An image forming apparatus includes: rasterization processors that rasterize input image data and generate raster image data; a predictor that predicts a rasterization processing time required for the rasterization processors to rasterize input image data of a unit to be subjected to an image formation process on each recording paper sheet; a hardware processor that determines an order in which the rasterization processors rasterize the input image data of the unit; an image former that performs the image formation process based on the raster image data; a sheet ejection processor that acquires, from the image former, each recording paper sheet subjected to the image formation process, and performs a sheet ejection process; and the hardware processor that determines an order of the recording paper sheets to be ejected by the sheet eject processor, to adjust the order of the recording paper sheets to an order of pages.

A simulation device includes a hardware processer that simulates an apparatus. When an state of the apparatus does not satisfy a allowable condition, the hardware processor determines a group of the plurality of jobs being executed as an error group, and allows a virtual device to carry out a plurality of jobs that are generated when a parameter defined by at least one of the plurality of jobs included in the error group is changed. When a state of the virtual device satisfies the allowable condition, the hardware processor determines a group of the plurality of jobs executed as a change job group. When the apparatus carries out a plurality of new jobs, the hardware processor allows the apparatus to change each of parameters of the plurality of new jobs to a parameter defined by a change job included in the change job group.

In an example implementation, a processor-readable medium stores code representing instructions that when executed by a processor cause the processor to receive a list of print jobs, and calculate a preparation time and a printing time for each job in the list. The instructions further cause the processor to generate an ordered print job queue that minimizes printing press downtime by maximizing an amount of the preparation time fulfilled during the printing time.

A print management method involves a print server using one or more plug-ins to instruct plural output devices to execute child jobs that were split from a single print order. The plug-in can be a group plug-in that enables the print server to communicate with the plural output devices to complete the single print order. The plural output devices can be two printing machines, or one printing machine and one finishing machine.

An image forming apparatus includes circuitry to receive a file including data of a plurality of pages and position information indicating individual positions of data of the plurality of pages. The circuitry further starts printing of one of the plurality of pages based on data specified by specifying information that indicates a position of data of one of the plurality of pages. The circuitry further starts the printing of one of the plurality of pages when receiving the specifying information before the position information.

An image processing device including a plurality of processors that execute arithmetic processing on image data, an information retaining portion that retains information related to arithmetic processing speeds of the plurality of processors, and a control portion that, among the image data, designates partial data to be processed by the respective processors and causes the plurality of processors to execute arithmetic processing, in which the control portion determines partial data for causing the plurality of processors to process on the basis of the information.

A system to generate perform document optimizations is described. The system includes at least one physical memory device and one or more processors coupled with the at least one physical memory device, the one or more processors to receive a print file including one or more print jobs to be processed, determine a number of processing steps to be implemented to process the print file, generate a microservice corresponding to each of the step components and process each of the step components via a corresponding microservice.

A printing control machine includes an obtaining section, a determination section, and a printing control section. The obtaining section obtains from each of a plurality of printing machines, ink information regarding an ink mounted to the each printing machine. The determination section determines whether or not each of the plurality of printing machines is within a similarity condition range on the basis of the ink information obtained by the obtaining section. The printing control section allocates a printing job to printing machines determined to be within the similarity condition range to make the determined printing machines perform printing.

The disclosure discloses a portable printer including a feeder, a printing head, a controller, and a command transmission unit. The feeder is configured to feed a print-receiving medium. The printing head is configured to perform print on the print-receiving medium fed by the feeder. The controller is configured to control the feeder and the printing head in cooperation with each other to produce a first printed matter by using desired first print data. The command transmission unit is configured to transmit through wireless communication to another printer other than the portable printer a production instruction for a second printed matter having print contents equivalent to the first printed matter at a predetermined timing after start of production of the first printed matter.

An image processing apparatus includes a first processor core configured to allocate a plurality of threads to execute a drawing processing for converting printing object data divided into a plurality of units of printing to printing data, a plurality of second processor cores designated to execute data compression on the printing data converted by the drawing processing, and a storage device in which the compressed printing data are stored. The first processor core allocates a new thread to execute the drawing processing upon determining that the number of the second processor cores in an idle state is greater than the number of threads that are executing the drawing processing by a predetermined number.