A printer that includes systems for detecting transparent medium may include a medium dispenser for transporting print medium along a transport pathway to a print station which receives the print medium. Transmitters and receivers may be positioned on opposite sides of the transport pathway for scanning the print medium with a light beam. The sensor arrangement may be configured to detect deflection of the light beam when a transparent print medium is transported on the transport pathway between the transmitter and the receiver. The results of the scan may be communicated to a controller to facilitate proper print settings.

A system and method of detecting the presence of metallic objects in media to be conveyed in a medium transport system is disclosed. One or more metal detectors are included in the medium transport system to detect the presence of metal in the medium being transported. Signals from the metal detectors are sent to a system processor, which analyzes the signals, and produces proximity, duration, and/or intensity values therefrom. One or more microphones may also be included which detect the sound created as the medium is being transported. The processor computes sound values from the microphone signals, and analyzes the computed sound values along with the proximity, duration, and/or intensity values in order determine if the conveyance of the medium along the transport path should be stopped due to the presence of metal in the media or a jam occurring within the medium transport path.

A scanning device includes a visible light source, an infrared light source, a visible light sensor and an infrared light sensor. The visible light source provides visible light to a scan section of an original. The original reflects the visible light to generate reflected light. The infrared light source provides infrared light to the scan section. The infrared light penetrates through the original to generate penetrating light. The visible light sensor receives the reflected light at a first scan position and generates a visible light image signal representative of a visible light image of the scan section. The infrared light sensor receives the penetrating light at a second scan position and generates an infrared light image signal representative of an infrared light image of the scan section. A relative positional relationship between the first and second scan positions is fixed.

An image formation apparatus includes: an image formation unit that forms an image based on a job; and a control unit that controls the image formation unit, the control unit having an image quality verification/adjustment function to compare an image quality of the scanned image and a predetermined image quality standard, and to carry out an image quality adjustment such that the image quality of the image is within an allowable range of the predetermined image quality standard when the image quality of the scanned image is not within the allowable range, the control unit comparing a required image quality for the job and the predetermined image quality standard before a carrying-out procedure to carry out the image quality verification/adjustment function before execution of the job as necessary, and deciding whether the image for the job satisfies the required image quality by the image quality verification/adjustment function.

An image processing system includes: a processor configured to: determine, for each of predetermined areas, whether a black spot corresponding to a pixel with density greater than or equal to specified density is included in image data generated by reading a received document sheet; make a count of the black spot for each predetermined area; recognize, as a specific area, an area that is one of the predetermined areas and that includes a black spot a count of which is greater than or equal to a first threshold; recognize, as a different area relevant to the specific area, an area that is located at a position a predetermined length away from the specific area and that is located parallel or perpendicular to a scanning direction of the image data, the area including a black spot a count of which is greater than or equal to the first threshold; calculate a sum total of the count of the black spot for the document sheet and determine whether a derived count derived from subtraction from the sum total is less than or equal to a specified value, the subtraction being performed by subtracting, from the sum total, a sum total of the count of the black spot in the specific area, the count of the black spot in the different area, and a count of black spots in respective areas neighboring the specific area and the different area; and detect, as image data regarding a blank document sheet, image data regarding a document sheet with the derived count less than or equal to the specified value.

The present image forming apparatus detects a characteristic of a sheet fed from a sheet feeding unit, prints a chart for detecting a parameter of the characteristic of the sheet on the sheet and register the parameter of the characteristic of the sheet on a basis of the chart together with the characteristic of the sheet, and performs control to continue the registering in a case where an absence of sheets is detected at the sheet feeding unit in the registering.

An inspection apparatus includes a receiving unit that receives a first image, a registration unit that generates a second image in which multiple first images are continuously arranged based on the first image if the received first image meets a predetermined condition to register the second image as a sample image, a reader that reads a read image, and an inspection unit that inspects a print based on the sample image and the read image read by the reader from the print resulting from formation of an image on a sheet by an image formation unit.

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed for providing print dimensions from a printer. An example method includes analyzing a first roll of a printer, the first roll holding first paper having a first width; determining, via a processor of the printer, a first print dimension of the first paper on the first roll based on the first width; and providing the first print dimension to an electronic device, the electronic device to use the first print dimension to determine whether content is to be clipped when printed on the first paper.

The present printing system obtains a transparency of a sheet to be subjected to printing, and based on the obtained transparency of the sheet, restricts execution of post-processing by a discharging portion.

An image reading apparatus that makes it possible to reduce the influences of dirt on a white reference chart itself, stripes caused by dust, and the like, and thereby generate accurate data for shading correction. An image processor performs shading correction on image data read by a reader unit. The read image data is compared with threshold values set for each pixel, and a pixel which is out of a range of the threshold values is determined as a singular point pixel. Data of a pixel determined as a singular point pixel is interpolated from data around the singular point pixel. Data of a pixel which is not determined as a singular point pixel is adopted as valid shading correction data. An operation controller controls the number of effective sampling lines from start to termination of sampling to be performed.