A reading apparatus includes a reading device and processing circuitry. The reading device reads a recording medium. The processing circuitry outputs maintenance information based on read information read by the reading device.

In an inspection system including a printing apparatus, an inspection apparatus configured to inspect quality of a printed product printed by the printing apparatus, and an information processing apparatus configured to transmit a print job to the printing apparatus, the information processing apparatus transmits a print job to the printing apparatus in a case where a reference image to be used for inspecting the quality of the printed product corresponding to the print job is registered, and does not transmit the print job in a case where the reference image corresponding to the print job is not registered.

An example user terminal apparatus includes a display, a communication apparatus to communicate with an external apparatus, and a processor to, based on information on a possible first toner refill quantity of a plurality of grouped image forming apparatuses provided from the external apparatus through the communication apparatus and a toner quantity of one toner refill apparatus, control the display to display a guide message including information on the time point of toner refill, each of the image forming apparatuses which is a subject of toner refill within the group, and a possible second toner refill quantity of each of the image forming apparatuses at the time point of toner refill.

An image reading apparatus 300 comprises: the scanner device SD which reads information about a sheet P conveyed on a paper conveying route PP and information about a position, a form and a color of an image formed on the sheet P; a spectrophotometer CI which reads information about a color of an image formed on a sheet P conveyed on the paper conveying route PP; and a support base TR which incorporates the paper conveying route and a motor for conveying a sheet and can be pulled out from a main body together with the paper conveying route and the motor. The scanner device SD is not mounted on the support base TR but fixed to the main body of the image reading apparatus. The spectrophotometer CI is mounted on and fixed to the support base TR, and spaced from the paper transfer route PP by a predetermined distance.

An image forming apparatus having a plurality of imaging units prints, in a case that a print job received from an information processing apparatus is a print job for printing a chart for adjustment, the chart based on the print job, and decides, based on the chart, which of the plurality of imaging units is to be used to perform colorimetry of a printed product on which the chart has been printed. The image forming apparatus changes a conveyance path of the printed product to use the decided imaging unit for the colorimetry of the printed product, and notifies the information processing apparatus of a result of the colorimetry by the decided imaging unit.

A system and method for maintenance and supplying of a fleet of multifunction peripheral devices includes two or more networked devices including a decision engine. Devices discover one another and one device is designated as a server. The server creates a virtual lobby accessible by other devices and its decision engine is enabled. The server invites other devices into its virtual lobby, and these devices join the lobby in response. Devices provide their device state information to the lobby. The enabled decision engine generates recommendations for consumable replenishment, device servicing or device configuration, relaying the recommendations to a system administrator's tablet or smartphone. The administrator may accept, reject, modify or implement received suggestions. Consumable supplies or servicing recommendations can be done automatically if enabled. Administrator actions are fed back to the server for machine learning to improve future suggestions.

Provided is a data transmission system for detecting and predicting the occurrence of problems in image processing of a printing job before starting printing. A gateway registers a printing job that is received from a user terminal in memory, then transmits the printing job to a MFP. The MFP transmits printing data information to the gateway indicating the data amount in time when an image processing unit performs image processing on the printing job. The user terminal transmits printing data information to the gateway indicating the data amount in time when a simulated image processing unit perform a simulation process on the printing job. The gateway compares the printing data information, and when there is a difference in data amounts, registers problem information in memory indicating that there is a problem in image processing by the simulated image processing unit or the image processing unit.

An image reading device reads an image of an original document and includes a conveyance roller, an image reading section, a first determination section, a second determination section, and a conveyance stopping section. The conveyance roller conveys the original document. The image reading section reads the image of the original document. The first determination section determines whether or not the original document has a punched hole based on the image read by the image reading section. The second determination section determines, upon determination that the original document has the punched hole, whether or not the punched hole is to travel on an edge of the conveyance roller. The conveyance stopping section stops conveyance of the original document upon determination that the punched hole is to travel on the edge of the conveyance roller.

A color image processing apparatus includes an image forming unit configured to form a color image using recording materials of plural colors, an image processing unit configured to implement plural image processing methods that achieve plural types of pseudo-halftone representations, a color measurement unit configured to perform color measurement of the color image formed by the image forming unit, and a control unit configured to control execution of multi-color calibration in which the color measurement unit performs color measurement of a pattern image including plural multi-color patch images formed using recording materials of plural colors by using a smaller number of image processing methods than plural image processing methods used in single-color calibration for correcting reproduction characteristics of single-color images formed by the image forming unit and in which reproduction characteristics of a multi-color image formed by the image forming unit are corrected using a result of the color measurement.

The present disclosure is directed to a method for generating a visual display of metrics for one or more peripheral devices. The method involves receiving a plurality of data values indicative of a particular metric. The method also involves determining an average value of the plurality of data values and a ratio between the average value and a particular data value. The method further involves generating a bar graph with at least a first bar representative of the average value and a second bar representative of the particular data value. Additionally, the method involves modifying a longer bar of the first bar and the second bar based on a quotient between the average value and the particular data value based on the ratio being greater than or equal to a threshold ratio. The method also involves causing a display device to display the bar graph.