Image forming system

Abstract

To provide an image forming system that allows for easy correction of errors in printing instructions. [Solution] In the image forming system, the user terminal comprises a terminal operation unit, a terminal communication unit, and a terminal control unit that controls the terminal operation unit and the terminal communication unit. The image forming apparatus comprises a communication unit, an image forming unit, an operation panel, a communication unit, and a control unit that controls the image forming unit and the operation panel. The terminal operation unit receives a setting on whether or not to transmit all image data of the file to be printed, including image data related to a print command. If the terminal operation unit receives a setting to transmit all image data, the terminal control unit causes the terminal communication unit to transmit all image data, including image data related to a print command, and a print setting that includes the setting to transmit all image data. If the print setting received by the communication unit includes a setting to transmit all image data, the control unit displays a preview screen of the image data on the operation panel so that it can receive a correction command for the image data related to the print command.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to an image forming system, and more particularly to an image forming system including a user terminal via a network and an image forming apparatus that receives an instruction for a print job from the user terminal.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, with the adoption of wireless LAN in image forming apparatuses such as MFPs (Multifunction Peripherals), it has become possible to transmit print data to an image forming apparatus installed at a location away from a terminal and execute printing. As a result, it has also become possible to construct an image forming system in which an image forming apparatus is installed at a location far from a terminal, such as installing a terminal on the second floor and an image forming apparatus on the first floor.

[0003] In such an image forming system, when a user tries to give a print instruction to an image forming apparatus using a printer driver of a terminal intending to print only specific pages, there is a possibility that an instruction to print all pages is mistakenly given. In this case, the user notices the mistake in the print instruction only after looking at the paper output from the image forming apparatus.

[0004] When the user notices such a mistake in the print instruction, printing can also be canceled by pressing a cancel button on the operation panel of the image forming apparatus. However, when a print instruction is given from a terminal far from the image forming apparatus, even if the user notices the mistake in the print instruction and tries to cancel the printing when arriving at the image forming apparatus, it is often too late, and paper and toner may be wasted.

[0005] Conventionally, as a technique to prevent the waste of paper and toner caused by such printing instruction errors, an image forming apparatus has been proposed in which, for example, when printing multiple images consecutively on the back of a sheet of paper, the control unit temporarily stops the printing operation after the first sheet has been printed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0006] Furthermore, there are also printing devices that allow printing to be resumed by the user at the input unit after the printing operation has been temporarily stopped, or by resuming printing after a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the printing operation was temporarily stopped (see, for example, Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-048141 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2008-023736 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] However, while conventional methods can prevent printing based on incorrect print instructions by temporarily stopping the printing operation in the image forming apparatus, they are not very convenient for users because the user has to return to the terminal and re-enter the print instruction in order to print correctly.

[0009] This disclosure has been made in consideration of the circumstances described above, and its purpose is to provide an image forming system that can more easily correct errors in print instructions when the image forming apparatus receives a print command from a user terminal via a network. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The image forming system according to this disclosure is an image forming system comprising a user terminal and an image forming apparatus connected via a network, wherein the user terminal comprises a terminal operation unit that receives print commands to the image forming apparatus, a terminal communication unit that transmits image data and print settings related to the print command, and a terminal control unit that controls the terminal operation unit and the terminal communication unit, and the image forming apparatus comprises a communication unit that receives the print command, an image forming unit that forms an image based on the image data and print settings related to the print command, an operation panel that displays various information and receives user commands, and a control unit that controls the communication unit, the image forming unit and the operation panel. The terminal control unit is equipped with a terminal operation unit that receives a setting on whether or not to transmit all image data of the file to be printed, including the image data related to the print command; if the terminal operation unit receives a setting to transmit all image data, the terminal control unit causes the terminal communication unit to transmit all image data, including the image data related to the print command, and the print setting, including the setting to transmit all image data; and if the print setting received by the communication unit includes a setting to transmit all image data, the control unit displays a preview screen of the image data on the operation panel so that it can receive a correction command for the image data related to the print command.

