A mobile device includes a scan privacy tool to allow edits and changes to a document image to remove or hide private information within a document. The scan privacy tool is enabled for jobs on a multi-functional printing (MFP) device and launches when a print job is run. The document is sent from a device or retrieved from memory storage. The document image displayed on a display and edit interface of the scan privacy tool. Changes are made to the document image using tools available through the scan privacy tool. The changes are applied to the document image. The modified image is saved and transmitted to an engine in the MFP device to complete the print job.

An image processing apparatus includes a data analyzing part, and a data generating part. The data analyzing part is configured to refer to original image data for generating a printed material utilizing a first consumable material absorbing a larger amount of visible light than invisible light and a second consumable material absorbing a larger amount of invisible light than visible light, and to a correction data table indicating whether invisible light is absorbed for each density value regarding the first consumable material, and specify a pixel having a density value of the first consumable material and absorbing invisible light in the original image data. The data generating part is configured to correct the density value of the first consumable material in the specified pixel to a density value of a third consumable material not absorbing invisible light, to generate corrected image data.

A multi-functional printing (MFP) includes a scan privacy tool to allow edits and changes to a scanned document image to remove or hide private information within a document. The scan privacy tool is enabled for jobs on the MFP device and launches when a job is run. The document is scanned and a scanned document image displayed on a display and edit interface of the scan privacy tool. Changes are made to the image using tools available through the scan privacy tool. The changes are applied to the scanned document image. The modified image is saved and transmitted to an engine in the MFP device to complete the job.

A multi-functional printing (MFP) includes a scan privacy tool to allow edits and changes to a document image to remove or hide private information within a document. The scan privacy tool is enabled for jobs on the MFP device and launches when a print job is run. The document is sent from a device or retrieved from memory storage. The document image displayed on a display and edit interface of the scan privacy tool. Changes are made to the document image using tools available through the scan privacy tool. The changes are applied to the document image. The modified image is saved and transmitted to an engine in the MFP device to complete the print job.

A system includes circuitry configured to embed a digital watermark data in an original image, wherein the original image is divided into a plurality of blocks each block having been embedded with a pattern corresponding to each value of the digital watermark data, store, in a memory, the original image, the digital watermark data embedded in the original image, and an embedding position of the pattern of the digital watermark data in association, detect a pattern in a scanned image of a printed matter, decode the detected pattern to acquire digital watermark data included in the scanned image, align each block between the original image and the scanned image, based on the embedding position of the pattern associated with the original image and a detection position of the pattern detected from the scanned image, and obtain a difference between the original image and the scanned image aligned with each other.

An image forming apparatus includes circuitry to: receive an instruction for copying an image of a document from a user; acquire biometric information of the user; and embed user information in the image, the user information including one of the biometric information of the user and information for specifying the biometric information of the user; and an image forming device to print the image having the user information embedded, on a recording medium to output a copied image.

An information processing apparatus includes a unit that receives, on a group chat, an execution command to execute specific processing that requires entry of secret information from a first user belonging to the group chat including two or more users; an acquisition unit that acquires the secret information from a second user belonging to the group chat without letting a third user belonging to the group chat and different from the second user know the secret information; and a controller that performs control so that the specific processing based on the execution command is executed by using the secret information.

A first pattern and the second pattern in an original include relatively lighter markings within a relatively darker background. The first pattern differs from the second pattern by including non-printing patches between the relatively lighter markings. When the original is exposed to ultraviolet light, the underlying print media fluoresces in response to the ultraviolet light at the non-printing patches, revealing hidden security printing features. When a scanned image is printed on a second sheet of print media to produce a copy of the original, the copy lacks distinct markings at locations where the relatively lighter markings and the non-printing patches appear in the original because the spacing interval of the relatively lighter markings and the non-printing patches is below the minimum resolution of the scanner. Thus, when the copy is exposed to ultraviolet light, the copy does not fluoresce the ultraviolet light where the non-printing patches appear in the original.

A reading device includes a light source, an imaging element, a controller, a correcting unit, and a notifying unit. The light source is configured to irradiate an object with light. The imaging element is configured to receive and read the light from the object. The controller is configured to control a second reading operation of reading the object with an invisible image. The correcting unit is configured to perform correction with respect to the invisible image. The notifying unit is configured to notify an outside of at least the invisible image corrected.

An image processing apparatus includes a sensor and circuitry. The sensor is configured to read a visible spectrum and an invisible spectrum of an image. The circuitry is configured to separate the image read into a visible image and an invisible image and perform different image correction processes on the visible image and the invisible image, respectively.