JP2007174022A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus capable of realizing a transfer print function without the need for a separate control apparatus and setting works by a user in advance. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus is characterized by including: an image forming section 14 for forming an image to a medium to be printed in response to print data; an I/F section 17 that unequivocally selects another image forming apparatus 2 as a device side apparatus and its own apparatus as a host side apparatus to establish one to one connection to the other image forming apparatus 2; a state discrimination section 103 for discriminating whether or not the image forming section 14 is in a state of capable of executing image forming operations; and a data transfer control section 105 for transferring the print data to the other image forming apparatus 2 via the I/F section 17 when the state determination section 103 determinates that the image forming section 14 is not in a state capable of executing the image forming operations. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus typified by a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile machine, or a complex machine thereof, and particularly relates to a transfer printing function thereof.

  Conventionally, a function to automatically transfer unprinted data (scheduled print data) of an image forming apparatus that has been unable to continue printing due to some cause (for example, out of paper) to another image forming apparatus and continue printing (transfer printing function) Various techniques have been proposed.

  Recently, various techniques for complementing the above transfer printing function have been disclosed and proposed. For example, in Patent Document 1, unprinted data of an image forming apparatus that has become unable to continue printing is automatically transferred to another image forming apparatus, and at the same time, unprinted data accumulated in the transfer source image forming apparatus is deleted. Technology is disclosed and proposed. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228688 prevents the print job from being printed when identification information that matches the identification information included in the cancel command is recognized as a result of analyzing the data constituting the print job. Control techniques are disclosed and proposed. According to these conventional techniques, when an image forming apparatus that cannot continue printing automatically transfers unprinted data to another image forming apparatus and then returns to a printable state, the unprinted data (that is, other This eliminates redundant printing of print data that would have been continuously printed by the image forming apparatus, thereby reducing paper waste.

  In order to realize the above transfer printing function, generally, as shown in FIG. 6, a control device B that controls a plurality of image forming apparatuses (three image forming apparatuses A1 to A3 in the example of this figure). (A so-called print server) was needed. The control device B is generally realized by a PC [Personal Computer] connected to a network X (such as an in-house LAN [Local Area Network]), and a PC existing on the network X as its original function. The print data sent from the information processing terminals such as the information processing terminals (three information processing terminals C1 to C3 in the example of this figure) are received centrally, and the appropriate image forming apparatus performs the printing operation. Is.

  In the printing system of FIG. 6, for example, when the image forming apparatus A1 during the printing operation cannot continue printing, the image forming apparatus A1 notifies the control apparatus B to that effect. The control device B that receives the notification from the image forming apparatus A1 transfers the unprinted data of the image forming apparatus A1 to another image forming apparatus A2 (or A3) that is preset as an automatic transfer destination of unprinted data. To do. The image forming apparatus that has received the transfer of the unprinted data performs the printing operation. With such a series of processes, the above-described transfer printing function is realized in the printing system of FIG.

  Recently, image forming apparatuses that can be directly connected to a network by taking in the network interface of the above-described control apparatus are also becoming popular (see, for example, image forming apparatuses D1 to D3 shown in FIG. 7). . In order to realize the above-described transfer printing function using such network-compatible image forming apparatuses D1 to D3, for example, the image forming apparatus D1 that is the transfer source of unprinted data has an image that is the transfer destination. When the IP address assigned to the forming apparatus D2 (or D3) is designated in advance and the printing operation of the image forming apparatus D1 cannot be continued, the image forming apparatus D2 (or D3) designated above is designated. A configuration for automatically transferring unprinted data is conceivable.

JP 2001-56751 A JP 2003-208280 A

  Certainly, with the above-described conventional technology, even if the printing operation of a certain image forming apparatus cannot be continued for some reason, the printing operation is performed by automatically transferring the unprinted data to another image forming apparatus. Can be completed without delay.

  However, in the printing system of FIG. 6, if the above transfer printing function is to be realized, it is necessary to manage the transfer process of unprinted data in the control device B as is apparent from the above description. In B, it is necessary to previously specify various information of the image forming apparatuses A1 to A3 connected thereto and data transfer destination information for each of the image forming apparatuses A1 to A3. For this reason, in the related art, the result is that the user is forced to perform complicated pre-setting work, and the processing capability and the storage capacity of the control device B are reduced.

