A printing device comprises a housing, a communication interface configured to communicate with a server, and a controller. The printing device is configured to operate either in a contract mode or in a normal mode. The housing is configured such that one or more consumables including a first type consumable and a second type consumable are attachable. The first type consumable is dedicated for the contract printing, and the second type consumable is usable for printing in both the contract mode and the normal mode. The controller is configured to activate the contract mode in response to an activation instruction from the server. In a case where the second type consumable is attached to the housing when the contract mode is activated, the controller changes a state of the printing device to a contract printing state in which the contract printing is activated after activating the contract mode.

Systems and methods relate generally to contextual features for a printing device. In an example method thereof, features of a printing device configuration are queried by a firmware service. The features obtained by a first dynamic scheduling service associated with the printing device are packaged. The features packaged are retrieved to provide a features list thereof by a second dynamic scheduling service for a driver associated with the printing device. Dynamic scheduling data is generated by an artificial intelligence service including deactivating one or more of the features responsive to a policy. The generating of the dynamic scheduling data includes filtering the features using the policy by the artificial intelligence service. A dynamic user interface is created by the second dynamic scheduling service responsive to the dynamic scheduling data.

An information processing system, an information processing apparatus, and a processing execution method. The information processing system in response to a transmission of a print job from a terminal device to a virtual printer registered in an external print service, receives information for identifying the virtual printer and the print job from the external print service, based on association information associating identification information of an application and information for identifying a virtual printer, identifies an application associated with the information for identifying the virtual printer that is received, and processes the print job by the application.

A can body printing system includes: a measurement section 34 configured to measure, for a predetermined unit, a quantity of can bodies subjected to printing; a quantity detection section 304 configured to detect, for the unit, that the quantity measured for the unit reaches a predetermined allowable quantity of can bodies for the printing; and a print stopping section 305 configured to control a stoppage of the printing on can bodies in response to the detection by the quantity detection section 304.

A can body printing system includes: a host device 10; and a printing device 30 configured to print an image acquired from the host device 10 onto can bodies. The print image information acquisition section 301 of the printing device 30 acquires, from the host device 10, image information to which an authorization for printing on can bodies is added. The activation control section 305 of the printing device 30 prints an image based on the image information onto can bodies on the basis of the authorization for printing on can bodies added to the acquired image information.

An authentication server may, in a case where a communication state between the authentication server and a management server is a non-connecting state, send first authentication information to an external device. A printer may, in a case where a communication state between the printer and the management server changes from a communication-enabled state to a communication-disabled state, shift a state of the printer from a first permission state to a first prohibition state, while the state of the printer is the first prohibition state, accept an input of second authentication information from a user; and, in a case where the input of the second authentication information is accepted and the second authentication information matches the first authentication information, shift the state of the printer from the first prohibition state to a second permission state.

An information processing apparatus connected to a printing apparatus includes a storage configured to store user print settings, common print settings, and restrictive information restricting changes to print settings; a display configured to display print settings; and a controller including a processor and configured to acquire the user print settings, the restrictive information, and the common print settings. If there is a setting item restricted by the restrictive information, the controller causes a setting value in the common print settings to be reflected in a setting value for the restricted setting item of the user print settings, and causes the display to display the resulting user print settings, with entry for the restricted setting item being restricted.

A printing system includes: a receiving unit that receives a first instruction given in response to speech input by a user and a second instruction given in response to input other than the speech input by the user, the first instruction and the second instruction each serving as an image forming instruction to form a processed image on a recording medium; a restriction unit that performs restriction of image forming in which the image is to be formed on the recording medium, the restriction being performed in response to the receiving unit receiving the first instruction; and a storage unit that stores the image subjected to the restriction of the image forming on the recording medium, the restriction being performed by the restriction unit.

An image forming apparatus capable of notifying a user that an error is caused due to a ZT mode. The image forming apparatus includes a plurality of network ports that are capable of receiving job data. When the image forming apparatus receives a request for shifting the image forming apparatus to the ZT mode for limiting a communicable network port to a predetermined network port of the plurality of network ports, out of the plurality of network ports, the network ports other than the predetermined network port are blocked. The other network ports having been blocked are opened, and when any of the opened other network port receives the job data, a code indicating that a job is terminated in an error due to the ZT mode is output and notified to a user.

An information processing system includes a first management unit that manages assignment of authority to use a second service to a first user registered for a first service in the individual unit on a user side receiving provision of the first service, and a second management unit that manages a second user having authority to use the second service on a provider side providing the second service, in which the second management unit acquires information regarding the first user not assigned with the authority to use the second service, from the first management unit.