[0011] In this disclosure, "image forming apparatus" refers to a device that forms and outputs an image, such as a printer that uses an electrophotographic method for image formation with toner, a copier or multifunction device that has a copying function, or an MFP that also includes functions other than copying. "User terminal" is not limited to personal computers (PCs), but may also include mobile information terminals such as smartphones and tablet devices, electronic whiteboards, information displays, etc. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to this disclosure, when an image forming apparatus receives a print command, and receives all image data including the image data related to the print command, it displays a preview screen of the image data so that it can accept a correction command for the image data related to the print command. This makes it possible to realize an image forming system that can correct errors in print instructions more easily than before. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration of the image forming system disclosed. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of a digital multifunction printer. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of the user terminal. [Figure 4] Figure 1 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the process of sending a print job to the digital multifunction device 1 in the printer driver of the user terminal. [Figure 5] Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the printer drive print settings screen displayed on the user terminal's display unit. [Figure 6] Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the printing process of a digital multifunction printer. [Figure 7] Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a print job list displayed on the display unit of a digital multifunction printer. [Figure 8] Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a preview screen displayed on the display unit of the digital multifunction printer shown in the diagram. [Figure 9] Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the print settings modification screen displayed on the display unit of the digital multifunction printer shown. [Figure 10] Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a confirmation screen for single-page printing when modifying print settings displayed on the display unit of the digital multifunction printer shown. [Figure 11] Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a confirmation screen for printing all pages when modifying print settings displayed on the display unit of a digital multifunction printer. [Figure 12]It is an explanatory diagram showing an example of selection of a print start page and a print end page in the correction of print settings displayed on the display unit of the digital multi-function machine shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 13] It is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a confirmation screen for printing specific pages in the correction of print settings displayed on the display unit of the digital multi-function machine shown in FIG. 1.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] Furthermore, preferred embodiments of this disclosure will be described.

[0015] In the image forming system according to this disclosure, when the communication unit receives all the image data including the image data related to the print command, the control unit causes the operation panel to display a preview screen of the image data related to the print command, and the correction command may include at least one of a page designation command for the image data, a print all pages command for the image data, and a print one page command for the image data displayed on the preview screen.

[0016] In this way, when the image forming apparatus receives a print command from the user terminal via the network and receives all the image data including the image data related to the print command, a preview screen of the image data related to the print command is displayed, and the correction command includes at least one of a page designation command for the image data, a print all pages command for the image data, and a print one page command for the image data displayed on the preview screen. Therefore, an image forming system that can more easily correct mistakes in print instructions than before can be realized.

[0017] In the image forming system according to this disclosure, the image forming apparatus further includes a storage unit that stores all data relating to the print command in a predetermined spool area, and the control unit may cause the image forming unit to form an image based on the image data and print settings, even if the remaining capacity of the spool area becomes less than a predetermined capacity and the communication unit has received all the image data, including the image data relating to the print command.

[0018] In this way, when the image forming apparatus receives a print command from a user terminal via the network, if the remaining capacity of the spool area falls below a predetermined capacity, even if all image data, including the image data related to the print command, is received, the image will be formed based on the image data and the print settings, thereby realizing an image forming system that places less burden on the system than conventional systems.

[0019] In the image forming system according to this disclosure, the terminal control unit may, even if the terminal operation unit has received a setting to transmit all image data in the file to be printed by the print command, transmit only the image data related to the print command to the terminal communication unit if the total image data of the file to be printed by the print command is only one page.

[0020] In this way, when the image forming apparatus receives a print command from a user terminal via the network, if the file to be printed in the print command consists of only one page, even if the setting to send all image data is accepted, only the image data related to the print command will be sent to the terminal communication unit. This makes it possible to realize an image forming system with less system burden than conventional systems.

[0021] In the image forming system according to this disclosure, the user terminal further comprises a terminal display unit for displaying various information, and the terminal operation unit may not display on the terminal display unit whether or not to transmit all the image data of the file to be printed, including the image data related to the print command, if the total image data of the file to be printed is only one page.

[0022] In this way, if the total image data of the file to be printed in the print command consists of only one page, the terminal operation unit does not display a setting on whether or not to transmit all image data of the file to be printed, including the image data related to the print command. This makes it possible to realize an image forming system with less system burden than conventional systems.

[0023] In the image forming system according to this disclosure, if the communication unit does not receive all the image data, including the image data related to the print command, the control unit may cause the image forming unit to form an image based on the image data related to the print command and the print settings.

[0024] In this way, when the image forming apparatus receives a print command, if it does not receive all image data including the image data related to the print command, it will cause the image forming unit to form an image based on the image data related to the print command and the print settings, thereby realizing an image forming system that can perform printing as in the conventional way.