  Further, even when network-compatible image forming apparatuses D1 to D3 are used as in the printing system of FIG. 7, an image forming apparatus that is a transfer destination of unprinted data is designated in advance for each of the image forming apparatuses D1 to D3. Therefore, as described above, the user is forced to perform complicated pre-setting work.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides an image forming apparatus capable of realizing a transfer printing function without requiring a separate control device or a user's presetting operation.

  In order to achieve the above object, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes: an image forming unit that forms an image on a printing medium according to print data; and another connected image forming apparatus that is a device-side device. An interface unit for establishing a one-to-one connection with the other image forming apparatus using the self-device as a host side device; and whether the image forming unit is capable of performing the image forming operation. A state determination unit that determines whether the image forming unit is not in a state where the image forming operation can be performed, and transfers the print data to the other image forming apparatus via the interface unit. And a data transfer control unit (first configuration).

  The image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a first interface unit for establishing a connection with at least one information processing terminal; the other connected image forming apparatus is uniquely defined as a device side device. A second interface unit for establishing a one-to-one connection with the other image forming apparatus using the own apparatus as a host side device; print data from the information processing terminal via the first interface unit; A data reception control unit for receiving; an image forming unit for forming an image on a printing medium in accordance with the print data; and a first unit for determining whether or not the image forming unit can perform the image forming operation. A first state determining unit; a second state determining unit that determines whether or not the other image forming apparatus is capable of performing the image forming operation; and the state in which the image forming unit is not capable of performing the image forming operation. Is determined, Data transfer control for transferring the print data to the other image forming apparatus via the second interface unit when it is determined that the other image forming apparatus is ready to perform the image forming operation. A notification control unit for notifying that when it is determined that neither of the image forming unit and the other image forming apparatus is in a state in which the image forming operation can be performed. 2).

  In the image forming apparatus having the second configuration, the data transfer control unit may determine that neither the image forming unit nor the other image forming apparatus can perform the image forming operation. When the other image forming apparatus notifies that the subsequent image forming apparatus is ready to perform the image forming operation, the print data is transmitted to the other image via the second interface unit. A configuration for transferring to the forming apparatus (third configuration) is preferable.

  In the image forming apparatus having the second or third configuration, the second interface unit may have a configuration (fourth configuration) that conforms to any of the standards of USB, IEEE1284, or RS232C.

  With the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, the transfer printing function can be realized without requiring a separate control device or a user's pre-setting operation.

  In the following, a case where the present invention is applied to a network-compatible digital multifunction peripheral having functions as a printer, a copier, a facsimile, and a scanner will be described as an example.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a digital multifunction peripheral according to the present invention.

  As shown in the figure, the digital multifunction peripheral 1 (first image forming apparatus) of the present embodiment includes a control unit 10 that controls the operation of the entire apparatus, a display unit 11 that displays various information, and a user operation. An operation unit 12 (such as a numeric keypad or a touch panel) that receives a document, a document capture unit 13 that captures a document, and an image forming unit 14 (a printer head or a photosensitive drum) that forms an image on a printing medium in accordance with input print data. ), A fixing unit 15 that heats and fixes the print image obtained by the image forming unit 14, and at least one information processing terminal 41 to 4n (hereinafter referred to as PC41 to PC41) via the network 3 (in-house LAN or the like). Network interface unit 16 (hereinafter referred to as network I / F unit 16) for establishing a connection with the host device and other image formation. A data output interface unit 17 (hereinafter referred to as a data output I / F unit 17) for establishing a one-to-one connection with the device 2 (second image forming apparatus); A data input interface unit 18 (hereinafter referred to as a data input I / F unit 18) for establishing a one-to-one connection with a PC or another image forming apparatus, a control program work area, and print data And a memory unit 19 that is used as a temporary development area of the memory.

  Note that, in the digital multi-function peripheral 1 of the present embodiment, the network I / F unit 16 conforms to the Ethernet (registered trademark) standard, and the digital multi-function peripheral 1 has a unique IP address in the network 3. (Terminal identification information) is assigned.

