A processor identifies print defect locations where printing defects occur and a assigns different sensitivity values to different zones of a job image being prepared for printing by a printing engine. The processor changes the orientation of the job image to a revised orientation, relative to print media, to avoid locating one or more high-sensitivity zones of the job image in the print defect locations. The high-sensitivity zones are ones of the zones having a sensitivity value above a threshold sensitivity value. The printing engine prints the job image on the print media at the revised orientation.

An image inspection apparatus includes a processor configured to acquire printing data that is data as a base of an image to be printed, acquire read data that is data obtained by reading the image printed on a paper sheet, specify whether or not the printing data or the read data is an image corresponding to any of an image having a periodic structural feature or an image not having a structural feature, in a case where the printing data or the read data corresponds to the image having the periodic structural feature or the image not having the structural feature, perform registration using a position correction amount that is a correction amount for registering an image based on the printing data and an image based on the read data and is calculated for an already printed image, and inspect the image by comparing the printing data with the read data.

A device monitoring apparatus includes a sensor and a stopping unit. The sensor is configured to detect at least either smoke generation or ignition in a module included in an electronic device, based on at least one of a relative intensity of light generated in the module and a temperature of each module. The stopping unit is installed in the module and configured to stop an operation of the module in response to the at least one of the smoke generation and the ignition being detected by the sensor.

An image forming apparatus that is capable of specifying a failed portion while preventing delay of an image forming operation appropriately. An image forming unit forms an image on a recording material. A detection unit detects an abnormality. A controller determines a type of an abnormality detected by the detection unit. The controller controls, in a case where the abnormality is detected by the detection unit, a start timing of failure diagnosis that specifies a failed portion that causes the abnormality according to the determined type of the abnormality.

A processor maintains image quality degradation for a printing device. A communications device receives a print job that includes instructions to print a plurality of printed sheets in a sheet printing sequence. The processor generates a predicted output image for a mid-job sheet of the printed sheets based on the image quality degradation and the sheet count of the mid-job sheet within the sheet printing sequence. The printing engine alter printing characteristics to print a proof sheet matching an appearance of the predicted output image.

An apparatus corrects a measurement value obtained by measuring a first image formed using a recording element that ejects ink, to identify a density characteristic of the recording element. The apparatus includes a first acquisition unit configured to acquire a second image obtained by measuring the first image, an identification unit configured to identify a boundary between regions in the second image, each of the regions corresponding to one of a plurality of head modules including the recording element, and a first correction unit configured to correct a measurement value of the second image based on the identified boundary.

A drive circuit including a push-pull circuit is a circuit in which a converted signal whose voltage level is inverted compared with a reference signal is input to the gate terminal of a first N-type MOSFET, and the reference signal is input to the gate terminal of a second N-type MOSFET. A second adjustment circuit advances the falling timing of the converted signal input to the gate terminal of the first N-type MOSFET.

An image forming apparatus includes an output unit, a reading unit, and a processor. The output unit outputs multiple types of charts. The reading unit reads images of the charts. The charts are output by the output unit. The processor performs multiple types of processes in a predetermined order in accordance with the images of the charts and original images used to output the charts. Each of the processes is at least one of diagnosis and adjustment. The images of the charts are obtained through the reading operation performed by the reading unit. The charts which are output by the output unit include a diagnostic chart for a spot and/or a streak and a diagnostic chart for transfer. After the processor performs a first diagnosis based on the diagnostic chart for a spot and/or a streak, the processor performs a second diagnosis based on the diagnostic chart for transfer.

An information processing apparatus of the present invention determines whether or not there is a bias in jobs distributed to a plurality of printers to be used in a distributed printing system. In addition, in a case where there is a bias in distributed jobs, the information processing apparatus decides a color correction target to be applied to a printer having a small number of distributed jobs and resulting in an unused state, applies the decided color correction target to the printer having a small number of jobs, to thereby decide a timing of performing color adjustment on the printer having a small number of jobs. The printer having a small number of jobs and resulting in an unused state is subjected to color adjustment at the decided timing.

A system and method for automatically scanning a physical document and performing processing actions on the scanned document are provided. The system may include a scanning device that can detect a trigger event when a portable memory device is connected to or paired with the device or when a document, including one or multiple pages, is placed on the document handler of the device. Upon detecting the trigger event, the scanning device may retrieve scan instructions from a designated folder on the portable memory device, automatically scan the document on the document handler, and perform various processing actions on the digital document file for the scanned document based on the scan instructions, with little or no user interaction. The processing actions may include storing, faxing, emailing the scanned document. The instructions for each processing action may be stored at one of multiple designated folders of the portable memory device.