A printing system includes a printing device, a color management server, and a client device. An estimated ink use is determined for a print job within printing system. After printing operations, a baseline average ink use is determined for a set of printed pages of the print job. If the baseline average ink use varies from the estimated ink use, then a corrective action is taken to adjust ink use to be closer to the estimated ink use. The corrective action is a global corrective action for the entire document of the print job or a targeted action that adjusts only specified features or pages of the document.

An image forming apparatus comprises: an obtaining unit configured to obtain a first printable amount corresponding to an upper limit on printing according to the first printing mode and a second printable amount corresponding to an upper limit on printing according to the second printing mode; a changing unit configured to, in a case where an amount to be printed by a job designating printing according to the first printing mode being executed exceeds the first printable amount, under a condition that the second printable amount would not be exceeded, change the printing according to the first printing mode designated by the job to printing according to the second printing mode; and an execution unit configured to execute the job after the change by the changing unit to printing according to the second printing mode.

A policy-based printing system is implemented to allow access to a private domain to print using a public domain. The private domain includes private servers that store documents. The public domain includes servers and a printing device. A public policy server uses a domain list and a protocol connection with a private authentication server to validate a user and identify which private domain to access. The public policy server receives requests from the printing device to process a print job of a document in the private domain. The private server processes the requests using the policy and a ledger to determine whether to allow the print job to the printing device. If a parameter of the policy is exceeded, then the private server allows an overage for the parameter so that the document is accessed.

An image printing system includes a plurality of image printing apparatuses each configured to accept a print order and print the image data, a payment machine performing a billing process, and a ticketing machine. If payment at the payment machine is selected, the image printing apparatus issues a first ticket and transmits order details to the payment machine. If payment at a counter is selected, the image printing apparatus 1 transmits second key information to the ticketing machine. After performing a billing process, the payment machine issues a third ticket on which first key information is printed and transmits the first key information to the image printing apparatus. The ticketing machine issues a fourth ticket including the second key information. The image printing apparatus prints the image data if accepting input of the key information printed on the third ticket or the fourth ticket.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are configured to allow a general user to select a preset setting as much as possible even when some of print setting items are lock-set by an administrator user. Accordingly, even when the print setting item is lock-set, the general user may select a preset setting as long as there is no conflict.

An image forming apparatus that is capable of wireless communication with an operation device and that can be operated by the operation device via the wireless communication, the image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming unit configured to perform image formation on a sheet based on a print execution instruction sent from the operation device via the wireless communication; a reading unit configured to perform reading of an image formed on the sheet based on a scan execution instruction sent from the operation device via the wireless communication; and a controller that, during a period of time from the time one user logs in the image forming apparatus until the user logs out, (1) is configured to prohibit the print execution instruction using an operation device by other user who has logged in using the operation device, and (2) is configured to permit the scan execution instruction using the operation device.

A printing device comprises a housing, a communication interface configured to communicate with a server, and a controller. The printing device is configured to operate either in a contract mode or in a normal mode. The housing is configured such that one or more consumables including a first type consumable and a second type consumable are attachable. The first type consumable is dedicated for the contract printing, and the second type consumable is usable for printing in both the contract mode and the normal mode. The controller is configured to activate the contract mode in response to an activation instruction from the server. In a case where the second type consumable is attached to the housing when the contract mode is activated, the controller changes a state of the printing device to a contract printing state in which the contract printing is activated after activating the contract mode.

The printer may receive first user identification information from an external device and receive a registration request including first print setting information from the external device. In a first case where the first user identification information and the registration request are received from the external device and registration related information associated with the first user identification information among the one or more user identification information in a memory is permission information, the printer may register the first print setting information included in the registration request in the memory in association with the first user identification information. In a second case where the first user identification information and the registration request are received from the external device and the registration related information associated with the first user identification information is restriction information, the first print setting information is not registered in the memory.

Examples for determining printing device functionality based on consumption and payment are described herein. In some examples, signals indicative of an amount of utilized print consumable by a printing device and signals indicative of payment for the amount of utilized print consumable are received at a computing device. Signals to cause the printing device to alter a functionality based on the signals indicative of an amount of utilized print consumable and the signals indicative of payment for the amount of utilized print consumable are transmitted by the computing device.

An image forming apparatus includes a main memory, and a controller. The main memory stores mode information indicating whether the image forming apparatus is set to a contract mode, upper limit information indicating an upper limit to which printing can be performed during a prescribed period, and actual print sheet number information indicating an actual print sheet number actually printed during the prescribed period. The performs a printing permission process in a case that mode information indicates the contract mode and the actual print sheet number is less than the upper limit when the controller receives a print job even in a case that a sum of a specific print sheet number specified in advance in the print job and the actual print sheet number is greater than the upper limit, the printing permission process permitting printing for the specific sheet number as a permission print sheet number.