  On the other hand, the data output I / F unit 17 and the data input I / F unit 18 are all compliant with the USB [Universal Serial Bus] standard. In between, the digital multifunction peripheral 1 is a host-side device, and the image forming apparatus 2 is a device-side device.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a connection relationship between the digital multifunction peripheral 1 and the image forming apparatus 2, and particularly illustrates a case where the image forming apparatus 2 is the same model as the digital multifunction peripheral 1. As shown in this figure, when establishing the above-described one-to-one connection, the data output I / F unit 17 of the digital multifunction peripheral 1 and the data input I / F unit of the image forming apparatus 2 are connected via the USB cable 5. It is only necessary to connect the terminal 28.

  As described above, in the digital multifunction peripheral 1 according to the present embodiment, when the transfer printing function described later is realized, the digital multifunction peripheral 1 serving as a transfer source of unprinted data and the image forming apparatus 2 serving as the transfer destination are provided. Are connected in a one-to-one relationship. Accordingly, in the case of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 of the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus 2 connected using the USB cable 5 is naturally determined as a transfer destination of unprinted data, and therefore a separate control device (print server). In addition, the transfer printing function can be realized without requiring a user's pre-setting work (work for specifying a transfer destination of unprinted data in advance).

  Note that the USB standard is a very commonly adopted standard for an interface unit that exchanges print data between a PC and an image forming apparatus, and most image forming apparatuses on the market are PCs. As a means for receiving print data from a data input I / F unit conforming to the USB standard (in the digital multifunction peripheral 1 and the image forming apparatus 2 in FIG. 2, the data input I / F units 18 and 28 are respectively Equivalent to).

  Therefore, if this configuration adopts an interface unit conforming to the USB standard as the data output I / F unit 17 of the digital multifunction peripheral 1 that is the transfer source of the print data, the image forming apparatus that is the transfer destination of the print data 2, the existing data input I / F unit 28 can be used as it is, so that it is not necessary to prepare a separate interface unit for transfer printing, and image formation is also performed in the transfer printing operation described in detail later. In the apparatus 2, it is sufficient to receive the print data from the digital multi-function peripheral 1 and execute the print operation without any difference from the case where the print data is received from the PC via the USB.

  In addition to the Ethernet (registered trademark) standard and the USB standard described above, the IEEE1284 standard and the RS232C standard are standard as the standard for the interface unit that exchanges print data between the PC and the image forming apparatus. There are many types of image forming apparatuses that are provided with an interface unit that conforms to these standards as a means for receiving print data from a PC. In that sense, the data output I / F unit 17 of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 may be configured to employ an interface unit conforming to the IEEE1284 standard or the RS232C standard.

  That is, in a more comprehensive way, the data output I / F unit 17 of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 uniquely defines the other connected image forming apparatus 2 as a device side device and the own device as a host side device. Any interface unit for establishing a one-to-one connection with the forming apparatus 2 may be used. For example, a PC and an image forming apparatus are connected one-to-one to exchange print data. It can be said that any interface unit conforming to any standard may be adopted as long as it is equivalent to the interface unit normally provided on the PC side (print data transmission side).

  Although not shown in FIG. 1, the digital multi-function peripheral 1 according to the present embodiment naturally includes a paper storage unit and paper transport necessary for an image forming operation in addition to the above-described components. The digital multi-function peripheral 1 also includes a modem that converts image data obtained by the document take-in unit 13 into a facsimile signal, a network control unit that establishes a connection with a public telephone line, and the like as a configuration necessary for a facsimile transmission / reception operation. Of course it has.

  In the digital multi-function peripheral 1 of the present embodiment having the above-described configuration, the control unit 10 is configured by a CPU [Central Processing Unit], a DSP [Digital Signal Processor], and the like, and has a function as an overall control unit of the entire apparatus. In addition, the function as the transfer printing control means, which will be described in detail later, more specifically, the data reception control unit 101, the bitmap generation unit 102, the first state determination unit 103, the second state determination unit 104, the data Functions of the transfer control unit 105 and the notification control unit 106 are also provided.

  In order to facilitate understanding of the description, the inside of the control unit 10 is represented as an independent block in FIG. 1, but each of the units 101 to 106 is not necessarily realized by hardware, and the CPU Alternatively, it may be realized by software using a DSP.

