According to one embodiment, a printing apparatus includes a shaft, an antenna, and a printing section. The shaft can be inserted into a cylindrical core of an ink ribbon roll wound around the cylindrical core. The shaft permits the ink ribbon roll to rotate about the shaft. The ink ribbon roll has a wireless tag for identification purposes or the like. The antenna is provided on the shaft for data communication with the wireless tag of the ink ribbon roll. The printing section performs printing on a medium using the ink ribbon drawn out from the ink ribbon roll.

Provided is an ink jet system configured to communicate with a server, the ink jet system including: a first head unit that ejects a first type of ink onto a recording medium; a second head unit that ejects a second type of ink onto the recording medium; an acquisition section that acquires one or both of first information regarding the first head unit and the second head unit, and second information regarding the first type of ink and the second type of ink; a transmitter that transmits one or both of the first information and the second information to the server; and a receiver that receives, from the server, reference color information for forming a reference color on the recording medium, which is generated based on one or both of the first information and the second information.