An image forming apparatus having a hardware resource including at least a scanner device or a printer device, a display device, and processing circuitry that activates a platform program and a plurality of application programs, the platform program being used from each of the plurality of applications, the plurality of application programs including at least a secure application program, the secure application program conducting a user authentication, receives an input of a user authentication information for the user authentication, conducts the user authentication using the received user authentication information, and displays, in response to satisfying the user authentication, a screen for using a function of the image forming apparatus on the display device.

A physical unclonable function (PUF) imaged through two faces is disclosed. The PUF is difficult to counterfeit because the view through both faces must be duplicated for a successful counterfeit. PUF may be incorporated into a user-replaceable supply item for an imaging device. A PUF reader may be incorporated into an imaging device to read the PUF. Other systems and methods are disclosed.

A function providing system for providing a function to an image forming apparatus includes a server and a function relaying circuit. The server provides a function for the image forming apparatus. The function relaying circuit is located outside the image forming apparatus, the function relaying circuit providing the function to the image forming apparatus. The function relaying circuit uses the function corresponding to an instruction from the image forming apparatus, and the function relaying circuit transmits a use result of the function to the image forming apparatus.

A system and method are provided including one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media coupled to the one or more processors. The one or more computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operation including performing, at an image processing device, a login process wherein access to one or more resources on the image processing device is granted based on a credential associated with a user and receiving a request to perform a scan and send process is received at the image processing device, the request comprising instructions for scanning a physical document and sending an electronic document representing the scanned physical document to a destination system. The scan process is initiated and a data object including data representing job data and the credential associated with the use is generated. The send process using the generated data object is executed as a background process on the image processing device and a subsequent user is able to access the image processing device and use at least one resource of the image processing device simultaneously.

An image processing apparatus that embeds a pattern including a specific frequency characteristic in print data to add additional information to the print data, the image processing apparatus includes a print data obtaining unit configured to obtain data to be printed on a print medium, and a multiplexing unit configured to perform multiplexing processing on the additional information to be embedded in the print data, wherein the additional information to be subjected to the multiplexing processing by the multiplexing unit is formed of a first shape and a second shape within a region on the print medium, and wherein the first shape is created based on the additional information, the second shape contacts with the first shape, and a part of the first shape is larger than another part of the first shape.

An information processing system includes at least one processor configured to: print hidden information by using a predetermined first coloring material in a case of executing printing of image information on a recording medium using plural coloring materials; and not print the hidden information in a case in which the first coloring material is replaced with a second coloring material.