  The data reception control unit 101 is means for receiving print data from the PCs 41 to 4n via the network I / F unit 16.

  For example, when printing some application data (word processor document, spreadsheet worksheet, etc.) from the PC 41 using the digital multifunction peripheral 1, the user selects a print menu from the application software running on the PC 41. And execute. At this time, the print data transmitted from the PC 41 to the digital multi-function peripheral 1 is received by the digital multi-function peripheral 1 by the printer driver installed in advance on the PC 41 and understood by the printer driver, not the application data itself. It is data (so-called printable data) converted into a format that can be performed (see FIGS. 3 and 4).

  The above-mentioned printable data is an intermediate language file in which processing necessary for forming a print image in the digital multi-function peripheral 1 is described, and there are various specifications for each printer manufacturer. In addition, as a common specification, there is a postscript which is a page description language. These page description languages are languages in which information necessary for the digital multi-function peripheral 1 to execute the printing operation is described, such as “draw a line”, “draw a circle”, “draw a rectangle”, and the like. Are composed of a number of command groups, and a print image drawn on a sheet is expressed by a combination of the commands.

  The bitmap generation unit 102 analyzes the printable data received via the network I / F unit 16, thereby obtaining bitmap data necessary for executing a final printing operation in the image forming unit 14. This is a means for generating and temporarily expanding this in the memory unit 19 (see FIG. 3).

  The first state determination unit 103 is a unit that determines whether or not the image forming unit 14 is in a state where the image forming operation can be performed. For example, when the digital multifunction device 1 is out of paper, jammed, or out of toner, the first state determination unit 103 determines that the image forming unit 14 is not in a state where the image forming operation can be performed.

  The second state determination unit 104 is a unit that determines whether the image forming apparatus 2 connected via the data output I / F unit 17 is in a state in which the image forming operation can be performed. For example, when the image forming apparatus 2 has run out of paper, paper jam, or toner, the second state determination unit 104 determines that the image forming apparatus 2 is not in a state where the image forming operation can be performed. As described above, if the configuration includes the state determination unit of the image forming apparatus 2 that is the transfer destination of the print data, it is possible to determine whether to perform transfer printing according to the state of the image forming apparatus 2. Become.

  Conventionally, bi-directional communication is possible between a PC and an image forming apparatus via an interface unit conforming to the Ethernet (registered trademark) standard, the USB standard, the IEEE 1284 standard, or the RS232C standard. In order to monitor the state of the image forming apparatus on the PC side, general image forming apparatuses (including the image forming apparatus 2) have their own state (paper remaining amount, toner remaining amount, various settings) with respect to the PC. Status, capacity of installed memory, status of various options, error status of each part of the device, etc.) are incorporated.

  On the other hand, as described above, the data output I / F unit 17 mounted on the digital multi-function peripheral 1 of the present embodiment conforms to the USB standard and is equivalent to the interface unit normally provided on the PC side. It has a connection function.

  Therefore, the second state determination unit 104 does not require any special signal processing or the like, and performs bidirectional communication with the image forming apparatus 2 in accordance with the same procedure as when the normal PC monitors the state of the image forming apparatus. It is possible to determine whether or not the image forming apparatus 2 is ready to perform the image forming operation.

  Whether the data transfer control unit 105 should print the print data received by the data reception control unit 101 on the image forming unit 14 based on the determination results of the first state determination unit 103 and the second state determination unit 104. Alternatively, it is means for determining whether to transfer to the image forming apparatus 2 for printing.

  More specifically, when the first state determination unit 103 determines that the image forming unit 14 is ready to perform the image forming operation, the data transfer control unit 105 transmits the print data to the image forming unit 14. This is sent to the bitmap generation unit 102 as shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the flow of print data (thick arrows) during normal printing.

  On the other hand, the first state determination unit 103 determines that the image forming unit 14 is not in a state where the image forming operation can be performed, and the second state determination unit 104 performs the image forming operation. If the data transfer control unit 105 determines that it can be performed, the data transfer control unit 105 transfers the print data to the image forming apparatus 2 for printing via the data output I / F unit 17 as shown in FIG. This is transferred to the image forming apparatus 2. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the flow of print data (thick arrow) during transfer printing, and particularly exemplifies a case where the image forming apparatus 2 is the same model as the digital multifunction peripheral 1.

