Patent ID: 7701604

Claim:
A printing system, comprising: one or more printing devices that print, using ink, an image including a plurality of pixels each assigned with any one of a plurality of tone values; a server device that distributes a printing image on one or more pages or a part of a page, and first data that represents a histogram of the total number of pixels at each of tone values assigned to the pixels for the printing image; a reception unit that receives the first data and the printing image, and a client device that includes a required amount of ink calculation unit that calculates a required amount of ink needed for the printing device to print the printing image based on the first data and second data that represents an amount of ink per pixel needed for the printing device to print each of the tone values, wherein the printing device further includes an amount of ink remaining detection unit that detects an amount of ink remaining left in the printing device, and the client device further includes a printing determination unit that receives the amount of ink remaining from the printing device, and determines whether the printing image can be printed based on the amount of ink remaining and the required amount of ink needed for the printing device to complete printing, wherein the amount of ink per pixel needed for the printing device to print each of the tone values is represented by a required number of dots needed per pixel for each of the tone values, and wherein the amount of ink remaining left in the printing device is represented by a number of remaining dots.