An MFP 1 includes an image forming unit 4 which forms an image on a sheet S1, a USB interface 12 which is to be connected to a PC 101 via a USB and receives a preceding command described in accordance with a control transfer protocol that is a transfer scheme of USB connection, and a CPU 91 which executes a preparation operation of the image forming unit 4, in response to receiving the preceding command by the USB interface 12. The preceding command is described to instruct the preparation operation of the image forming unit 4.

Embodiments disclosed include systems and methods for computer automated print services control comprising authenticating a user credential input via a user device. The system and method includes generating, by a printer driver comprised in the user device, a user interface comprising features supported by a plurality of printing devices. Further, it includes receiving via the user device over the network, a print instruction comprising the features supported by the plurality of printing devices connected to the computer system over the network. And based on the print instruction, generating a print job in an embodiment. Further, based on the user authentication at one of the plurality of printing devices, converting via a gateway, the received print instruction into a format compatible with that printing device and releasing the generated print job for printing at that printing device, according to an embodiment.

A method is disclosed for controlling at least one printer engine, the at least one printer engine having plural trays, each of the plural trays is aligned independently for imaging on a sheet of print medium. The method includes obtaining information according to first conditions in which each of the plural trays has been aligned, and the alignment of the each of plural trays is an adjustment to a position of a printable area on the sheet of print medium so that the printable area is centered on the sheet of print medium; obtaining information according to a second condition in which the at least one printer engine executes a print job; judging differences between each of the first conditions and the second condition; selecting a tray for the print job based on the judged differences; and instructing the print engine to execute the print job using the selected tray.

A method is disclosed including a print controller receiving print job data defined according to a first language, receiving a job ticket defined according to a second language, processing the print job data according to the second language and implementing counters defined according to the first language to track progress while processing the print job data.

An image generation-output control apparatus for controlling an image generation and output operation based on an instruction received from a server in an image processing system. The server includes a first memory to store first image processing data applicable to an image processing for outputting a target image, first circuitry to generate first image drawing information based on output target image information and the first image processing data when performing an image forming operation. The image generation-output control apparatus includes second circuitry, having one or more capabilities compatible with one or more capabilities of the first circuitry of the server. The second circuitry generates second image drawing information based on the output target image information and the first image processing data acquired from the server, and instructs an image forming apparatus to perform an image forming operation based on the generated second image drawing information.

Embodiments disclosed include systems and methods for computer automated print services control comprising authenticating a user credential input via a user device. The system and method includes generating, by a printer driver comprised in the user device, a user interface comprising features supported by a plurality of printing devices. Further, it includes receiving via the user device over the network, a print instruction comprising the features supported by the plurality of printing devices connected to the computer system over the network. And based on the print instruction, generating a print job in an embodiment. Further, based on the user authentication at one of the plurality of printing devices, converting via a gateway, the received print instruction into a format compatible with that printing device and releasing the generated print job for printing at that printing device, according to an embodiment.

A reusable sequence of display list objects is determined, by extending the repeated sequence to further consecutive display list objects, each occurrence of the reusable sequence being associated with a z-order position in a corresponding display list. At least one display list is divided, at the z-order position of the reusable sequence in the display list, into a plurality of z-bands including a reusable z-band for the determined reusable sequence. A reusable intermediate graphical representation is generated for the determined reusable sequence and a further intermediate graphical representation for at least one other z-band. The further intermediate graphical representation is merged with the reusable intermediate graphical representation in accordance with an order of the z-bands. The page description language (PDL) document is rendered using the merged representations.

A print processor is provided and executes layout processing excluding reduction processing in accordance with at least a determination that a print setting causing the reduction processing is made as a print setting, and notifies a printer driver of information about the layout processing excluding the reduction processing. The printer driver scales, upon reception of the information about the layout processing excluding the reduction processing from the print processor, rendering data subjected to the layout processing excluding the reduction processing by the print processor based on a parameter included in the notified information, and generates print data to be transmitted to a printing apparatus, based on the scaled rendering data.

A printed-material check apparatus includes a processor configured to: acquire check information including section information and first comparison information from a printed material printed on a basis of print data with check information, the section information identifying a section in print data, the first comparison information being generated from data identified by the section, the print data with check information being generated by adding the check information to the print data; acquire an image of an inner part of a section on the printed material, the section being identified by the acquired check information; and determine whether the printed material is valid by using the first comparison information and the image of the inner part of the section on the printed material.

Embodiments disclosed include systems and methods for computer automated print services control comprising authenticating a user credential input via a user device. The system and method includes generating, by a printer driver comprised in the user device, a user interface comprising features supported by a plurality of printing devices. Further, it includes receiving via the user device over the network, a print instruction comprising the features supported by the plurality of printing devices connected to the computer system over the network. And based on the print instruction, generating a print job in an embodiment. Further, based on the user authentication at one of the plurality of printing devices, converting via a gateway, the received print instruction into a format compatible with that printing device and releasing the generated print job for printing at that printing device, according to an embodiment.