A method for reducing artifacts in an electrophotographic printing system includes receiving a print job including image data for a set of pages. The electrophotographic printing system is used to print a block of pages from the print job to provide corresponding printed pages. The image data for the block of pages is analyzed to determine an average toner usage rate. If the determined average toner usage rate for the block of pages falls outside an acceptable toner usage rate range, image data for a compensation image and a number of compensation images are determined such that the average toner usage rate will be brought back into the acceptable toner usage rate range.

For each region of interest (ROI) type of a number of ROI types, ROIs of the ROI type within a reference image are compared to corresponding ROIs within a test image corresponding to the reference image and printed by a printing device. For each ROI type, a feature vector characterizing image quality defects within the test image for the ROI type is generated based on results of the comparing for the ROI type. Whether print quality of the printing device has degraded below a specified acceptable print quality level can be assessed based on the feature vectors for the ROI types.

An example of an apparatus including a communication interface to receive an image file is provided. The image file represents a scanned image of a output generated by a printing device. The apparatus further includes an identification engine to process the image file with a convolutional neural network model to identify a feature. The feature may be indicative of a potential failure. The apparatus also includes an image analysis engine to indicate a life expectancy of a part associated with the potential failure based on the feature. The image analysis engine uses the convolutional neural network model to determine life expectancy.

An image forming system may comprises an image forming unit, a sensor, and a controller. The controller configured to control the sensor based on measurement modes including a first measurement mode and a second measurement mode. A sampling number of an image by the sensor while the sensor moves in the direction orthogonal to the conveying direction in the first measurement mode is less than a sampling number of an image by the sensor while the sensor moves in the direction orthogonal to the conveying direction in the second measurement mode.

An image processing apparatus includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire first image data indicating a reference image as a target print result, and second image data indicating a target image to be inspected, and a processing unit configured to inspect the target image by performing a correction on a second partial region adjacent to a first partial region to enhance the second partial region relative to a difference image representing a difference between the reference image and the target image based on the first image data and the second image data, the first partial region having a difference in between the reference image and the target image.

There is provided a printing apparatus including an obtaining unit configured to obtain print data in which in imposition image data in which one or more images are imposed in a print region, a code for identifying each image in the imposition image data is embedded; a determination unit configured to determine an ink color to be used to print the code by excluding an ink color satisfying a predetermined condition from candidates for the ink color to be used to print the code; and a print control unit configured to print the code based on the print data obtained by the obtaining unit using a plurality of nozzle arrays for the ink color determined by the determination unit.

An image processing apparatus includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire a plurality of image data read from a plurality of areas of a print product, and an evaluation unit configured to obtain degrees of streaks in the plurality of areas and tilts in the plurality of areas using the plurality of image data and evaluate image quality of the print product based on the degrees and the tilts.

A printer-verifier system for providing print quality feedback and controlling print quality is provided. The printer-verifier system may include a printing mechanism configured to print a machine-readable indicia on a print media; a verifier device configured to optically scan the machine-readable indicia; and a print quality monitoring device in electronic communication with the printing mechanism and the verifier device.

An image reading apparatus connectable to a post-processing apparatus includes an image reading unit for transmitting image data to an inspection processing unit, and a communication unit for outputting a sheet discharge timing signal to the post-processing apparatus through a signal line. The communication unit outputs the sheet discharge timing signal having different waveforms to the post-processing apparatus on the basis of an inspection result of a sheet obtained from the inspection processing unit such that the sheet discharge timing signal includes a first waveform when the sheet determined by the inspection processing unit as that there is no image abnormality is discharged and such that the sheet discharge timing signal includes a second waveform different from the first waveform when the sheet determined by the inspection processing unit as that the image abnormality occurs is discharged.

An image forming system includes an image forming unit, an inspection unit, a conveyance unit configured to convey a sheet to the inspection unit, a controller configured to execute a first inspection mode in which a sheet having an image formed thereon is conveyed by the conveyance unit to the inspection unit and is inspected, and a second inspection mode in which, without executing image forming by the image forming unit, a sheet is conveyed by the conveyance unit to the inspection unit and is inspected, and a setting unit configured to set a recovery process. The setting unit permits the setting of the recovery process in the first inspection mode and prohibits the setting of the recovery process in the second inspection mode.