A system and method are provided which enable overriding a custom color callout in a print job. Provision is made for a user to associate a unique ID with a custom color callout in a print job, e.g., during generation of the print job or at the printer. The custom color callout provides for a part of the print job to be rendered with a specific custom colorant, e.g., by identifying the name of the custom colorant. The unique ID is associated, in memory, with a custom colorant station of a print engine, independent of any custom colorant that may be housed in the custom colorant station. The method further includes identifying the custom colorant station of the print engine associated with the unique ID and sending the print job in a format for printing to the print engine for printing the part of the print job with a first custom colorant housed in the identified custom colorant station.

An image forming apparatus includes a hot folder storage region, an image forming device, and a hot folder controller that decides whether a second resource file, having the same content as a first resource file, is stored in the hot folder storage region, when a first image forming job is submitted to the hot folder, stores the first resource file in the sub folder, and causes the image forming device to form the image on a medium, using the first control file and the first resource file, when the second resource file is not stored, and stores, when the second resource file is stored, a link file indicating a path to the second resource file in the sub folder, acquires the second resource file using the path, and causes the image forming device to form the image on the medium, using the first control file and the second resource file.

An image processing apparatus includes a display, an input device, and a processor configured to accept, through the input device, a user input of identification information about a package for delivery, acquire information about a plurality of document types used in a delivery service, generate a screen displayed on the display, the screen showing a preview of a print image for each of the document types, upon selection of a previewed print image, encode the identification information into a code, and output the selected print image together with the code for printing. The previewed print image includes a signature field and a code field in which the code is to be printed.

In one example in accordance with the present disclosure, a system is described. The system includes an outsourcing engine to select a contracting print device to which a print job is to be outsourced. A recipe generating engine of the system generates a recipe for a print job. The recipe includes 1) settings for the print job and 2) settings for the contracting print device that is to generate the print job. The system also includes an encoder to encrypt the recipe and an exception processor to respond to requests from the contracting print device to deviate from the recipe.

A print control system is provided. The system comprises an image forming unit to form an image onto a sheet; an image reader to read an image of the sheet; an inspection unit to inspect a quality by comparing the image read by the image reader with a reference image. The system forms an image by the image forming unit using a first print setting defined in advance when registering the reference image, registers, as the reference image, an image read by the reading unit, and forms an image by the image forming unit using a second print setting defined in advance when manufacturing a print product.

The printing device registers setting information pertaining to printing and sends identification information of the registered setting information registered to an information processing device in response to an obtainment request from the information processing device. When a print job including the identification information is received from the information processing device, the printing device executes the print job having applied the setting information corresponding to the identification information to print settings of the print job.

An information processing apparatus includes at least one memory device that stores a set of instructions, and at least one processor that executes the set of instructions to receive, from a printing apparatus, an output profile of the printing apparatus, and receive, from an external apparatus, print data and quality requirement data including a spot color. A color profile to be used as a print setting is chosen based on the received output profile of the printing apparatus and the spot color included in the received quality requirement data.

An image forming apparatus includes a storage unit configured to store setting values of a plurality of setting items and identification information in association with each other, a receiving unit configured to receive an acquisition request for the identification information stored in the storage unit, from a predetermined print service, and a transmission unit configured to transmit, based on the received acquisition request, the stored identification information, and information for setting a first setting item unsettable in a predetermined print service associated with the identification information, in the predetermined print service, to the predetermined print service, and not to transmit information for setting a second setting item unsettable in the predetermined print service associated with the identification information, in the predetermined print service, to the predetermined print service.

An example image forming apparatus includes a print engine to form an image by using toners of different colors, a memory to store toner quantity information of the different colors of toners, and a processor to perform a print job by reducing a use of a toner with a small toner residual quantity ratio when a difference in a residual quantity ratio of the toner for each color is greater than or equal to a determined value on the basis of the stored toner quantity information.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming section, sheet type list storage, an authentication section, a display controller, and a display section. The image forming section forms a data image on a sheet. The sheet type list storage stores user sheet type lists therein on a user-by-user basis. The user sheet type lists each include one or more sheet types extracted from among sheet types included in a sheet type list. The sheet types are sheet types that the image forming section is capable of coping with. An authentication section authenticates a user. The display controller generates a sheet type selection screen based on a user sheet type list corresponding to the user authenticated by the authentication section among the user sheet type lists stored in the sheet type list storage. The display section displays the sheet type selection screen generated by the display controller.