  As described above, when the digital multifunction device 1 that receives printable data from the PC 41 and starts (or is about to start) the printing operation becomes unable to continue printing for some reason, the unprinted data is output as data output. The image is transferred to the image forming apparatus 2 via the I / F unit 17. At this time, the digital MFP 1 serving as the transfer source holds the printable data transmitted from the PC 41 in the memory unit 19. Accordingly, when it is desired to transfer this, the printable data may be transmitted as it is to the image forming apparatus 2 that is the transfer destination.

  When the digital multi-function peripheral 1 has received all the print data from the PC 41 when performing the transfer printing process, the unprinted data remaining in the memory unit 19 is transferred to the image forming apparatus 2. That's fine. On the other hand, when the volume of print data is large and the digital multi-function peripheral 1 has not received all the print data from the PC 41, not only the unprinted data left in the memory unit 19 but also the PC 41 continues thereafter. The unprinted data transmitted in this way also needs to be transferred to the image forming apparatus 2.

  Such transfer processing can be easily realized by the digital multi-function peripheral 1 of the present embodiment. That is, after the data transfer control unit 105 determines that transfer processing of unprinted data is necessary, the receiving operation from the PC 41 is performed as before, while the destination of the received unprinted data is set as the destination. May be switched to the data output I / F unit 17 instead of the bitmap generation unit 102 (print operation processing unit on software).

  On the other hand, in the image forming apparatus 2 that has received the transfer of the unprinted data, the data reception control unit 201 receives the unprinted data via the data input I / F unit 28, and the data transfer control unit 205 In order to print the unprinted data in the image forming unit 24, the unprinted data is sent to the bitmap generation unit 202. With such a transfer printing function, even if the printing operation of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 cannot be continued for some reason, the printing operation can be completed without delay by automatically transferring the unprinted data to the image forming apparatus 2. It becomes possible to do.

  Note that the print data transferred from the digital multifunction device 1 is printable data adapted to the digital multifunction device 1. Therefore, if the same model as the digital multi-function peripheral 1 is used as the image forming apparatus 2, it is sufficient to convert the print data into bitmap data before the image forming unit 24 executes a final printing operation. become. On the other hand, when a completely different model is used as the image forming apparatus 2 from the digital multifunction peripheral 1, conversion processing is required on the digital multifunction peripheral 1 side before transferring unprinted data (printable data).

  For mediation between the print data input via the network 3 and the print data input via the data input I / F unit 28 for the image forming apparatus 2, the earliest print job is given priority. You should set it to do.

  On the other hand, when the first state determination unit 103 and the second state determination unit 104 determine that neither the image forming unit 17 nor the image forming apparatus 2 is in a state where the image forming operation can be performed, the data transfer control unit 105. In view of the fact that the transfer processing of print data to the image forming apparatus 2 is meaningless, the above-described process is continued until either the image forming unit 14 or the image forming apparatus 2 returns to a state where the image forming operation can be performed. The print data is held in the memory unit 19.

  The notification control unit 106 determines that neither the image forming unit 14 nor the image forming apparatus 2 can perform the image forming operation based on the determination results of the first state determining unit 103 and the second state determining unit 104. In this case, it is means for notifying the user that the printing operation cannot be continued via the display unit 11 of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 or the display unit of the PC 41 or the image forming apparatus 2. With such a configuration including the notification control unit 106, it is possible to notify the user that the printing operation cannot be continued without delay, and thus it is possible to prompt the prompt recovery.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a network-compatible digital multifunction peripheral has been described as an example. However, the scope of application of the present invention is not limited to this, and a printing function or copying The present invention can be widely applied to an image forming apparatus having only functions.

  In the above embodiment, the transfer printing system constructed only from the first image forming apparatus 1 and the second image forming apparatus 2 has been described as an example. However, the system model to which the present invention is applied is described here. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, as the second image forming apparatus 2, as in the first image forming apparatus 1, a model having a data output I / F unit 28 is used, and a USB is used. The data output I / F unit 28 of the second image forming apparatus 2 and the data input I / F unit 28 'of the third image forming apparatus 2 ′ are connected in a one-to-one relationship via the cable 5 ′. It is also possible to build a system.

