A method for identifying print control elements for quality data acquisition includes encoding position information in a human-readable identification code, encoding specific print job information and the human-readable identification code in a machine-readable data code, positioning the codes alongside their associated print control element on a printing substrate, photographing the printed print control element and adjacent machine-readable data code using information from adjacent identification code, and processing data with a mobile communication device having a camera function and communications interface. Image data produced are exporting to a support computer via the communications interface. Machine-readable data code are decoded, image data on the computer are analyzed using information obtained from decoded machine-readable data code, the results of analysis are transmitted from the computer to the mobile communication device, and erroneous settings, found by image analysis, in a printing press producing printed products, are corrected.

An image forming system includes: an image-data transmission unit that transmits image data; and an image-data receiving unit that receives the image data, the image-data transmission unit being connected to the image-data receiving unit through a transmission path having lanes used for a color machine, at the time of image data transmission, the image-data transmission unit adding an error check code to image data, and transmitting the image data to the image-data receiving unit, in a first unit of the image data, the image-data receiving unit calculating an error check code in the first unit, comparing the calculated error check code with the error check code transmitted, and when the calculated error check code disagrees with the error check code transmitted, transmitting an error to the image-data transmission unit, and when the image-data transmission unit receives the error, the image-data transmission unit retransmitting image data corresponding to the error.

Methods for designing and producing a security feature are provided. In general, the present disclosure provides methods of designing a printed image in a security feature, the security feature comprising an array of optical elements overlaying the printed image, wherein the printed image comprises a two dimensional matrix of rows and columns of pixels, the method comprising; correcting for a mismatch between the pixels of the printed image and the array of optical elements by doing one or more of: adding one or more pixels; removing one or more pixels; and moving one or more pixels.

An image forming system includes: an image forming apparatus including an image forming unit for forming an image on a sheet, an image reading unit for reading a sheet surface and generating a scan image, an image inspection unit for detecting abnormalities within the scan image, and a history generating unit for generating detection information of each of the abnormalities and generating a history image by embedding the detection information in the scan image; a storage device for storing the history image; and a user terminal for displaying an abnormality detection result and inputting a user's evaluation of the abnormality detection result, wherein the image forming apparatus further includes a parameter setting unit for finally determining the abnormalities depending on the user's evaluation, and determining and setting abnormality detection parameters such that the abnormalities finally determined are detected, and the abnormalities not finally determined are not detected.

An image forming apparatus combines a plurality of sub-movies representing operation procedures to be performed to perform maintenance on the image forming apparatus and plays the combined sub-movies sequentially as one movie. In response to stopping the movie being played, the image forming apparatus displays a replay mark for use to issue a command to replay the movie from the beginning of a sub-movie corresponding to a position where the movie is stopped.

A printer maintenance guide device includes a guide command button for commanding a maintenance guide for a maintenance work, and a moving image memory storing moving images for successively and continuously displaying a whole process of the maintenance guide from start to end at once on a display unit by the operation of the guide command button.

A distributed computing system for managing solutions for print device support requests includes a print device having a user interface, a solution data store, and a solution processing system in communication with the print device. The system receives a support request from the print device that includes print device data pertaining to an issue with the print device. The system uses the print device data to generate a search query, and queries the solution data store to identify a list of possible solutions for the support request. For each selection, the system receives, from the print device, an indication of an exit status for the support request. The system correlates the possible solution associated with the selection with the print device data, generates factors based on the correlation, and uses the generated factors to update fields of a solution index in the data store for the possible solution.

According to one embodiment, an image processing device includes storage means, encryption means, and output means. The storage means stores an encryption key in correlation with a built-in application during installation of the built-in application. The encryption means encrypts a debug log relating to the built-in application with the encryption key in correlation with the corresponding built-in application. The output means outputs the debug log encrypted by the encryption means.

In order to automatically group or cluster printing devices in a fleet of such devices for servicing, print status data and print state data are received, which comprises alert information for each of the plurality of printing devices, from each of a plurality of printing devices in a fleet of devices. Devices with similar print statuses and alerts are automatically clustered, and the clustered output result displayed on a user interface of a device management application (DMA). The clustered output result is also integrated into the DMA, and a print status alert module generates automated print status alerts for printers identified during clustering. The automated print status alerts are then output for display on the user interface.

An imaging device, comprising an image sensor that has a plurality of pixels, and outputs pixel data by forming an image using the plurality of pixels, and an image processing circuit that receives the pixel data from the image sensor by means of a transmission path, wherein the image sensor attaches special information at specified positions within rows of pixel data and outputs the data, and the image processing circuit detects the special information of the rows of pixel data, and identifies transmission errors for the transmission path based on results of detection of the special information.