A method is presented that allows an initiator other than the distributor to customize otherwise common media with media specific to a specific recipient, or with sound or smell, prior to delivery of the common media to that specific recipient. In one embodiment, the personalized media is delivered at a time controlled by the initiator. In another embodiment, the initiator controls, at least in part, the time when the modified common media is delivered to the recipient.

A received print job is held, preceding processing of rendering the held print job is carried out in advance, and information of the print job subjected to the preceding processing is stored in association with the original data of the print job. Then, the print job is rendered using the information of the print job subjected to the preceding processing if the information is stored, and the print job is rendered and printed if the information of the print job subjected to the preceding processing is not stored, in response to a print instruction for the held print job.

A relay apparatus that is connected to a forming apparatus which forms a three-dimensional object and receives a forming request for the forming apparatus from a client terminal performs a registration process to a message service providing apparatus, in response to a reception of a forming request including user information from the client terminal, so that a group, which includes the user information, user information of other users and an account of the relay apparatus, is managed by the message service providing apparatus, and distributes a message concerning the forming apparatus and the forming request for the group.

A server comprises one or more controllers that determine a transmission destination of data of a job to be processed by an image forming apparatus based on summary information indicating a summary of the job and operation state information indicating an operation state of the image forming apparatus.

A mechanism that enables a user to easily use an image forming apparatus having a desired capability. Accordingly, an aspect of the present invention provides an information processing apparatus including a holding unit that holds contract information including information about a contracted plan selected by a user from among subscription plans that use an image forming apparatus, and a unit that transmits, in receiving a plan change notification for requesting a change from the contracted plan to a different plan involving a change in a capability of the image forming apparatus, a capability change notification for changing the capability of the image forming apparatus to a capability corresponding to the different plan to the image forming apparatus.

An embodiment may involve receiving input information related to an offered product or service, two or more layouts of a print advertisement for the offered product or service, demographics of potential buyers of the offered product or service, and online behavior of the potential buyers. The information may be normalized into a predefined schema for a machine-learning-based recommendation engine operated by a computing device. The embodiment may further involve determining respective selections of the two or more layouts for the potential buyers. The machine-learning-based recommendation engine may select a layout for a potential buyer based on the offered product or service, content and organization of the layout, demographics of the potential buyer, and online behavior of the potential buyer. The embodiment may also involve transmitting, to a printing system, one or more output files representing the offered product or service, the layout, and the potential buyer.

The control device may acquire printer information related to a printer and may specify first combination information adapted to the printer information from among a plurality of combination information in a memory. Each of the plurality of combination information may indicate a combination of a model name of a printer and plan information indicating a content of a plan included in a service related to the printer, and the first combination information includes a first model name and first plan information. The control device may output the first combination information.

An information processing apparatus enabling a user to quickly understand whether or not an image forming apparatus, which is a subject of a fixed-charge service contract, is capable of being used under the service contract, is provided. The information processing apparatus that is communicably connected to an image forming apparatus, which has a printing function and is a subject of a fixed-charge service contract, includes a control unit that controls communication with the image forming apparatus, a requesting unit that, in a case where contract information relating to the service contract has not been obtained after a predetermined screen is displayed, requests the image forming apparatus to transmit the contract information, a receiving unit configured to receive the contract information transmitted from the image forming apparatus in accordance with the request made by the requesting unit, and a notifying unit configured to notify a contract state of the service contract.

Systems and methods relate generally to printing. In a method, a job manager of a printing device DFE receives a print job. An exchange job definition formatted client (client) subscribes to receive associated signal information. The job manager provides the print job to a printer engine of the DFE. An exchange job definition message (message) associated with the print job is queued in a message queue of the DFE. The message queue and a signal queue are monitored by a task monitor of the DFE. The message is passed from the message queue to a task processor of the DFE. The message is processed responsive to content thereof by the task processor. A subscription for the client is received via the task processor by a subscription manager of the DFE. A combined message is created by the subscription manager using the subscription and an associated address for the client.