The present invention relates to a method for controlling transfer of print data from clients connected in a network to shared printing devices connected in the network. The method comprises the steps of: providing (S1) print data upon reception of a request to send to a printing device connected in the network, forming (S2) header information for the print data based on information provided by a configurable logic means, wherein said header information comprises information related to at least one designated printing device controller (140) identified based on the request to print to a printing device, processing (S3) the print data so as to provide processed print data comprising the formed header information, sending (S4) the processed print data to the at least one designated printing device controller (140), receiving (S5) the processed print data at the designated printing device controller, reading (S6) at the destination printing device controller the header information of the received processed print data and controlling (S7) the processed print data in accordance with the header information. The controlling comprises forming (S8) reconstructed print data from the processed print data at a destination printing device controller based on the header information, and providing (S9) the reconstructed print data to the printing device.

The invention also relates to a client controller arrangement, a printer arrangement and a network.

An information processing system comprises: an image processing device; an application server that provides with an application service for cooperation with the image processing device; a communication relay device that relays communications between the image processing device and the application server; a license server managing the communication relay server; and a backup server. The communication relay device includes: a relay information generating part that generates relay information to relay the communications; a storage part in which the relay information is stored; a communication relaying part that relays the communications based on the relay information; a backup part that sends the relay information to the backup server; an identification information transmission part that reads identification information and sends the read identification information to the license server; and a setting applying part that obtains the relay information from the backup server and stores the obtained relay information in the storage part.

A print fleet system includes a plurality of printer instances, which have a same set of at least one system setting. A registration system registers print jobs in combination with system settings of the same set of at least one system setting. An advice system generates advice for an operator. The registration system includes a value change made to the set of at least one system setting of a printer instance before printing a print job on the print engine. The advice system is configured to generate advice related to the same print job intended to be printed on another printer instance, the advice concerning the change includes in the registration system. The advice system is configured to transmit signals representing the advice to a user interface screen in order to advise the operator before printing the same print job on the other printer instance.

A server receives a correlation instruction from an information processing apparatus when the storage stores first device information uniquely assigned to an image processing apparatus. The correlation instruction is for correlating first device information with a service that a service-providing apparatus provides. The server receives first authentication information from the information processing apparatus. The server stores the first authentication information in association with the first device information in the storage. The server receives, from the image processing apparatus, second device information and first information. The second device information is assigned to the image processing apparatus. The first information is generated in the image processing apparatus for receiving the service. The server identifies the first authentication information in the storage using the received second device information, and transmits second information based on the first information to the service-providing apparatus using the first authentication information.

A computer-readable recording device may store a computer program including instructions for causing a computer of a mobile device to operate as: (1) a first storing controlling module that causes a storing unit to store one or more first information for identifying one or more candidate devices, the one or more first information being received from a wireless network by a communication unit, (2) a sending controlling module that selects one candidate device as a temporarily selected candidate device from among the one or more candidate devices identified by the one or more first information, and controls the communication unit such that the communication unit sends a first instruction to the temporarily selected candidate device, and (3) a communication controlling module that controls the communication unit such that the communication unit communicates with the temporarily selected candidate device in a case where a predetermined condition is satisfied.

In a case where an image forming apparatus is connected to an information processing apparatus, correction information is generated through comparison between time information obtained by the image forming apparatus and time information obtained by the information processing apparatus. The image forming apparatus transmits, to the information processing apparatus, time information indicating a time at which setting information is updated in the image forming apparatus. The information processing apparatus corrects the received time information with the correction information. The information processing apparatus determines whether to update setting information stored in the information processing apparatus with received setting information, based on the corrected time information.

A printing system includes a registration portion configured to, when a print job to print an image onto a sheet of paper is executed after specified conditions are modified, store attribute data containing a user identifier and a job identifier into a storage portion, the user identifier being for identifying a user who has given a command to execute the print job, the job identifier being for identifying the print job; a determining portion configured to, when the user identifier is entered, determine whether or not the print job corresponding to the job identifier of the attribute data containing the user identifier can be executed in accordance with the conditions; and a re-execution portion configured to, when the determining portion determines that the print job can be executed in accordance with the conditions, execute the print job once again.

A print control system 1 has a control server 10 that transmits print data, and a printer 12 that communicates with the control server 10 through an asynchronous duplex communication path, receives print data sent by the control server 10 through the communication path, and prints based on the received data.

A printing system and a method of controlling a printing system capable of making it easier for service providers that provide print services via a network to spread more easily are provided. Also, a printing system and a method of controlling a printing system by which a service user can use print services easily are provided.

A pull printing system according to one aspect of the disclosure includes a server computer, a manager image forming apparatus, and a client image forming apparatus. The manager image forming apparatus includes a manager-side print execution unit that executes a print job received to a first port number, a job management unit that manages the print job received to a second port number different from the first port number in association with the user, and a job transmitting unit. The job transmitting unit transmits the print job associated with a user authenticated by the server computer to the client image forming apparatus among the print job managed by the job management unit.