[0025] The following details of this disclosure will be illustrated with drawings. Furthermore, the following explanation is illustrative in all respects and should not be interpreted as limiting this disclosure.

[0026] [Embodiment 1] Based on Figures 1 to 3, an image forming system 100, which is one embodiment of the image forming system disclosed herein, will be described.

[0027] Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration of the image forming system 100 disclosed herein. As shown in Figure 1, the image forming system 100 consists of a digital multifunction printer 1 and a user terminal 2 that are connected to each other by a wired or wireless network 3.

[0028] Digital multifunction printer 1 is a device such as an MFP that digitally processes image data and has copying, scanning, and facsimile functions.

[0029] The digital multifunction printer 1 executes jobs such as scanning, printing, copying, or image transmission (Scan to Email, Scan to FTP) based on instructions from the user received via the operation unit 172 or the communication unit 15.

[0030] <Outline configuration of digital multifunction printer 1> Next, the general configuration of the digital multifunction printer 1 will be explained based on Figure 2. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of the digital multifunction printer 1 shown in Figure 1.

[0031] As shown in Figure 2, the digital multifunction printer 1 comprises a control unit 10, an image data acquisition unit 11, an image forming unit 12, a storage unit 13, an image processing unit 14, a communication unit 15, a paper feeding unit 16, and an operation panel 17.

[0032] The following describes each component of the digital multifunction printer 1.

[0033] The control unit 10 comprehensively controls the digital multifunction printer 1 and consists of at least one CPU (Central Processing Unit), at least one SoC (System on a Chip), at least one RAM (Random Access Memory), at least one ROM (Read-only memory), at least one control circuit, various interface circuits, etc.

[0034] The control unit 10 monitors and controls all loads, including detection by each sensor, motor, clutch, and control panel 17, in order to control the operation of the entire digital multifunction printer 1.

[0035] The image data acquisition unit 11 is the part that acquires image data received via the communication unit 15 from an external terminal such as the user terminal 2 or a facsimile device (not shown).

[0036] The image forming unit 12 is the part that prints the image data processed by the image processing unit 14 onto paper.

[0037] The memory unit 13 is an element or storage medium that stores information and control programs necessary to realize the various functions of the digital multifunction device 1. For example, semiconductor elements such as RAM and ROM, storage media such as hard disks, flash memory units, and SSDs (Solid State Drives) are used.

[0038] Furthermore, the program and data may be stored in different devices, such as a hard disk drive for the data storage area and a flash memory unit for the program storage area.

[0039] The image processing unit 14 converts the original image read by the image data acquisition unit 11 into appropriate electrical signals to generate image data, and processes the image data input from the image data acquisition unit 11 in accordance with commands from the operation unit 172 to make it suitable for output such as enlargement and reduction.

[0040] The communication unit 15 communicates with external user terminals 2 and other devices via the network 3 and receives print data such as print settings and images.

[0041] The paper feeding unit 16 is equipped with a paper feed cassette and a manual feed tray, and is responsible for transporting the paper stored in these to the image forming unit 12.

[0042] The control panel 17 is a unit equipped with a liquid crystal display (LCD), and comprises a display unit 171 and an operation unit 172.

[0043] The display unit 171 is the part that displays various types of information. The display unit 171 is composed of, for example, a CRT display, a liquid crystal display, or an EL display, and is a display device such as a monitor or line display for displaying electronic data such as processing status by the operating system or application software. The control unit 10 displays the operation and status of the digital multifunction printer 1 through the display unit 171.

[0044] The control unit 172 consists of a touch panel, displays information on a liquid crystal display, and receives commands from the user via the touch panel.

[0045] <Outline configuration of user terminal 2> Next, the general configuration of user terminal 2 will be explained based on Figure 3.

[0046] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of user terminal 2 in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 3, the user terminal 2 comprises a control unit 20, a storage unit 21, an image processing unit 22, a communication unit 23, a display unit 24, and an operation unit 25.

[0047] The following describes each component of user terminal 2.

[0048] The control unit 20 provides integrated control for the user terminal 2 and consists of a CPU, RAM, ROM, various interface circuits, and the like.

[0049] The control unit 20 monitors and controls all loads, including detection by each sensor and operation unit 25, in order to control the operation of the entire user terminal 2.

