An image forming system includes a print system and a management server. The print system includes one or plural image forming apparatuses. The management server receives a print order from a user, and upon receiving the print order, performs a print job using the print system under a print condition specified by the print order. Further, the management server generates a suggestion of a print condition in consideration of operation status of the print system and an amount of a consumable good required for the print job, differently from the print condition specified by the print order, and notifies the user of the suggestion.

A method, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for altering a digital image for a printing job, the method comprising receiving a requested printing job including the digital image, performing a segmentation on the digital image, extracting values of properties for a segment of the segmented digital image, determining, based on the extracted values of the properties for the segment, whether the segment of the digital image should be altered, and altering the segment of the digital image when it is determined the segment of the digital image should be altered, a resulting altered digital image being transmitted to a printer for printing.

A method, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for altering a digital image for a printing job, the method comprising receiving a requested printing job including the digital image, performing a segmentation on the digital image, extracting values of properties for a segment of the segmented digital image, determining, based on the extracted values of the properties for the segment, whether the segment of the digital image should be altered, and altering the segment of the digital image when it is determined the segment of the digital image should be altered, a resulting altered digital image being transmitted to a printer for printing.

A print unit includes a reactive liquid element row in which a plurality of print elements are arrayed in a first direction, a first element row in which a plurality of print elements are arrayed in the first direction, and a second element row in which a plurality of print elements are arrayed in the first direction. The reactive liquid element row, the first element row, and the second element row are arrayed in this order in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. A scan unit scans the print unit in the second direction. A print control unit controls a print operation by the print unit such that a ratio of the number of pixels permitted to eject the second ink to the number of pixels in a predetermined region on the print medium does not exceed a threshold.

A printing apparatus connectable to an inspection apparatus in a communicable manner according to the present invention includes a reception unit configured to receive an inspection job including at least information indicating whether a correct answer image is to be registered, an analysis unit configured to analyze the received inspection job, and, a control unit configured to perform control so that the correct answer image is transmitted to the inspection apparatus in a case where the correct answer image is to be registered, and to perform control so that an instruction to select the correct answer image is transmitted to the inspection apparatus in a case where the correct answer image is not to be registered, as a result of the analysis.

An information processing apparatus holds a print job and identification information of a reference image that is associated with the print job and is used in inspection printing of the print job. In a case that a reprint according to the held print job is instructed, the information processing apparatus determines whether or not a change has been made in print settings of the held print job and whether or not inspection printing that uses the reference image being associated with the held print job is possible, and in a case that it is determined that the inspection printing that uses the reference image being associated with the held print job is not possible, controls so as to set the identification information of the reference image in the held print job to none and transmits the held print job to the printing apparatus.

A method and an arrangement for calibrating a delivery rate of an ink pump of a printing device with the aid of an ink container including a sensor unit for detecting at least a first fill level value. Based on the initial fill level of the ink container below the first fill level value, the ink pump conveys ink from an ink reservoir into the ink container up to a final fill level above the first fill level value, so that at least a predetermined volume between the initial fill level and the first fill level value is filled. Upon conveying the ink into the ink container, an ink pump parameter is determined as of reaching the initial fill level and until the first fill level value is reached. A delivery rate of the ink pump is determined based on the predetermined volume and the ink pump parameter.

A printing system includes an offline estimation device that provides estimates for ink or toner use for a print job at a target printing device. The offline estimation device retrieves digital front end (DFE) version information, configuration setting information, and color printing resources from the target printing device. Using the DFE version information, the offline estimation device selects a raster image processor (RIP) from a plurality of RIPs of software versions available within the printing system. The offline estimation device configures the RIP with configuration settings of the configuration setting information. The color printing resources also are pushed to the RIP. The offline estimation device provides the ink or toner use estimate using the configured RIP.

A method for classifying a printable image to be printed comprising: receiving, at a printing device, print data representing the printable image to be printed; generating an image of the printable image based on the print data; classifying the image to obtain a format associated with the printable image; printing the printable image according to the print data; and updating a counter associated with the format.

An example method comprises setting a mixture of a plurality of print supplies of a print device to use for a process black print based on a plurality of supply levels corresponding to the plurality of print supplies. The example method further comprises initiating execution of the process black print of a print job by the print device using the set mixture of the plurality of print supply as overlapping colorant with the black print supply of the print device.