Systems and methods are provided for handling print data. One embodiment is a system that includes an interface that receives rasterized print data, a memory that stores the rasterized print data; and a print controller that compresses each scanline of the rasterized print data by culling a region of leading whitespace, culling a region of trailing whitespace, compressing a data region disposed between the leading whitespace and the trailing whitespace, and inserting a tag having whitespace offset information for the data region within the scanline.

Systems and methods are provided for handling print data. One embodiment is a system that includes an interface that receives rasterized print data, a memory that stores the rasterized print data; and a print controller that compresses each scanline of the rasterized print data by culling a region of leading whitespace, culling a region of trailing whitespace, compressing a data region disposed between the leading whitespace and the trailing whitespace, and inserting a tag having whitespace offset information for the data region within the scanline.

A printing apparatus includes a first memory, a second memory, an input circuit that alternately inputting second reference data and third reference data different from each other to the second memory, a processing circuit that performs first color processing with reference to first reference data in the first memory on print data, second color processing with reference to the second reference data in the second memory on the print data, and third color processing with reference to the third reference data in the second memory to the print data, and a printing mechanism that performs printing.

Provided are: a main memory 14 that stores image data, a peripheral region 44 being set to a certain value; and a CPU 12 that performs tonal steps conversion processing on the image data. The CPU 12 includes: a plurality of cores 16 that have a parallel processing function due to a plurality of threads 18 and that execute the tonal steps conversion processing in parallel; and a data cache memory 22 and program cache memory 20 that are provided corresponding to each of the plurality of threads 18. The core 16 specifies a region smaller than a size of the data cache memory 22, of the image data as an operand region 48, and causes the image data corresponding to said operand region 48 to be acquired from the main memory 14 into the data cache memory 22 and executes the tonal steps conversion processing on said operand region 48 without distinction of a central region 42 and the peripheral region 44.

A printing system includes a printer and an information processing device that includes a processor and a memory storing processor-executable instructions, the instructions being configured to, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to, when there is not information stored in a queue area of the memory, determine to instruct the printer to start a pre-printing operation based on preparation instruction information, when there is information stored in the queue area, determine not to instruct the printer to start the pre-printing operation, in response to determining to instruct the printer to start the pre-printing operation, store the preparation instruction information into the queue area, in response to determining to instruct the printer to start the pre-printing operation and storing the preparation instruction information into the queue area, generate print data based on specified contents data, and store print instruction information into the queue area.

A printing apparatus includes a first memory, a second memory, an input circuit that alternately inputting second reference data and third reference data different from each other to the second memory, a processing circuit that performs first color processing with reference to first reference data in the first memory on print data, second color processing with reference to the second reference data in the second memory on the print data, and third color processing with reference to the third reference data in the second memory to the print data, and a printing mechanism that performs printing.

An image forming apparatus includes a controller configured to obtain PJL data via a data interface, obtain filter data via the data interface, store the obtained filter data in a non-volatile memory, the filter data associating non-target PJL data with target PJL data, the non-target PJL data being PJL data not intended for causing the image forming apparatus to a particular process, the target PJL data being PJL data intended for causing the image forming apparatus to perform the particular process, and when the obtained PJL data is the non-target PJL data associated with the target PJL data in the filter data stored in the non-volatile memory, convert the obtained PJL data into the target PJL data associated with the non-target PJL data in the filter data stored in the non-volatile memory.

An image forming apparatus comprises a non-volatile memory storing start-up firmware a volatile memory having a memory space commonly available for the start-up firmware and an operating system of the image forming apparatus; and a control unit configured to copy, to the memory space, a setting value of a setting item for write-protecting the non-volatile memory, among setting items included in the start-up firmware, wherein the operating system acquires and checks the setting value copied to the memory space.

An image forming apparatus includes a controller configured to obtain PJL data via a data interface, refer to filter data stored in a non-volatile memory, the filter data associating non-target PJL data with target data, the non-target PJL data being PJL data not intended for causing the image forming apparatus to a particular process, the target PJL data being PJL data intended for causing the image forming apparatus to perform the particular process, and when the obtained PJL data is the non-target PJL data associated with the target PJL data in the filter data stored in the non-volatile memory, convert the obtained PJL data into the target PJL data associated with the non-target PJL data in the filter data stored in the non-volatile memory.

An image forming apparatus includes a controller configured to obtain PJL data via a data interface, obtain filter data via the data interface, store the obtained filter data in a non-volatile memory, the filter data associating non-target PJL data with target PJL data, the non-target PJL data being PJL data not intended for causing the image forming apparatus to a particular process, the target PJL data being PJL data intended for causing the image forming apparatus to perform the particular process, and when the obtained PJL data is the non-target PJL data associated with the target PJL data in the filter data stored in the non-volatile memory, convert the obtained PJL data into the target PJL data associated with the non-target PJL data in the filter data stored in the non-volatile memory.