According to one embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes a printer unit that includes a driving member related to the supply of the developer, a storage unit that stores correction information regarding the correction of a supplied amount of the developer and a remaining amount of the developer, and a control unit. The control unit acquires driving information regarding the driving of the driving member. The control unit acquires the correction information in accordance with the remaining amount of the developer and estimates the remaining amount of developer based on the driving information and the correction information when the remaining amount of the developer stored in the storage unit satisfies a predetermined condition regarding the remaining amount, and estimates the remaining amount of the developer based on the driving information when the remaining amount of the developer stored in the storage unit does not satisfy the predetermined condition.

A data processing apparatus is configured to perform a specific processing operation in accordance with data transmitted from an external device. The data processing apparatus includes a communication interface, an operation receiving portion, and processing circuitry. The communication interface is configured to receive the data from the external device via a communication line. The operation receiving portion is configured to receive an operation for instructing execution of the processing operation from the external device. The processing circuitry is configured to execute data processing for executing the processing operation in accordance with the operation, perform determination on whether a state of the data processing apparatus is suitable for continuing the data processing, and output determination result information to the external device in accordance with the determination and the operation. The determination result information includes information on content of the determination.

A toner container installable in an image forming device having a controller according to one example embodiment includes a housing having a reservoir for storing toner. A chip is positioned on the housing and configured to receive a first write command from the controller of the image forming device. The chip is further configured to determine whether a transmission cycle bit of the first write command matches a transmission cycle bit of a second write command received by the chip from the controller of the image forming device previous to the first write command. The chip is further configured to resend to the controller of the image forming device a response to the second write command if the transmission cycle bit of the first write command matches the transmission cycle bit of the second write command.

According to an embodiment, a consumable management apparatus includes a detecting unit, a storage unit, an analyzing circuit, a predicting circuit, and a notifying circuit. The detecting unit detects a use condition of a consumable. The storage unit stores therein a use history of the consumable. The analyzing circuit is configured to analyze a consumption speed of the consumable based on a degree of use frequency of the consumable, the degree of use frequency being obtained from the use history of the consumable stored in the storage unit. The predicting circuit is configured to predict a replacement time of the consumable from the use condition of the consumable detected by the detecting unit and the consumption speed of the consumable analyzed by the analyzing circuit. The notifying circuit is configured to give a notice of the replacement time of the consumable predicted by the predicting circuit.

A toner container installable in an image forming device having a controller according to one example embodiment includes a housing having a reservoir for storing toner. A chip is positioned on the housing and configured to receive a first write command from the controller of the image forming device. The chip is further configured to determine whether a transmission cycle bit of the first write command matches a transmission cycle bit of a second write command received by the chip from the controller of the image forming device previous to the first write command. The chip is further configured to resend to the controller of the image forming device a response to the second write command if the transmission cycle bit of the first write command matches the transmission cycle bit of the second write command.

An image forming apparatus, having a recorder, a display, an input interface, a memory, and a controller, is provided. The controller is configured to control the recorder to consume colorant to print images on sheets, count a consumption value and a quantity of the sheets consumed, determine an average usage value based on the consumption value and the quantity of the sheets, obtain a filled amount value and determine a first printable quantity, determine a second printable quantity, control the display to display a first screen including a first object indicating the first printable quantity in the display, control the display to display a second screen including a second object indicating the second printable quantity in the display, and control the display to display a screen including a third object, through which one of the first object and the second object to be displayed in the display is selectable.

A system is disclosed. The system at least one physical memory device to store ink estimation logic and one or more processors coupled with the at least one physical memory device, to execute the ink estimation logic to generate first estimated ink usage data for each of one or more color planes based one or more gray level histograms and one or more halftone designs, detect a change to a tone curve of one or more of the color planes, modify the gray level histograms and generate second estimated ink usage data for each of the color planes based on the modified gray level histograms, wherein each gray level histogram corresponds to one of the one or more color planes and each halftone design corresponds to one of the one or more color planes.

A printing system that performs printing includes a printing apparatus in which at least a part thereof is configured by a unit part which is a replaceable function component. The printing apparatus is controlled using a command group including a printer control command which is a command for controlling the printing apparatus and a unit inspection command which is a command used for an inspection of the unit part. At least a part of the printing apparatus is configured by a plurality of unit parts having different functions. The plurality of unit parts are configured to be inspected using the unit inspection command.

An output product producing method includes acquiring output information, specifying an output condition for an output section, converting the output information into a code having an error-correction amount corresponding to the output condition, and causing the output section to output an output product including the code under the output condition.

An image forming apparatus includes a processor that derives, for each of a plurality of blocks of image data, a value indicating a toner amount to be used in forming a toner image by referring to a density of every pixel, of a plurality of pixels included in each block of image data, shifts a window, and outputs the window before shifting and the window after shifting, the window before shifting and the window after shifting overlapping with each other, and determines a fixing temperature for a fixing operation based on an analysis result of a first toner amount in the window that is output by referring to the toner amount of each block included in the window before shifting, and an analysis result of a second toner amount in the window that is output by referring to the toner amount of each block included in the window after shifting.