[0050] The memory unit 21 is an element or storage medium that stores information and control programs necessary to realize various functions of the user terminal 2. For example, semiconductor elements such as RAM and ROM, or storage media such as hard disks, flash memory units, and SSDs are used.

[0051] Furthermore, the data may be stored in different devices, such as a hard disk drive for the data storage area and a flash memory unit for the program storage area.

[0052] The image processing unit 22 is the part that converts image data into appropriate electrical signals and processes them to make them suitable for output such as enlargement and reduction.

[0053] The communication unit 23 communicates with the digital multifunction printer 1 via the network 3 and sends and receives various information such as print data.

[0054] The display unit 24 is the part that displays various information from the user terminal 2. The display unit 24 is composed of, for example, a CRT display, a liquid crystal display, or an EL display, and is a display device such as a monitor or line display for displaying electronic data such as processing status by the operating system or application software.

[0055] The control unit 20 displays the operation and status of the user terminal 2 through the display unit 24.

[0056] The operation unit 25 is an interface for operating the user terminal 2 and is the part that receives commands from the user.

[0057] The display unit 24 and the operation unit 25 may consist of a display panel made of a liquid crystal panel or the like, and a touch panel, such as a capacitive touch panel, which is placed on top of the display panel and detects the position where a finger is touched.

[0058] <Process for sending print jobs to the digital multifunction device 1 in the printer driver of the user terminal 2 according to Embodiment 1 of this disclosure> Next, based on Figures 4 and 5, the flow of the process for sending a print job (print command) to the digital multifunction device 1 in the printer driver of the user terminal 2 according to Embodiment 1 of this disclosure will be explained.

[0059] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the process of sending a print job to the digital multifunction device 1 in the printer driver of user terminal 2 shown in Figure 1.

[0060] In step S1 of Figure 4, the control unit 20 of the user terminal 2 determines whether or not the printer driver has accepted the setting and execution of the print job (step S1).

[0061] If the printer does not accept any print job settings or execution (the determination in step S1 is No), the control unit 20 returns to the determination in step S1.

[0062] On the other hand, if the print job setting and execution are accepted (if the determination in step S1 is Yes), in step S2, the control unit 20 determines whether or not the printer driver is set to send all page data (step S2).

[0063] Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the printer drive print settings screen displayed on the display unit 24 of the user terminal 2 shown in Figure 1.

[0064] In the example shown in Figure 5, the printer driver UI displays print settings such as "Number of copies: [1]", "Paper size: "A4", "Print orientation: [Portrait]", "Pages to print: [1]", and "Color setting: [Grayscale]", as well as a print preview screen, on the display unit 24.

[0065] In addition, a setting item called "Send all page data to MFP" is displayed on the display unit 24 along with the checkbox.

[0066] After configuring the print settings, the user executes a print job to the digital multifunction printer 1 by pressing the "Print" button at the bottom of the screen. Additionally, users can cancel the printer driver screen display by pressing the "Cancel" button.

[0067] If the printer driver is configured to send all page data (if the determination in step S2 is Yes), in step S3, the control unit 20 sends all page data, including the page data specified in step S1, and the print settings, including the setting to send all page data, to the digital multifunction device 1 (step S3), and then terminates the process.

[0068] On the other hand, if the printer driver is not configured to send all page data (i.e., the determination in step S2 is No), in step S4, the control unit 20 sends the page data and print settings specified in step S1 to the digital multifunction device 1 (step S4), and terminates the process.

[0069] <Printing process of digital multifunction printer 1> Next, the printing process flow of the digital multifunction printer 1 according to Embodiment 1 of this disclosure will be explained based on Figures 6 to 13.

[0070] Figure 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the printing process of the digital multifunction printer shown in Figure 1.

[0071] In step S11 of Figure 6, the control unit 10 of the digital multifunction printer 1 determines whether or not a print job has been received (step S11).

[0072] If no print job is received (the determination in step S11 is No), the control unit 10 returns to step S11.

[0073] On the other hand, if a print job is received (if the determination in step S11 is Yes), in step S12, the control unit 10 determines whether or not the print settings are configured to send all page data to the multifunction printer (step S12).

[0074] If the print settings are not configured to send all page data to the multifunction printer (if the determination in step S12 is No), in step S13, the control unit 10 prints the page data related to the print job (step S13) and terminates the process.