  When such a transfer printing system is constructed, when the image forming apparatus 2 'connected to the subsequent stage of the image forming apparatus 2 is in a state where the image forming operation can be performed, the image forming apparatus 2' The data transfer control unit 105 of the image forming apparatus 1 is configured to have a function of notifying the apparatus 1 and it is determined that neither the image forming unit 14 nor the image forming apparatus 2 can perform the image forming operation. Even if the image forming apparatus 2 is informed, the image forming apparatus 2 reports that the subsequent image forming apparatus 2 ′ can perform the image forming operation, depending on the state of the image forming apparatus 2. Instead, it may be configured to transfer unprinted data of the own apparatus to the image forming apparatus 2 via the data output I / F unit 17.

  With such a transfer printing system, the image forming apparatus 1 that has received print data via the network 3 becomes unable to continue printing, and the image forming apparatus 2 can also perform the image forming operation. Even when the state is not in a state, it is possible to transfer unprinted data to the image forming apparatus 2 ′ via the image forming apparatus 2 and complete the printing operation without delay.

  The configuration of the present invention can be variously modified within the scope of the present invention in addition to the above embodiment.

  The present invention is a useful technique for reducing the cost and the workload when introducing a transfer printing system for unprinted data in a printing environment including a plurality of image forming apparatuses.

These are the block diagrams which show one Embodiment of the digital multifunctional device which concerns on this invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a connection relationship between the digital multifunction peripheral 1 and the image forming apparatus 2. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a flow of print data during normal printing. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a flow of print data during transfer printing. These are diagrams showing an embodiment in which a plurality of other image forming apparatuses are connected in cascade. These are block diagrams which show a prior art example for implement | achieving a transfer printing function. These are block diagrams which show another prior art example for implement | achieving a transfer printing function.

Explanation of symbols

1 First image forming apparatus (digital multifunction peripheral)
2 Second image forming apparatus (other image forming apparatus)
3 Network 41-4n Information processing terminal (PC)
5, 5 ′ USB cable 10 Control unit 11 Display unit 12 Operation unit 13 Document take-in unit 14, 24 Image forming unit 15 Fixing unit 16 Network interface unit (first interface unit)
17, 27, 27 'Data output interface section (second interface section)
18, 28, 28 'Data input interface part (third interface part)
19 Memory unit 101, 201 Data reception control unit 102, 202 Bitmap generation unit 103 First state determination unit 104 Second state determination unit 105, 205 Data transfer control unit 106 Notification control unit

Claims (4)

  An image forming unit that forms an image on a printing medium in accordance with print data; the other connected image forming apparatus as a device-side device and the host device as a host-side device; An interface unit for establishing a one-to-one connection between the image forming unit; a state determining unit that determines whether or not the image forming unit is capable of performing the image forming operation; and the image forming unit including the image A data transfer control unit that transfers the print data to the other image forming apparatus via the interface unit when it is determined that the forming operation is not possible. Image forming apparatus.   A first interface unit for establishing a connection with at least one information processing terminal; the other connected image forming apparatus as a device side device uniquely, and the other device as a host side device A second interface unit for establishing a one-to-one connection with the image forming apparatus; a data reception control unit for receiving print data from the information processing terminal via the first interface unit; and the print data An image forming unit that forms an image on a printing medium in accordance with the image forming unit; a first state determining unit that determines whether or not the image forming unit can perform the image forming operation; and the other image forming unit A second state determination unit that determines whether or not the apparatus is ready to perform the image forming operation; and it is determined that the image forming unit is not ready to perform the image forming operation and the other image forming unit The device is A data transfer control unit that transfers the print data to the other image forming apparatus via the second interface unit when it is determined that the forming operation can be performed; An image forming apparatus comprising: a notification control unit for notifying that the image forming apparatus is in a state where none of the image forming apparatuses can perform the image forming operation.   Even when it is determined that neither the image forming unit nor the other image forming apparatus is capable of performing the image forming operation, the data transfer control unit performs further image formation from the other image forming apparatus. 3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when it is notified that the apparatus is ready to perform the image forming operation, the print data is transferred to the other image forming apparatus via the second interface unit. The image forming apparatus described.   4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second interface unit conforms to a standard of USB, IEEE 1284, or RS232C.

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