A method is disclosed. For example, the method includes executing an application associated with a third-party application being executed on a mobile device, displaying a computer-readable code on a user interface shown on a display of a multi-function device (MFD), wherein the computer-readable code is to be scanned by the mobile device and provide connection information to the mobile device, receiving a connection request from the mobile device with the connection information contained in the computer-readable code scanned by the mobile device, establishing a connection to the mobile device, receiving third-party application information from the third-party application being executed on the mobile device, displaying the third-party application information on the user interface of the MFD, wherein the third-party application information includes a document, receiving a selection of the document to be printed from the third-party application information displayed on the user interface of the MFD, and printing the document.

An image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes a print engine, a communication apparatus to receive print data, and a processor to generate an intrinsic dot pattern for the print data, to generate a print image including the intrinsic dot pattern by using the generated intrinsic dot pattern and the print data, and to control the print engine to print the generated print image.

An image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes a print engine, a communication apparatus to receive print data, and a processor to generate an intrinsic dot pattern for the print data, to generate a print image including the intrinsic dot pattern by using the generated intrinsic dot pattern and the print data, and to control the print engine to print the generated print image.

A copy method used in a cloud server and a peripheral apparatus connected to the cloud server through a network includes steps of: scanning a document by the peripheral apparatus to obtain old image data containing an old information block; transmitting the old information block to the cloud server through the network; generating a new information block based on the old image data by the cloud server, wherein the cloud server generates the new information block being different from the old information block and containing new copy information according to old copy information; transmitting the new information block from the cloud server to the peripheral apparatus; and printing out new image data, containing the new copy information and a portion of the old image data, on a medium by the peripheral apparatus.

A copy method used in a copy system or a copy apparatus connected to a cloud server includes steps of: scanning a document to obtain old image data containing an old information block; generating new image data containing a new information block according to the old image data; printing the new image data on a medium; and comparing different generations of original image data, one of which is contained in the old image data, in the cloud server to judge whether improper modifications are present on the original image data or not, and notifying an information office to perform an inspection when the improper modifications are present.

A secured document with a security architecture having a plurality of security elements for authentication, wherein at least one security element is printed indicia that is magnetizable and not visible within a visible spectrum. Verifiable document security systems including a validation center that performs a verification cycle to verify transaction data between an issuer and a recipient and generates a security architecture having a plurality of security elements for printing on a document, wherein the verification cycle is performed before and after printing a document with the security elements; and a printer with an ink suite communicatively coupled to the validation center and configured to print the security architecture on the document.

An image processing device comprises a receiving port, a processor, a storage and an output port. The receiving port receives old image data from a peripheral device. The processor electrically connected to receiving port performs a judging process on the old image data. When an old information block of the old image data is judged as containing old copy generation-count information, the processor generates a new information block containing new copy generation-count information according to the old copy generation-count information, and subtracts the old information block from the old image data and adds the new information block thereto to generate new image data and an encoding record. The storage electrically connected to the processor stores the encoding record. The output port electrically connected to the processor outputs the new image data. Copy apparatus and method using the image processing device are also provided.

An image forming apparatus includes a character distinguishing unit, a character string extraction unit, a character specifying unit, a determination unit, an overwrite image data generation unit, and a control unit. The overwrite image data generation unit generates, if it is determined by the determination unit that there is a plurality of matches, overwrite image data that has been overwritten such that a character specified by the character specifying unit is indistinguishable as a character. The control unit performs control using the overwrite image data generated by the overwrite image data generation unit so as to cause a printing unit to perform printing on a printed material set in a printed material setting unit.