Provided is an image forming apparatus capable of executing a copy job without causing a memory shortage by dividing and sequentially executing the copy job process. The image forming apparatus includes a free area determining unit and a division process executing unit. The free area determining unit compares capacities of work areas necessary for executing a scanning job and a printing job with free area in memory (RAM), respectively. The division process executing unit, in a case where the free area determining unit determines that the free area in memory is equal to or greater than the capacity of the work area necessary for executing the scanning job, but is less than the capacity of the work area necessary for executing the printing job, cancels parallel processing, and after executing the scanning process, saves in a non-volatile memory, and then after restarting, executes the printing process.

An image forming apparatus includes a controller circuit configured to receive first printable data before receiving second printable data, render the first printable data without printing during a wait time, if the second printable data is received during the wait time, start rendering and printing the second printable data in parallel with rendering of the first printable data, if the wait time passes before finishing rendering and printing the second printable data, extend the wait time until rendering and printing of the second printable data are to be finished, when rendering and printing of the second printable data are finished, print rendered part of the first printable data, and when printing of the rendered part of the first printable data is finished, and if there is un-rendered part of the first printable data, render and print the un-rendered part of the first printable data.

An image forming system in which distributed processing of a job is performed by a plurality of image forming apparatuses and each of the image forming apparatuses inspects an output image formed on paper by distributed processing. Among the image forming apparatuses which perform distributed processing, one or more image forming apparatuses generate data for abnormal image detection which is required to inspect the output image in the image forming apparatuses to perform the distributed processing.

A display apparatus include: a displayer that displays on a screen at least one image used for an operation to instruct execution of processing under a predetermined condition; a preparation detector that detects preparation performed by a user for the processing; and a disabling unit that disables a non-target image used for an operation to instruct execution of non-target processing different from target processing corresponding to a result of detection of the preparation detector, the non-target image being of the at least one image displayed on the screen.

Printing images on a printing medium by means of a printer, comprising the receiving of image data for each image of a list of images to be printed on said printing medium; splitting up of the received image data of the list of images into N successive sequences corresponding to N printing steps, N being an integer greater or equal to 1, of M groups of image data of individual images, M being an integer greater than 1, each group of image data of a printing step comprising image data of at least one individual image, the number of individual images in the M groups of a given printing step corresponding to the total number of images to be printed at this printing step; sequentially for each printing step, distributing of the M groups of image data to, respectively, M distinct processing units, each processing unit sequentially processing image data of each individual image data from a received group of image data to generate a corresponding set of printable individual image data; and upon all said M processing units having each completed generation of a set of printable individual image data from a corresponding group of said corresponding printing step, authorizing of the printer to print the corresponding individual images on the printing medium.

Systems and methods associated with resource provisioning are disclosed. One example method includes dividing a set of printing resources into a first partition and a second partition. The example method also includes provisioning the first partition to handle print jobs from a print queue that have a specified attribute. The first partition may be provisioned when print jobs having the specified attribute exceed a first predefined threshold.

A method of using a central computer that is communicatively connectable to a first control computer and configured to dynamically allocate and transmit unique codes from a server to a first printing machine, having a first rate of printing. The method includes the steps of: receiving a first request for a first patch of unique codes from the first control computer of a first printing machine, wherein the first control computer is communicatively connected to the first printing machine and wherein the first control computer controls the first printing machine for printing the unique codes in package labels; obtaining printing parameters comprising a file size of a unique code and a printing speed of the first printing machine; determining a first time interval between the first request to the server and the unique code being available to be used by the first printing machine; determining a first communication speed between the server and the first printing machine; dynamically calculating a first optimum patch size of the first patch of unique codes to be delivered to the first printing machine based on the first request from the first control computer of the first printing machine, the printing parameters, the first time interval and the first communication speed; and communicating a first patch of unique codes having a patch size equal to the first optimum patch size to the first control computer of the first printing machine.

A communication device may include a controller. The controller may be configured to, in a case where a process executing instruction is sent to a notification server from a terminal device, receive a process executing notification from the notification server, and in a case where the process executing notification is received from the notification server, execute a predetermined process. The process executing notification may be received by operating in parallel in a first mode and a second mode. In the first mode, the process executing notification may be received by sending a polling signal to the notification server. In the second mode, the process executing notification may be received by establishing a connection of server-push type between the communication device and the notification server.

A print control apparatus includes a network interface to receive, from an external device, print job data including a plurality of ordered separate document files and two sequential serial page numbers in the plurality of ordered separate document files for specifying sequential target pages to be printed. The print job data has been generated and sent by the external device. One of the two sequential serial page numbers indicates, as an initial page, a page of one of the plurality of ordered document files, and the other of the sequential serial page numbers indicates, as a last page, a page of another one of the plurality of ordered document files. A rasterizer rasterizes at least the sequential target pages specified by the two sequential serial page numbers, and does not rasterize one or more pages of one or more document files that do not include the sequential target pages.

A production installation (21) produces book blocks (22) in parallel from digital prints on basic sheets (24). Each book block has n book sheets aligned through rows (46) and columns (44) and each basic sheet has m book sheets (43) equal to the number m of book blocks to be produced. Under the control of an electronic unit (56), a point bonding group (51) dispenses adhesive strokes (61) on the basic sheets across the rows and/or the columns, a stacking group (52) stacks the basic sheets and forms a basic block (62) stabilized by the point bonds, while a separation group (53) cuts and separates the book blocks from the basic block along the rows and the columns for following treatments. The basic sheets have machine-readable basic codes (68) and the electronic control unit actuates the point bonding group, the stacking group and the separation group on the basis of information derived from the basic codes.