An image forming apparatus includes a network interface and a processor configured to upon receipt of a print job from an external apparatus via the network interface, determine whether hold printing is instructed for executing the print job, when the hold printing is instructed, determine a state of the image forming apparatus, generate information about execution of the print job according to the determined state, and control the network interface to transmit the generated information to the external apparatus.

An image forming apparatus includes a network interface and a processor configured to upon receipt of a print job from an external apparatus via the network interface, determine whether hold printing is instructed for executing the print job, when the hold printing is instructed, determine a state of the image forming apparatus, generate information about execution of the print job according to the determined state, and control the network interface to transmit the generated information to the external apparatus.

In systems and methods, a print server receives an original print job in an originated format that is associated with a user through a network. The print server identifies potentially used printers that can be utilized to print the original print job based on a current physical location of a mobile wireless device associated with the user. The print server converts the original print job from the originated format into printing formats used by the potentially used printers to generate print-ready print jobs. The print server is adapted to send the print-ready print jobs to the potentially used printers through the network when the print-ready print jobs are created. A selected printer of the potentially used printers receives an instruction to print the original print job and the selected printer prints a received one of the print-ready print jobs when the selected printer receives the instruction to print.

Sheet feeding has been started after storing image data for one page of a document. A control method for a printing apparatus includes feeding a sheet from a sheet holding unit by a feeding unit, reading an image of a document by a reading unit, storing image data of the document read by the reading unit in a storing unit, and reading out, before image data for one page of the document is stored in the storing unit, the image data of the document from the storing unit and printing, by a printing unit, the image based on the read image data to the sheet fed from the sheet holding unit by the feeding unit, in which the feeding unit is able to start to feed the sheet from the sheet holding unit before the image data for the one page of the document is stored in the storing unit.

According to one or more embodiments, an image forming apparatus comprises a communication interface, an image forming unit, and a processor. The communication interface communicates with a plurality of information processing apparatuses via a network and receives print jobs from the information processing apparatuses. The image forming unit executes printing according to a first print job. The processor determines a presence of a user associated with a second print job near the image forming apparatus, and then determines, based on the presence of the user, whether to execute the first print job or to transmit or forward the first print job to another image forming apparatus.

A controller circuit board outputs image data. A head circuit board controls a head unit in accordance with a setting data list. An engine circuit board controls a sheet transportation unit, and sets setting data in the setting data list in accordance with a command from the controller circuit board. The head circuit board receives the image data from the controller circuit board not through the engine circuit board. The controller circuit board outputs a backup command and thereby causes the engine circuit board to acquire the setting data list from the head circuit board, acquires it from the engine circuit board, and store it in a storage device, and outputs a restoration command and a setting data list read from the storage device and thereby causes the engine circuit board to renew the setting data list in the head circuit board.

A method of operating a printing system according to a printing path schedule, the printing system including a duplex loop including a plurality of pitches with each pitch of the plurality of pitches operatively arranged to carry one sheet, the method including receiving input data related to one or more images to be printed, preparing a printing path schedule based on the input data, receiving an indication of the delay in the printing system, determining whether the delay is equal to a multiple of a whole pitch of the plurality of pitches, and if the delay is not equal to a multiple of a whole pitch of the plurality of pitches, adjusting the printing path schedule.

An image forming apparatus performs, when a plurality of print jobs stored in association with identification information about an authenticated user include one or more first print jobs requiring a user input operation and one or more second print jobs not requiring a user input operation, control to start to execute the second print job before receiving the user input operation for the first print job in response to designation of an object.

An image forming apparatus includes a network interface and a processor configured to upon receipt of a print job from an external apparatus via the network interface, determine whether hold printing is instructed for executing the print job, when the hold printing is instructed, determine a state of the image forming apparatus, generate information about execution of the print job according to the determined state, and control the network interface to transmit the generated information to the external apparatus.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-readable instructions that are executable by a processor coupled with an information processing device. The information processing device includes a physical communication interface including a first logical interface and a second logical interface. The instructions are configured to, when executed by the processor, cause the information processing device to, in response to receiving an image forming instruction from an operating system, generate preparation information instructing an image forming apparatus to perform a preparation operation, which is an operation to be performed in advance of image formation based on image forming data, transmit the preparation information to the image forming apparatus via the first logical interface, which is configured to communicate data other than the image forming data, and generate the image forming data to be transmitted to the image forming apparatus via the second logical interface, in accordance with the image forming instruction.