An image formation control method for controlling an image forming system including a controller that converts original image data into image formation image data, an image forming apparatus that includes a control unit and an image forming unit and forms an image on a sheet on a basis of the image formation image data, a plurality of communication paths through which plural pieces of data are capable of being transferred in parallel between the controller and the image forming apparatus, and a measurement unit that measures data transfer speed of each of the plurality of communication paths includes causing the control unit to refer to the data transfer speed of each of the plurality of communication paths measured by the measurement unit and to assign a data transfer to each of the plurality of communication paths.

A printer includes an intermediate-data processor and an output-print-data generating unit. The intermediate-data processor performs a process in such a manner that intermediate data is generated from input print data. The output-print-data generating unit generates output print data from the intermediate data. The intermediate-data processor specifies one from intermediate-data generating schemes for a component of an object, on a basis of predicted generation performance of the output-print-data generating unit, and generates the intermediate data. The predicted generation performance is predicted for respective cases of generating the intermediate data by using the intermediate-data generating schemes.

In an information processing apparatus according to the present invention, if setting of performing imaging processing of converting a page of print data into a raster image is accepted, a first filter converts a page of first print data into a raster image and stores the raster image as second print data in a storage area, and a third filter acquires the second print data from the storage area, and if setting of not performing the imaging processing is accepted, the first filter transmits the first print data to a second filter that converts print data received from the first filter, and the third filter acquires, from the second filter, the first print data converted by the second filter.

A method and system for rendering rectangle drawing objects are provided. For at least a first rectangle drawing object and a second rectangle drawing object, a determination is made if the second rectangle drawing object satisfies a predetermined condition with respect to the first rectangle drawing object. If the predetermined condition is satisfied, one-line raster image data associated with the second rectangle drawing object is generated and stored in a data buffer. The one-line raster image data indicates a filling color of the second rectangle drawing object over a first extent in a first direction. Subsequently, the one-line raster image data may be used a number of times over a second extent in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction to fill a drawing region corresponding to at least the second rectangle drawing object.

A drawing data generation apparatus includes a first intermediate data generation section that generates first intermediate data from formation image data in which a formation image is indicated as a cluster of drawing components, a second intermediate data generation section that generates, from the first intermediate data, second intermediate data indicating drawing content of each line-shaped region of the formation image, and a drawing data generation section that generates, from the second intermediate data, drawing data indicating drawing content of each line-shaped region in a row of pixel data. The second intermediate data generation section selects, based on the first intermediate data, either a first scheme of arranging an overlap of the drawing components and generating the second intermediate data from the cluster of drawing components or a second scheme of expressing and integrating the drawing components as a cluster of the pixels and generating the second intermediate data.

Provided is a printing method for performing printing using a serial printer. In printing of a print image including a line image, the printing method includes a raster line forming step of forming each of raster lines configuring the image, by a plurality of pass operations. In the formation of each of the raster lines, when printing of a region corresponding to edge pixels of the line image by a first pass operation, which is one of the plurality of pass operations, is first printing, and printing of the region corresponding to the edge pixels by a second pass operation that is different from the first pass operation, of the plurality of pass operations, is second printing, a brightness of the printing by the second printing is higher than a brightness of the printing by the first printing.

A method for checking a surface of an object, imprinted and/or structured in raster form, includes: a) using a digital image, which reproduces a replica of the surface, b) checking and/or determining a property of the surface or the replica using the digital image and/or the replica, and c) outputting a result with reference to the property. Step b) includes constructing and/or reconstructing a raster made from raster elements, using the digital image and/or the replica in which at least one raster element parameter can assume two or more, differently large size, brightness, and/or color parameter values, depending on the position of the corresponding raster element. The surface property is checked and/or determined as a function of the differently large parameter values and/or of the distribution of these differently large parameter values on the raster elements, and the result is output in Step c).

A halftone raster image suitable for rendering a continuous-tone image includes a plurality of spiral dots. The spiral dots include image pixels arranged as a first arc or as a plurality of arcs which together represent a first spiral, and non-image pixels arranged as a second arc or as a plurality of arcs which together represent a second spiral. The spiral dots enable a controlled spreading of the ink within the dot, resulting in a higher image quality, ink saving, and faster drying.

A printed-material check apparatus includes a processor configured to: acquire check information including section information and first comparison information from a printed material printed on a basis of print data with check information, the section information identifying a section in print data, the first comparison information being generated from data identified by the section, the print data with check information being generated by adding the check information to the print data; acquire an image of an inner part of a section on the printed material, the section being identified by the acquired check information; and determine whether the printed material is valid by using the first comparison information and the image of the inner part of the section on the printed material.

One embodiment comprises a print controller that stores a first print job comprising print data objects and print job commands, processes the print job commands to identify the print data objects for the first print job, selects a subset of the print data objects for processing, and encrypts the subset of the print data objects using a key while the print data objects not selected for processing and the print job commands remain unencrypted, identifies outlines and presentation positions specified for the subset of the print data objects, and generates one or more auxiliary print data objects that graphically represent the outlines and the presentation positions of the subset of the print data objects. The print controller generates a second print job comprising the encrypted print data objects, the auxiliary print data objects, the unencrypted print data objects, and unencrypted print job commands, and provides the second print job.