An image reading apparatus and an image forming system are provided which can reduce the influence of magnification error, detect patches in correct positions, and save the sheets required for adjusting an image. The image reading apparatus makes use of an image scanner which reads patches printed on a sheet P, a spectral colorimeter which colorimetrically measures the patches read by the image scanner, and is provided with a timing compensation unit which compensates the colorimetric measurement timing with which colorimetric operation of the spectral colorimeter is triggered based on the positional information of the patches read by the image scanner, and an image correction unit which corrects the color information of the patches read by the image scanner based on the colorimetric values of the patches colorimetrically measured by the spectral colorimeter.

A printing system includes a printer unit configured to print an image on a recording sheet, an inserter configured to insert a sheet into a print product obtained by printing the image on the recording sheet, and one or more controllers having one or more processors and one or more memories. The one or more controllers are configured to generate scanned images by causing the printing system to read the print product and the inserted sheet, register a reference image, inspect the print product based on a scanned image generated by reading the print product and the reference image, set an insertion position of the sheet to be inserted, and perform control so that a scanned image corresponding to the set insertion position of the sheet is not to be inspected.

A lighting device (23) irradiates a web under conveyance with light. The lighting device includes a light source (43), and an irradiation port (61) configured to open linearly in a widthwise direction of the web at an end portion facing the web. The irradiation port (61) is formed between first and second parallel portions (62b, 63b) where a first plate member (62) and a second plate member (63) parallelly face each other. The web under conveyance is irradiated with linear light. It is possible to provide a lighting device capable of irradiating only an inspection region of a sheet or a web with light.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, an intermediate transfer member, a transfer member, a power source, a fixing unit, a photo sensor photosensor, and a control unit configured to perform a mode to output a test chart which is formed by transferring a plurality of test toner images from the intermediate transfer member onto a plurality of sheets of the recording material, the test chart being used to adjust the transfer voltage applied to the transfer member. The control unit is configured to adjust the transfer voltage based on a detection result of the photo sensor photosensor detecting the plurality of test toner images recovered fixed on the recording material. In a case where a jam occurred during execution of the mode, the control unit is configured to resume the mode after the jam has been recovered.

A scanner includes: a first body having a window and a guide structure; a transparent platen connected to the first body to cover the window; a first sheet disposed on the transparent platen and in the window; a second sheet fixedly disposed on the transparent platen, in the window and on the guide structure, wherein the first sheet is thicker than the second sheet to form a cliff-sheet type guiding structure as a first part of a transporting passage; a scanning module disposed in the first body; a second body having a second part of the transporting passage; and a transporting mechanism being disposed in the second body and transporting a document along the transporting passage, so that the scanning module scans an image of the document through the window.

An image forming apparatus outputs a tone chart for calibration by a printer, reads the output tone chart by a scanner, determines whether data on a sheet is affected by a surface shape of the sheet based on the read tone chart, corrects data on a white area of the read chart based on a result of the determination, and executes calibration using the corrected data.

In one example, a document scanner has a fixed-position scan bar and a built-in translatable calibration target. The scan bar has a linear array of imaging elements aimed in an imaging direction. The calibration target is spaced apart from and parallel to the linear array, and has a planar surface orthogonal to the imaging direction spanning the length of the linear array. The target is translatable during a calibration in a direction in a plane of the surface.

A colorimetric device and a colorimetric method according to the present invention extract a chart region candidate, which is a candidate for a chart region, from an image of a color chart, obtain an evaluation value of this chart region candidate, determine whether or not the chart region candidate is the chart region based on this obtained evaluation value, obtain each position of a plurality of patches for the chart region candidate determined as the chart region as a result of the determination and colorimetrically measure each of the patches at each obtained position of the plurality of the patches.

A method, a system, and a non-transitory computer readable recording medium are disclosed for a first printer connected to a second printer to perform color calibration for the second printer, wherein the second printer does not have a sensor, the first printer including a sensor which measures a media, which has been printed by the second printer and is being fed on a media path of the first printer. The method includes (a) determining the timing to instruct the second printer to print a first measurement chart; (b) instructing, at the timing determined at step (a), the second printer to print the first measurement chart; (c) measuring, by the sensor, the first measurement chart which has been printed by the second printer; and (d) outputting information corresponding to a result measured at step (c).

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit configured to form a predetermined pattern image on a sheet, a notifying unit configured to provide a notification of an orientation for placing the sheet on which the predetermined pattern image is formed by the image forming unit, on a placement portion, a reading unit configured to read the sheet on a line to line basis, to generate image data, and a detection unit configured to detect a streak-shaped image extending in a direction along a predetermined edge of the sheet, by analyzing the image data generated by reading the sheet by the reading unit, wherein the notifying unit provides a notification of a placement orientation for allowing the sheet, on which the predetermined pattern image is formed, to be read on a line to line basis, the line extending in a direction along the predetermined edge.