An information processing apparatus includes a reception unit that receives a progress condition of a group printing job constituted by plural printing jobs, and a presentation unit that presents the progress condition of the group printing job in accordance with an item for presenting the progress condition.

A printing system including a printer that sends a printed print medium to a post-processing machine is provided with: a job sorting unit that sorts a plurality of jobs into a plurality of groups; a required printing time calculation unit that calculates a required printing time per set required for printing for each job; a short job determination unit that determines, as a short job, a job for which the required printing time is shorter than a minimum processing time that is a minimum time required for processing for one set in the post-processing machine; and a job group generation unit that generates, on the basis of a plurality of jobs sorted into the same group, a job group obtained by grouping standard jobs (jobs not determined as short jobs) and a job group obtained by grouping short jobs.

A method for manufacturing decorative workpieces includes the step of nesting a set of decorative patterns digitally printed on a decoration layer to reduce the waste of decoration layer. To perform a corresponding relief for the nested decorative patterns on a nested decorative workpiece, the relief provided by a digital relief apparatus is in a correct match with the nested decorative workpiece. If the printing zone of the digital printer has a failure zone, the nesting method prevents arranging of the decorative patterns in this failure zone.

Provided are an image processing apparatus, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing an imposition control program, and an imposition control method. The hardware processor of the image processing apparatus is configured to impose plural print jobs. When imposing plural print jobs, the hardware processor extracts plural job-imposition layouts suitable for imposing the print jobs from a table stored in a storage unit. The hardware processor calculates the number of blank pages to be given after laying out pages of the print jobs with each of the job-imposition layouts extracted, and determines specific job-imposition layouts with which a smaller number of blank pages are given among the job-imposition layouts extracted. The hardware processor uses a display unit to display the specific job-imposition layouts so as to allow a user to choose a job-imposition layout to be used for imposing the print jobs.

An image forming apparatus of the present invention is an image forming apparatus that performs printing based on a print job and determines whether printing for a first print job and a second print job having been received after the first print job can be made continuously based on a progress of printing for the first print job. In a case where it is determined that the printing for the first print job and the second print job can be made continuously, print media to be used for printing for the second print job is fed to a conveyance path before completing outputting printouts for the first print job.

An apparatus includes a storage unit and a control unit. The storage unit stores conflict information indicating that a setting for printing a predetermined number of pages on one surface of one sheet conflicts with a setting for punching a plurality of rows of holes in the one sheet. The control unit performs control to prohibit generation of a print command including the printing and punching settings based on the conflict information stored in the storage unit.

In one aspect, a computer-implemented method for estimating ink use by a printer is provided. The method involves receiving, by a computer, a request for a comingled print job comprising a plurality of print jobs to be carried out by the printer. The method also involves traversing, by the computer, pages of the comingled print job and identifying, for each page of the comingled print job, a print job of the plurality of print jobs to which the page belongs. The method also involves for each of the plurality of print jobs, calculating, by the computer, an estimated total amount of ink required for printing the print job. The method also involves communicating, by the computer, to a client terminal, the estimated total amounts of ink required for printing the plurality of print jobs.

A method for printing a plurality of print jobs on a flat bed printer includes automatically grouping the print jobs into a plurality of consecutive container jobs, and for each container job automatically creating a digital plan of the flat bed, automatically defining a mask with cutting information according to the created plan, receiving the defined mask on the flat bed, receiving the media pieces on the flat bed positioned in according with the received mask, and unattended printing of the print jobs on the media pieces by the flat bed printer making use of the received mask. The automatic grouping includes gathering the group of print jobs due to the print job characteristics of each of the print jobs and/or the flat bed characteristics of the flat bed and ordering the consecutive container jobs due to the print job characteristics of each of the print jobs and/or the flat bed characteristics of the flat bed.

Systems and methods of managing print procurement systems based on item-specific interest levels and supplier-influenced thresholds are disclosed herein. An example method includes: receiving a request to view ordering information for a fixed plurality of physical items associated with a time period. In response, the method includes: displaying a respective user interface (UI) object for each physical item of the fixed plurality (e.g., a first UI object for a first physical item includes a visual representation of an aggregate interest level during the time period as compared to a threshold interest level, and the aggregate interest level reflects a quantity requested by two distinct users). While displaying the respective UI objects, the method includes: receiving an indication that the threshold interest level for the first physical item has been satisfied; and, in accordance with receiving the indication, updating the first UI object to indicate that the threshold interest level for the first physical item has been satisfied.

An information processing apparatus includes a reception unit that receives an operation for a group printing job including plural printing jobs, and an instructing unit that gives an instruction to an image forming apparatus performing printing processing based on the printing job, in accordance with the operation.