Systems and methods are described that facilitate parallel processing of PDF documents for printing, wherein the PDF documents comprise transparency effects. Transparent objects in the PDF document are identified, and the document is divided into subgroups of pages. The transparency objects are then flattened to enable conversion to PostScript format. The PostScript pages are processed and rendered to raster for printing.

A printing apparatus includes a printing unit configured to perform printing on a recording target, a projection unit configured to project a printing sample image onto the recording target, a detection unit configured to detect a user operation within a projection area into which the projection unit is configured to perform projection, and a control unit configured to control the printing unit based on a printing condition, wherein the control unit changes the printing condition, based on the user operation that is detected by the detection unit.

The application relates to a method for controlling a printing process for printing a decorative target image on a substrate, comprising providing the decorative target image to be printed in the printing process by at least one decorative parameter data set, simulating the printing process in a simulation step based on the decorative parameter data set, at least one printing process parameter data set and stored historical printing data sets, such that a digital decorative image is generated, verifying the generated digital decorative image based on the decorative target image to be printed and at least one verification criterion, and if the verification criterion is met, outputting the printing process parameter data set used in the simulation step for performing the printing process.

An image processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a detection unit configured to detect approach or contact of a printing apparatus relative to a display apparatus, a first acquisition unit configured to acquire information about a print attribute of the printing apparatus detected by the detection unit, a second acquisition unit configured to acquire attribute information about content data to be displayed on the display apparatus, and a determination unit configured to determine suitability of printing the content data in the printing apparatus, based on the information about the print attribute of the printing apparatus and the attribute information about the content data.

An image forming apparatus is configured to form and output a printed material obtained by printing image information on a printing medium. The image forming apparatus includes processing circuitry configured to acquire designation information for designating an output state of the image information; detect orientation in which the printed material is to be output, and form an output state image based on the detected orientation in which the printed material is to be output and the designation information, the output state image representing an output state of the printed material and being to be displayed on a display.

Systems and methods are provided for evaluation of a print verification system. One embodiment is a print system that includes a printer, a virtual printer, a print verification system, and a print server. The print server is configured to initiate an evaluation of the print verification system by providing a defective version of a print job to one of the printer and the virtual printer and providing a non-defective version of the print job to the other one of the printer and the virtual printer. The print server verifies functionality of the print verification system based on whether the print verification system detects the defects via comparison of the printed output of the print job by the printer against the bitmap image output of the print job by the virtual printer.

The application relates to a method for controlling a printing process for printing a decorative target image on a substrate, comprising providing the decorative target image to be printed in the printing process by at least one decorative parameter data set, simulating the printing process in a simulation step based on the decorative parameter data set, at least one printing process parameter data set and stored historical printing data sets, such that a digital decorative image is generated, verifying the generated digital decorative image based on the decorative target image to be printed and at least one verification criterion, and if the verification criterion is met, outputting the printing process parameter data set used in the simulation step for performing the printing process.

A printing control apparatus includes a processor configured to receive instruction information including print data and post-processing information indicating content of post-processing scheduled to be performed on paper on which an image based on the print data is printed, and, in a case where the post-processing included in the instruction information is not performed by a post-processing apparatus, generate an auxiliary image that assists a user to perform the post-processing, based on the post-processing information, and print the auxiliary image, together with the image based on the received print data, on the paper.

Systems and methods are provided for using augmented reality to create a printing template. The method includes capturing, using a camera of a mobile electronic device, a real world image of a surface. The method further includes, by a processor, receiving the real world image, processing the real world image to isolate and measure a portion of the surface on which print job content is to be applied, creating a printing template conforming to a shape and area of the isolated and measured portion of the surface, causing the real world image to be output on a display, and causing the display to output the printing template over the real world image, overlaid over the isolated and measured portion of the surface.

Systems and methods are provided for using augmented reality to create a printing template. The method includes capturing, using a camera of a mobile electronic device, a real world image of a surface. The method further includes, by a processor, receiving the real world image, processing the real world image to isolate and measure a portion of the surface on which print job content is to be applied, creating a printing template conforming to a shape and area of the isolated and measured portion of the surface, causing the real world image to be output on a display, and causing the display to output the printing template over the real world image, overlaid over the isolated and measured portion of the surface.