A press load balancer automatically balances the printing load over a number of presses by taking into account the load on each press and the substrates (i.e., paper types) and inks installed on the presses to improve throughput while minimizing load on the press operators.

At least one embodiment of a post-processing apparatus performs post-processing on a product printed by a printing apparatus, and transmits a command for a temporary stop of print processing for a first job and information indicating a reason for the temporary stop to the printing apparatus. At least one embodiment of the printing apparatus receives the command for the temporary stop of the print processing for the first job and the information indicating the reason for the temporary stop, stops the print processing for the first job according to the command for the temporary stop, and acquires a period of time during which the temporary stop continues based on the received information indicating the reason for the temporary stop.

At least one embodiment of a post-processing apparatus performs post-processing on a product printed by a printing apparatus, and transmits a command for a temporary stop of print processing for a first job and information indicating a period of time during which the temporary stop continues to the printing apparatus. At least one embodiment of the printing apparatus receives the command for the temporary stop of the print processing for the first job and the information indicating the period of time during which the temporary stop continues from the post-processing apparatus, stops the print processing for the first job according to the command for the temporary stop, and controls print processing for a second job based on the period of time during which the temporary stop continues.

An information processing system includes processing circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to: accept a job requesting print output of print data from an information terminal; determine one or more printing companies having a printing machine that can execute a job, among a plurality of printing companies, based on a state of a printing machine held by each one of the plurality of printing companies and a content of the job; and transmit information of the one or more printing companies determined, to the information terminal to display the information on the information terminal.

An image forming system includes an image forming apparatus, a sheet processing device, and control circuitry. The image forming apparatus forms an image on a sheet. The sheet processing device performs post-processing on the sheet. The sheet processing device includes a first conveyance path through which the sheet is conveyed and subjected to the post-processing and a second conveyance path through which the sheet is conveyed without the post-processing. In response to an instruction of print jobs including both a print job of one or N copies subjected to the post-processing and a print job not subjected to the post-processing, the circuitry executes the job not subjected to the post-processing during execution of an M-th copy of the job subjected to the post-processing and causes the sheet to be conveyed through the second conveyance path, where N is two or greater and M satisfies 1≤M<N.

An image processing device reduces influence from delay due to one or more post processors and efficiently utilizes resources of an image former, to improve productivity. The image processing device includes: a job taker configured to take a print job; and a print data producer configured to output print data to an image former, configured to form an image on a sheet, and control a cutter configured to cut, inline, the sheet having the image formed and the image former. When the job taker takes a first print job to use the cutter and then takes a second print job not to use the cutter, the print data producer executes the first print job concurrently with the second print job.

An information processing system includes a processor that manages time slots in which a roll paper has been consumed for printing or time slots in which the roll paper is scheduled to be consumed for printing and controls output of a first image in which figures corresponding to the time slots are arranged for an attribute of the paper along a time axis.

A printer is caused to perform a checking print for a job in a case that a predetermined user's instruction is received via a user interface. The printer is caused to perform the checking print for the job without receiving the predetermined user's instruction in a case that the job meets a predetermined condition.

An information processing system includes processing circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to: accept a job requesting print output of print data from an information terminal; determine one or more printing companies having a printing machine that can execute a job, among a plurality of printing companies, based on a state of a printing machine held by each one of the plurality of printing companies and a content of the job; and transmit information of the one or more printing companies determined, to the information terminal to display the information on the information terminal.

A printing system includes a first printer configured to execute an initial operation to transition to a printable state when receiving an activation instruction and a second printer configured to execute an initial operation to transition to a printable state when receiving an activation instruction. Activation instruction processing for outputting the activation instruction to the second printer is executed when the second printer is designated as a following printer to be activated subsequently to the first printer. In the activation instruction processing, the activation instruction is output to the second printer at second activation timing obtained based on, with timing at which the first printer receives the activation instruction as a starting point, a first initial operation time, a first maintenance time, and a second initial operation time.