This invention relates to printing, and discloses a method and apparatus for variable data printing. The method comprises: obtaining a current page of a file to be printed; performing a rasterization process on the current page to obtain a current page dot matrix; determining a reference page for the current page and obtaining a reference page dot matrix corresponding to the reference page; dividing the reference page dot matrix and the current page dot matrix into dot matrix blocks having a predetermined granularity; identifying variable data blocks in the current page dot matrix based on the dot matrix blocks; dynamically adjusting the size of the variable data blocks; extracting a variable data dot matrix in the current page dot matrix splitting the current page dot matrix up into the reference page dot matrix and the variable data dot matrix and then storing and outputting them.

An image forming apparatus of the invention includes an image forming unit configured to form an image on a sheet; a plurality of storage portions each configured to store the sheet with the image formed thereon by the image forming unit; an opening configured to expose the sheet stored in the storage portion to the outside; and a sheet moving unit configured to move the sheet until a leading edge of the sheet stored in the storage portion passes the opening and a portion of the sheet is exposed from the opening to the outside. The sheet moving unit exposes sheets stored in a plurality of the storage portions in a stacked manner from the opening.

One or more image processing apparatuses, one or more image processing methods and one or more storage mediums are provided herein. In at least one embodiment, an image processing apparatus includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire one or more objects, a check unit configured to perform check processing for checking whether to combine an object with another object, for each of a plurality of objects acquired by the acquisition unit, and a determining unit configured to determine, based on a result of the check processing for each of the plurality of objects, whether to perform the check processing for checking whether to combine an object with another object, for an object acquired subsequently to the plurality of objects by the acquisition unit.

A printing apparatus capable of arranging and printing a plurality of duplicates of an input image on a same side of a single sheet, includes a printing unit configured to print an image on a sheet using a color material, and a controller configured to act as: a changing unit configured to change, to a white image, a portion of an image that is to be printed by the printing unit, based on a region provided at each edge of the sheet and to which the color material is not to be applied, and a control unit configured to control the changing unit to change, to a white pixel, a neighborhood of a border between the plurality of duplicates arranged on the same side of the single sheet, based on a size of the region to which the color material is not to be applied.

An information processing apparatus includes a memory, and circuitry. The circuitry acquires a plurality of images divided from original image data, the plurality of images including at least a first image data and a second image data, predicts a size of a storage-use region in the memory, the storage-use area to be used for storing the plurality of image data to be merged based on image information of the acquired first image data, secures the predicted size of the storage-use region in the memory, merges the plurality of image data in the storage-use region secured in the memory based on image information of the acquired first image data, and stores the merged plurality of image data in the storage-use region secured in the memory.

A printing apparatus comprising a printing unit configured to print an image, and a controlling unit including a processor and a memory storing a program which executed by the processor, the controlling being configured to act as a receiving unit configured to receive print data generated by an external apparatus, and a causing unit configured to cause the printing unit to print user information described in the received print data on a sheet together with an image of the print data, and configured to cause the printing unit to print user information described in setting information received by the receiving unit together with the received print data on a sheet together with an image of the print data.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming device, a gradation adjustment mark adder and a hardware processor. The hardware processor monitors and adjusts a gradation characteristic based on a result of scanning a gradation adjustment mark. The hardware processor makes a determination as to whether to form the gradation adjustment mark overlapping an image area of an image based on image data. If it is determined to form the gradation adjustment mark overlapping the image area, the hardware processor controls the gradation adjustment mark adder to add gradation adjustment mark information to the image data in the image area.

An image processing apparatus acquires target image data generated by optically reading a sheet. The sheet includes an original image and an added image. The added image is added on the sheet. The apparatus specifies, from the target image, an added region surrounded by a surrounding line. The apparatus specifies a written target in the added region. The apparatus generates partially-erased image data and supplementary data by using the target image data and a result of the specifying of the written target. The partially-erased image data represents a partially-erased image that is based on the target image with an image inside the added region being erased. The supplementary data concerns the added image. The apparatus generates an image file including the partially-erased image data and the supplementary data so that the partially-erased image and supplementary information can be reproduced in selective one of a simultaneous manner and an independent manner.

The present specification provides an managing a document using printer emulation.

An image processing apparatus acquires target image data generated by optically reading a sheet. The sheet includes an original image and an added image. The added image is added on the sheet. The apparatus specifies, from the target image, an added region surrounded by a surrounding line. The apparatus specifies a written target in the added region. The apparatus generates partially-erased image data and supplementary data by using the target image data and a result of the specifying of the written target. The partially-erased image data represents a partially-erased image that is based on the target image with an image inside the added region being erased. The supplementary data concerns the added image. The apparatus generates an image file including the partially-erased image data and the supplementary data so that the partially-erased image and supplementary information can be reproduced in selective one of a simultaneous manner and an independent manner.