A printed material inspection system includes a display and a processor configured to: acquire, as a defect corresponding to a defect criterion, a difference that satisfies the defect criterion among differences between a scanned image obtained by scanning a printed material of an inspection target page among pages configuring a job and a reference image of the inspection target page; highlight the defect in the scanned image on the display and provide defect criterion display that is display for receiving setting for a defect criterion to be applied to the inspection target page on the display; and when a user operation for one of the highlighting of the defect and the providing of the defect criterion display is received, change a display mode of another one of the highlighting of the defect and the providing of the defect criterion display.

A thermal transfer printer and a composite consumable thereof and a method for supplying such composite consumable to the thermal transfer printer are disclosed. The consumable supplying device is installed with a composite consumable which is made by winding a thermal transfer ribbon and a printing media together around a common core with the ink side of the thermal transfer ribbon facing the surface of the printing media. Accordingly, just one consumable supplying device rather than two different consumable supplying devices as in existing thermal transfer printers should be arranged to provide the thermal transfer ribbon and the printing media to the thermal transfer printer at the same time. In such a way, the internal space of the thermal transfer printer can be effectively saved, which significantly reduces the volume of the thermal transfer printer.

A thermal transfer printer and a composite consumable thereof and a method for supplying such composite consumable to the thermal transfer printer are disclosed. The consumable supplying device is installed with a composite consumable which is made by winding a thermal transfer ribbon and a printing media together around a common core with the ink side of the thermal transfer ribbon facing the surface of the printing media. Accordingly, just one consumable supplying device rather than two different consumable supplying devices as in existing thermal transfer printers should be arranged to provide the thermal transfer ribbon and the printing media to the thermal transfer printer at the same time. In such a way, the internal space of the thermal transfer printer can be effectively saved, which significantly reduces the volume of the thermal transfer printer.

A method for warning an abnormality of a target object by using a self-organizing map prescribed by a plurality of nodes indicating a normal state of the target object includes acquiring detection data indicating a state of the target object, performing learning of the self-organizing map by using the detection data indicating a distance between a feature value and a node smaller than an abnormality threshold value predefined, storing the detection data indicating the distance larger than the abnormality threshold value in a storage unit as recorded data, and performing notification of the abnormality of the target object when the number of pieces of the recorded data stored in the storage unit reaches a predetermined number.

A method for warning an abnormality of a target object by using a self-organizing map prescribed by a plurality of nodes indicating a normal state of the target object includes acquiring detection data indicating a state of the target object, performing learning of the self-organizing map by using the detection data indicating a distance between a feature value and a node smaller than an abnormality threshold value predefined, storing the detection data indicating the distance larger than the abnormality threshold value in a storage unit as recorded data, and performing notification of the abnormality of the target object when the number of pieces of the recorded data stored in the storage unit reaches a predetermined number.

Example implementations provide a controller to determine a printing fluid abnormality associated with an ink supply channel of a printer; the controller comprising: an input to receive a signal output by a pressure sensor; the signal being indicative of ink pressure associated with the ink supply channel, and a monitor to determine from a characteristic of the signal the presence of an abnormality in the printing fluid.

Example implementations provide a controller to determine a printing fluid abnormality associated with an ink supply channel of a printer; the controller comprising: an input to receive a signal output by a pressure sensor; the signal being indicative of ink pressure associated with the ink supply channel, and a monitor to determine from a characteristic of the signal the presence of an abnormality in the printing fluid.

After obtaining a print job (step S10), adjustment data is obtained based on job information included in the print job (step S20). After determining an estimation range (step S30), image data to be printed is corrected using the adjustment data (step S40). Then, an amount of ink which is predicted to be consumed by printing of an image represented by the corrected image data is calculated (step S50). Furthermore, when flushing is performed, an amount of ink which is predicted to be consumed by flushing is calculated (step S70).

After obtaining a print job (step S10), adjustment data is obtained based on job information included in the print job (step S20). After determining an estimation range (step S30), image data to be printed is corrected using the adjustment data (step S40). Then, an amount of ink which is predicted to be consumed by printing of an image represented by the corrected image data is calculated (step S50). Furthermore, when flushing is performed, an amount of ink which is predicted to be consumed by flushing is calculated (step S70).

In the present invention, when an instruction has been received to delete shared job history information, from among job history information stored in a job history storage unit 37, that has been set in a shared manner so as to be available to a plurality of users, a controller 35 provides notification that a usage history by another user exists if a usage history by another user other than a managing user of the shared job history information exists.