Devices and techniques are generally described for per-image printer setting optimization. In some examples, first data representing first input image data may be generated. A classifier network may generate first category data representing a predicted image category for the first input image data based at least in part on the first data. Second data representing a color of a printing medium and third data associated with a material of the printing medium may be determined. First printer configuration data may be determined by searching a first data structure using a combination of the first category data, the second data, and the third data. The first input image data and the first printer configuration data may be sent to the first printer. The first printer may be effective to print the first input image data using settings specified by the first printer configuration data.

A printing support device that supports a printing process of causing an image processing apparatus to execute a print job includes a hardware processor, and the hardware processor detects a print start instruction, performs setting such that the print job is accumulated without being executed by the image forming apparatus in response to detection of the start instruction, acquires job information in regard to the print job accumulated in the image forming apparatus, determines a printing condition based on the job information, performing setting such that the print job is executed by the image forming apparatus in accordance with the determined printing condition after the printing condition is determined and instructs the application to output the print job.

An information processing apparatus sets a color mode in place of a monochrome mode on condition that the monochrome mode and multiplexing of additional information on a print target image are set as print settings based on an input image data; generates, based on the input image data, color image data corresponding to printing in a color mode which represents a color of the monochromated print target image by a value of a color signal; performs, for the color image data generated by the generation unit, processing for multiplexing the additional information on the print target image; and causes a printing apparatus to print, in the color mode, a multiplexed image on which the additional information is multiplexed.

A method for configuring a raster image processor (RIP) for a digital printing system includes receiving a file for a print job; receiving or determining job characteristics of the print job or the file for the print job; receiving or determining hardware characteristics of hardware upon which the RIP is operating; inputting the job characteristics and the hardware characteristics into a trained artificial intelligence (AI) module; and selecting, using the trained AI module, a configuration or settings for the RIP for processing of the file based on the plurality of job characteristics and the plurality of hardware characteristics.

Provided is a control apparatus including: a first obtaining unit configured to obtain information on a first print setting from a printer, the first print setting being settable for printing by using the printer; a second obtaining unit configured to obtain information on a second print setting in a case of printing; a determination unit configured to determine whether or not the information on the second print setting obtained by the second obtaining unit is included in the information on the first print setting obtained by the first obtaining unit; and a notification unit configured to issue notification to a user in a case where the determination unit determines that the information on the second print setting is not included in the information on the first print setting.

In a printer, a controller determines a type of print medium currently mounted in a mount portion, and acquires a first set of print data correlated with a first medium type and a second set of print data correlated with a second medium type. In a case that a print medium of the first medium type is mounted in the mount portion, a print portion prints a first print image based on the first set of print data, and thereafter prints a second print image based on the second set of print data. In a case that a print medium of the second medium type is mounted in the mount portion, the print portion prints the second print image based on the second set of print data, and thereafter prints the first print image based on the first set of print data.

A method, system, and computer program product for context-based print content prediction are provided. The method receives a print command from a computing device. In response to receiving the print command, a set of user activities are identified which are associated with the computing device. The method determines a context of the print command based on the set of user activities. A content to be printed is determined based on the print command and the context of the print command. A print recommendation is generated for the content to be printed based on the context of the print command. The method generates a print command user interface containing the print recommendation.

A control method causes a Graphical User Interface (GUI) application to perform activating in response to a first print request from a drawing application, acquiring intermediate data based on drawing data generated by the drawing application, and outputting intermediate data. In a case where a second print request is issued by a printer driver that has acquired intermediate data output from a GUI application, the GUI application is re-activated in response to the second print request, and a predetermined screen is provided by the GUI application that has been activated in response to the second print request issued by the printer driver.

In the embodiments described herein, partially encrypted print jobs are described which include unencrypted print job commands and encrypted print data objects. One embodiment comprises a print controller that includes a memory and at least one processor. The memory stores a print job comprising one or more print data objects, and print job commands that define data boundaries in the print job for the print data objects. The at least one processor processes the print job commands to identify the print data objects for the print job based on the data boundaries, encrypts the print data objects using a key while the print job commands remain unencrypted, generates a partially encrypted print job comprising the encrypted print data objects and the unencrypted print job commands, and provides the partially encrypted print job.

A print control apparatus includes an acquisition unit and a setup execution unit. The acquisition unit acquires, from a portable terminal, setting of an apparatus condition of an image forming apparatus that performs printing on continuous paper and of a print start time at which the image forming apparatus starts the printing. The setup execution unit starts a setup process for the image forming apparatus such that the setup process is completed by the print start time on the basis of the setting of the apparatus condition acquired by the acquisition unit. The setup process is performed for the image forming apparatus to perform the printing.