A server apparatus provides a social networking service (SNS). The server apparatus stores a specific relation between a terminal apparatus and a printer that are allowed for communication using the SNS. The server apparatus stores relations between one or more icons and commands each corresponding to a respective one of the icons and including an image forming condition and an image forming instruction. Upon receiving a selected icon having been selected on the terminal apparatus, information indicating a selected printer having been selected on the terminal apparatus out of printers in specific relations with the terminal apparatus, and a piece of image data from the terminal apparatus, the server apparatus transmits a command corresponding to the selected icon and the piece of image data to the selected printer.

There is provided an image forming apparatus capable of improving the operability at the time of transition from a currently-displayed image to another image as compared with the conventional technique. The image forming apparatus includes: a display unit; an operation accepting unit for accepting an operation indicating that display of an image currently displayed on the display unit is unnecessary; a generating unit for generating, based on the operation, a menu showing image candidates to which transition from the currently-displayed image can be made; a menu display unit for displaying the menu on the currently-displayed image; a selection accepting unit for accepting an operation for selecting a particular image from the candidates; and an image display unit for displaying the particular image on the display unit based on the operation for selecting.

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including medium-encoded computer program products, for providing interrelated icons in user interfaces, e.g., for industrial printers, include a method including causing a printing device to print on a substrate in accordance with information provided through a graphical user interface; presenting selectable icons representing functions, associated with the printing device, being in each of two or more levels of a navigable hierarchy; enabling the user to navigate the hierarchy to provide the information; and improving efficiency of the printing device and reducing errors by including two graphical elements simultaneously in at least one of the selectable icons at one of the levels of the hierarchy; where one of the two graphical elements indicates a level of the hierarchy to which the function represented by the icon belongs; and the other one of the two graphical elements simultaneously indicates the function represented by the icon.

An apparatus includes a reading unit configured to read an image of a document set on a reading surface, a pressing plate capable of opening and closing relative to the reading surface, and an operation device provided on an upper surface of the pressing plate and including a plurality of capacitance touch switches each having a backlight. A control unit of the apparatus changes states of the backlights according to operation modes.

A method, non-transitory computer readable medium and apparatus for navigating a file directory on a touch screen user interface (UI) of a multi-function device (MFD) are disclosed. For example, the method includes receiving an input via the touch screen UI of the MFD, wherein the touch screen UI displays a modified UI of a plurality of different cloud applications, wherein each one of the plurality of different cloud applications is associated a different function, determining a cloud application of the plurality of different cloud applications associated with a particular function is currently selected in the MFD, translating the input based upon the particular function of the cloud application that is selected and executing the input in accordance with the particular function of the cloud application.