Methods and systems disclosed provide for visually displaying a graphical representation of two or more print workflows to a user with a Graphical User Interface (GUI), analyzing the two or more print workflows to determine the differences between them, and visually displays the differences to the user with the GUI.

An information processing apparatus includes: an assignment unit that assigns plural associated execution instructions to a first group and a second group; and an order setting unit that sets an order of second execution instructions assigned to the second group in accordance with an order of first execution instructions assigned to the first group.

Example systems and related methods relate to distributed printing. A first printing device can receive a print job with a first portion associated with first printing characteristics and a second portion associated with second printing characteristics, where the first and second printing characteristics can differ. A first page can be in both the first and second portions of the print job. The first printing device can generate a first portion of printed output according to the first printing characteristics. The first portion can include a first output page for the first page. The first portion can be provided to the second printing device. The second printing device can generate a second portion of printed output to complete the print job according to the second printing characteristics that includes the first portion, where the second portion includes the first output page after being further printed by the second printing device.

An image inspection device that inspects a read image of a recording medium on which an image is formed based on a job, the image inspection device includes a hardware processor. The hardware processor executes a continuity inspection of an identifier in an inspection region in the read image. The hardware processor executes the continuity inspection across a plurality of jobs to be inspected.

An information processing system, an information processing method, and an information processing apparatus. The information processing system includes at least one memory configured to store a plurality of jobs in order, by type of processing to be executed and a plurality of processors assigned to a specific type of processing to be executed, processes a job assigned to other processor stored in the memory in substitution for the other processor based on a determination that the job of the assigned type of processing is not stored in the memory, and cancels substituting of the processing of the job assigned to the other processor according to a processing status of at least one of other processors.

Provided is technology enabling efficient printing based on the type of printing device. A print control device that communicates with a management device, which manages a printing device, includes: an acquisition unit configured to acquire from the management device printing device information indicating whether a printing device the management device manages is a first printing device, which processes first band data of bands that are long in a first direction of a print object, or a second printing device, which processes second band data of bands that are long in a second direction intersecting the first direction of the print object; a band data generator configured to determine the length direction of band data based on the acquired printing device information, and generate band data in the determined length direction from the print object; and a transmitter configured to send the band data to the management device.

When a general-use printing program implemented in an OS of an information processing apparatus receives a print instruction, a supporting program implemented in a PC determines, based on a print parameter or image data indicating at least one image subjected to be printed, whether a distribution condition is satisfied. The distribution condition is a condition to execute distributed printing of the image data using a plurality of printers. When it is determined that the distribution condition is satisfied, the supporting program transmits a part of a total printing amount of a print job to a printer through a first port which is used by a general-use printing program and transmits a remaining part of the total amount of the print job to another printer through a second port.

A printing device receives a document to print directly from a computing device. The document is converted into a portable document format (PDF) file. The PDF converter separates the document into different groups that are processed separate to generate multiple PDF files for the document. The PDF files include a first page file and subsequent files for groups of pages separated according to criteria, such as page number or size. The separate PDF file is sent to the PDF interpreter to be printed without waiting for the subsequent data within the document.

A printing device receives a document to print directly from a device. The document is converted into a portable document format (PDF) file. The PDF converter separates the document into different groups that are processed separately to generate multiple PDF files for the document. The PDF files include a first page file and subsequent files for one or more pages separated according to criteria, such as page complexity or size. The separate PDF file is sent to the PDF interpreter to be printed without waiting for the subsequent data within the document.

An image forming apparatus includes a first storage unit, a second storage unit, and a control unit that is configured to cause received print data to be stored in the first storage unit and the second storage unit. The control unit causes a printer unit to perform a print to print the stored print data in the first storage unit in a case where the first storage unit is in a normal state, and causes a message to be displayed in a case where the first storage unit has a functional failure.