for processing; and a control unit that controls movement of the processing apparatus based on a result of determination performed by the determination unit.

An electronic job management system for an image reproduction system includes a plurality of processing units for forming print products. The management system is arranged to: store a set of capabilities and capability constraints for each processing unit; receive a job specification for a print job; derive required processing operations and attributes from the job specification; and check whether the required processing operations and attributes match the capabilities and constraints of at least one selection of processing units from the processing units available in the image reproduction system. The management system is further arranged to: store quality ratings for each of a plurality of different combinations of processing units, processing operations and attributes, each quality rating having a value selected from among at least three different values; and if the check for matching processing operations and attributes was successful for at least one selection of processing units, and if at least one quality rating is available for that selection in combination with the processing operations and attributes, determine, on the basis of the stored quality ratings, an expected quality value 30 for the resulting print products.

An image forming apparatus includes a storage portion, a communication portion, a mechanism control portion, and a main control portion. The storage portion stores various kinds of information as to the image forming apparatus. The communication portion exchanges data and instructions with another image forming apparatus. The mechanism control portion controls operation of a mechanical system in the image forming apparatus. The main control portion performs a job related to a function of the image forming apparatus by controlling operation of constituent elements including the mechanism control portion in the image forming apparatus, and transmits an instruction to make the other image forming apparatus perform the job via the communication portion if, on detecting an error, the main control portion determines that only the main control portion has been rebooted based on a specific error of the image forming apparatus that is same as the error previously in the job.

Examples disclosed herein relate to receiving, at a first printing device, a request to print a print job, determining, by the first printing device, whether the print job has been received by the first printing device, in response to determining that the print job has not been received by the first printing device, determining whether a second printing device has received the print job, and, in response to determining that the second printing device has received the print job, retrieving the print job from the second printing device and printing the print job at the first printing device.

An image generation-output control apparatus for controlling an image generation and output operation based on an instruction received from a server in an image processing system. The server includes a first memory to store first image processing data applicable to an image processing for outputting a target image, first circuitry to generate first image drawing information based on output target image information and the first image processing data when performing an image forming operation. The image generation-output control apparatus includes second circuitry, having one or more capabilities compatible with one or more capabilities of the first circuitry of the server. The second circuitry generates second image drawing information based on the output target image information and the first image processing data acquired from the server, and instructs an image forming apparatus to perform an image forming operation based on the generated second image drawing information.

A printing control system comprising: a plurality of image forming apparatuses set as parent units; and a plurality of image forming apparatuses set as child units, all of which are connected together through a network, wherein a child of the child units unit obtains a job list response from any one of the parent units either storing a print data item to be identified with a job name of a print data item included in a job list information item requested by a job list request, or not storing the print data item.

A method, non-transitory computer readable medium and apparatus for printing in a pull printing system when a print server is unavailable are disclosed. For example, the method includes receiving a request to print a document, determining that the print server of the pull printing system is unavailable, providing one or more printers to print the document, receiving a selection of a printer from the one or more printers to print the document, transmitting the document to the printer that is selected for printing, determining that the print server is available, and transmitting an update message to the print server that includes the document that was printed, the printer that was selected and one or more print parameters associated with the document, wherein the print server synchronizes a print queue and a print history of the print server based on the update message.

A terminal device displays a first screen related to a setting for processing executable by plural models of a device; acquires, from a target device, identification information for the model of the target device through a first communication unit and communication information for communicating with the target device through second communication unit; acquires, from a storing unit, processing information corresponding to the acquired identification information; transmits, to the target device, through the second communication unit, a setting entered through the first screen using communication information. If the processing information acquired through the second communication unit includes information on specific processing executable only by the model corresponding to the identification information, the terminal device further displays a second screen related to a setting for the specific processing, and further transmits the setting entered through the second screen, to the target device through the second communication unit, using the communication information.

When an image formation apparatus included in an image processing system including a plurality of apparatus groups each consisting of a plurality of image formation apparatuses accepts a request for an inquiry about an image formation apparatus which has stored a print job associated with a designated user from another image formation apparatus belonging to an apparatus group to which the image formation apparatus belongs, the image formation apparatus requests, in response to the request, of an image formation apparatus which belongs to another apparatus group and is saved in advance, for the inquiry. When the request originates from another image formation apparatus belonging to another apparatus group, the image formation apparatus inquires of a management image formation apparatus within that apparatus group.