SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR IDENTIFYING SYMBOLS FOR PROCESSING IMAGES.

An image-processing system receives an image from a user and identifies an image-processing instruction which has been added to the image by the user. The instruction corresponds to an image-processing operation which is to be applied to at least a portion of the image in order to manipulate the image into a modified form. When the system is coupled to a device such as a photocopier, the photocopier is controlled to perform the image manipulation in accordance with the identified instruction and to print the modified image. Thus the image can be modified without the need to alter the original image itself.