In a system in which communication between an information processing apparatus and a printing apparatus is possible, the information processing apparatus detects that communication with the printing apparatus has become possible and, in response to detection that such communication has become possible, generates print data based upon data that the information processing apparatus is displaying on a display unit connected to or built in the information processing apparatus, and transfers the generated print data to the printing apparatus. The printing apparatus prints the data received from the information processing apparatus.

In a communication system, an image forming apparatus sends an address of a receiving section to an external device. The external device receives a selection of image data through plural thumbnails displayed on a display section, and wirelessly sends the selected image data to the image forming apparatus with the address. The image forming apparatus receives the selected image data sent with the address by the external device, and prints an image based on the selected image data. The image forming apparatus accepts a selection indicating whether a communication between the external device and the image forming apparatus is performed by a first communication system method or a second communication system method. The image forming apparatus performs sending and/or receiving the image data with the address by the first communication system method when the first communication system method is selected, and performs sending and/or receiving the image data with the address by the second communication system method when the second communication system method is selected.

Information apparatus and application software supporting printing over air or network are herein disclosed and enabled. The information apparatus may include one or more software components that include (1) a discovery component to discover a supported printer in a local area network (LAN) and to receive device information related to the printer (e.g., capability, language or format supported, identification) from the printer, and (2) a printing component to generate or obtain print data based on the device information received and to transmit the print data to the discovered printer. After establishing the connection to the LAN, application software (e.g., Internet browser, email, photos, documents) in the information apparatus may print digital content by using the discovery component to discover the printer in the LAN, and may use the printing component to obtain and transmit print data in a form that is acceptable to the printer for printing the digital content.

A communication apparatus searches for a device using a first wireless communication, instructs, using the first wireless communication, a device selected from a list based the result of the search to operate in an access point mode, obtains, using the first wireless communication, connection information from the device operating in the access point mode, establishes a second wireless connection with the device based on the obtained connection information.

In a system in which communication between an information processing apparatus and a printing apparatus is possible, the information processing apparatus detects that communication with the printing apparatus has become possible and, in response to detection that such communication has become possible, generates print data based upon data that the information processing apparatus is displaying on a display unit connected to or built in the information processing apparatus, and transfers the generated print data to the printing apparatus. The printing apparatus prints the data received from the information processing apparatus.

A printing device has a print unit for printing on roll paper; a wireless communication unit for communicating wirelessly with a paired control device; and a controller for receiving print data by wireless communication from the control device, and controlling the print unit based on the received print data. When changing from a pairing-disabled mode to a pairing-enabled mode, the controller controls the print unit to print pairing-related information on roll paper, does not process pairing in the pairing-disabled mode, and processes pairing when a pairing request is received in the pairing-enabled mode.

A control method of an information processing device that communicates with a communication device includes accepting a connection processing instruction to connect the communication device with at least one external device, and performing processing to execute newly, in a case that the connection processing instruction is accepted and the communication device is not connected to any external device, the connection processing.

An information processing apparatus includes a registration unit and a processing unit. The registration unit registers multiple terminal devices with the information processing apparatus or a different apparatus in association with multiple operators who operate the multiple terminal devices. The processing unit executes a process by performing, in response to an instruction for the process given by a specific one of the operators, short-range communication with a specific one of the terminal devices that is registered in association with the specific one operator.

An image forming apparatus supporting peer to peer (P2P) connection includes a print engine to perform a print operation; a first wireless interface to connect the image forming apparatus to an access point (AP) of an infrastructured network; a second wireless interface to connect the image forming apparatus to an external mobile device by P2P; a soft AP module to allow the image forming apparatus to perform as an AP when the image forming apparatus is P2P connected; a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) server unit to allocate an internet protocol (IP) address to the mobile device that is P2P connected to the image forming apparatus; a soft AP activating unit to activate the soft AP module; and a control unit. If a discovery packet is received from the mobile device via P2P interface, the control unit is operable to control the image forming apparatus to process the discovery packet.

A function executing device is configured to send a wireless identifier to a communication device via a first type of wireless communication interface for setting up a wireless connection. The function executing device is configured to determine whether the function executing device is in an error state and, if not, to establish the wireless connection via a second type of wireless communication interface. The function executing device operates in a parent state in the wireless connection. Additionally, print data may be received from the communication device. However, if the function executing device is in an error state the wireless connection is not established via the second type of wireless communication interface.