An image reading apparatus according to an embodiment includes an image reading unit that generates reference data by reading a reference surface and generates image data by reading a sheet. A reference plate includes the reference surface for generating the reference data for shading correction of the image reading unit and a background surface for background of a sheet to be read to generate the image data. A control unit controls the positions of the image reading unit and the reference plate to be at a first position relative to each other when the reference data is to be generated and at a second position relative to each other when the image data is to be generated. The second position is different from the first position. A shading correction unit performs the shading correction in the image reading unit based on the generated reference data.

An image processing apparatus includes a printing instruction unit which instructs printing a plurality of times in which the same print data is printed on a plurality of media; an obtaining unit which obtains the number of printing failures in the printing of a plurality of times; a display unit which displays the number of defective items (low quality), and the number of defective items (incomplete items) by default, and with which it is possible to select whether or not to perform reprinting; and a CPU which controls the printing instruction unit so as to perform reprinting when reprinting is selected in the display unit.

A method of generating a status report from an image forming device comprises: recording an error notification in real time from the image forming device; analyzing the error notification received, wherein analyzing the error notification comprises: detecting a sequential pattern in the recorded error notification; and analyzing the sequential pattern detected; sending a request to the image forming device for a first status report if the sequential pattern detected in the error notification matches one of pre-stored sequential patterns corresponding to an error for which the first status report is requested; receiving the first status report using bidirectional communication protocols; analyzing data in the first status report; diagnosing the image forming device based on the data analyzed; and generating an action request.

An information processing system includes a processor configured to specify a first region in an image represented by printing data based on setting information for a printing process based on the printing data, and generate instruction information for an instruction to inspect the specified first region with inspection accuracy higher than inspection accuracy in a region other than the first region, as instruction information for an inspection device that inspects a result of the printing process.

An information processing apparatus uploads data to an external service, determines whether the data upload is successful, downloads the uploaded data from the external service, determines whether the data download is successful, and compares the uploaded data with the downloaded data to determine a state of the external service. It is determined that the state of the external service is a normal state if it is determined that both of the data upload and the data download are successful and that the uploaded data and the downloaded data are identical, and it is determined that the state of the external service is abnormal state if it is determined that the data upload is not successful or that the data download is not successful or that the uploaded data and the downloaded data are not identical. The determined state is stored as a service state.

An information processing system includes a reading device configured to perform reading processing for reading an original, and one or more controllers configured to function as an acquisition unit that acquires a number of processing operations per unit time period of the reading processing, and an acquisition unit that acquires operation rate information about the reading device based on the number of processing operations per unit time period of the reading processing and a predetermined number of processing operations of the reading processing.

An information processing system includes a processor configured to: specify a region using a specific color material other than a color material of a basic color, as an exclusion region in an image represented by printing data; and control an inspection device that inspects a printed matter obtained by printing the image, to exclude the specified exclusion region from an inspection target.

An image forming apparatus includes: an image former that performs image forming processing to a plurality of sheets included in each of a plurality of sheet groups; and a hardware processor that detects occurrence of a jam, wherein the image former completes the image forming processing to each of the plurality of sheets included in a sheet group not including a jammed sheet that has generated the jam.

An image forming apparatus, guide providing method thereof, cloud server and error analyzing method thereof are provided. The image forming apparatus may include a scanner configured to scan a script and generate a scan image, a communicator configured to communicate with a cloud server, a display configured display a screen, and a processor configured to control the communicator to transmit the generated scan image to a cloud server, and in response to receiving an error solution guide of the scan image from the cloud server, control the display to display the received error solution guide.

An image forming apparatus including: a hard disk configured to store data; a hard disk malfunction detecting unit configured to detect malfunction of the hard disk; a partition confirmation unit configured to determine as to whether a malfunctioning portion of the hard disk is in a preliminary determined partition; and a partition formatting unit configured to format the partition, wherein, when the malfunctioning portion of the hard disk detected by the hard disk malfunction detecting unit is determined as being in the partition preliminary determined by the partition confirmation unit, the partition formatting unit formats the partition.