[0075] On the other hand, if the print settings are configured to send all page data to the multifunction printer (if the determination in step S12 is Yes), in step S14, the control unit 10 stores the print job in the spool area of ​​the storage unit 13 (step S14).

[0076] Furthermore, if the remaining capacity of the spool area falls below a predetermined capacity, the process in step S13 may be performed even if the print job contains all page data, in order to reduce the load on the system. In this case, the display unit 171 may also display that the remaining capacity of the spool area is low.

[0077] Next, in step S15, the control unit 10 determines whether a specific print job has been selected from the spool data (step S15).

[0078] Figure 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a print job list displayed on the display unit 171 of the digital multifunction printer 1 shown in Figure 1.

[0079] As shown in Figure 7, a list of print jobs received by the digital multifunction printer 1 is displayed on the display unit 171. In the example in Figure 7, the print job for the file named "DocumentXXX.XXXX.pdf" received from user "User A" is selected. The "Print," "Delete," and "Select All" buttons are also displayed at the bottom of the screen.

[0080] Furthermore, if the user selects the "Confirm" button, the preview screen (described later) for the selected print job can be displayed on the display unit 171, as shown in Figure 8.

[0081] In the determination in step S15 of Figure 6, if no job has been selected from the spooled data (the determination in step S15 is No), the control unit 10 returns to step S15.

[0082] On the other hand, if a specific print job is selected from the spool data (if the determination in step S15 is Yes), in step S16, the control unit 10 determines whether the print settings have been made as intended (step S16).

[0083] Specifically, when a user selects a particular job from the spool data and clicks the "Confirm" button, the control unit 10 displays a preview screen on the display unit 171. If the control unit 10 receives a print command from the user, it determines that the print settings have been configured as intended. On the other hand, if the control unit 10 receives a correction command from the user, it determines that the print settings have not been configured as intended.

[0084] Figure 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a preview screen displayed on the display unit 171 of the digital multifunction device 1 shown in Figure 1. In the example shown in Figure 8, a preview is displayed with the message "You are about to print page 2. Do you want to print?", and only page 2 of the 3 pages is selected.

[0085] If there are no problems with the print settings, the user selects the "Print" button at the bottom of the screen. On the other hand, if you want to modify the print settings, select the "Print After Modification" button.

[0086] In step S16 of Figure 6, if the print settings are as intended (if the determination in step S16 is Yes), in step S17, the control unit 10 selects the page data selected by the user from all received page data, prints it in the image forming unit 12 according to the print settings (step S17), and then terminates the process.

[0087] On the other hand, if the print settings are not as intended (if the determination in step S17 is No), in step S18, the control unit 10 prompts the system to re-specify the correct page data from all received page data (step S18).

[0088] Figure 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a print settings modification screen displayed on the display unit 171 of the digital multifunction printer 1 shown in Figure 1.

[0089] In the example shown in Figure 9, the print settings modification screen is displayed on the display unit 171 along with the message, "Please select the pages you want to print."

[0090] If a user wants to print only the single page displayed in the center of the preview screen, they should select the "Print Single Page" option in the lower left corner of the screen.

[0091] Figure 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a confirmation screen for single-page printing when modifying print settings displayed on the display unit 171 of the digital multifunction device 1 shown in Figure 1.

[0092] In the example shown in Figure 10, a preview of one page is displayed along with the message, "Do you want to print this page?". The user can select the "Print" button if they want to print with these settings, or the "Back" button if they want to return to the print settings modification screen.

[0093] In addition, as shown in Figure 9, if the user wants to print all pages, they can select the "Print All Pages" button in the lower right corner of the screen. Users can also choose the "Cancel Print" button in the lower right corner of the screen if they wish to cancel printing.

[0094] Figure 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a confirmation screen for printing all pages when modifying print settings displayed on the display unit 171 of the digital multifunction device 1 shown in Figure 1.

[0095] In the example shown in Figure 11, a preview is displayed with all pages selected, along with the message, "Do you want to print this page?". The user can select the "Print" button if they want to print with these settings, or the "Back" button to return to the print settings modification screen.

[0096] Furthermore, in Figure 9, if the user wants to print only specific pages out of all the pages, they can move the preview page by pressing the left and right arrow buttons, select the "Start" button at the bottom center of the screen on the page where they want to start printing, and select the "End" button at the bottom center of the screen on the page where they want to finish printing. After that, the user selects the "Print" button at the bottom center of the screen.

[0097] Figure 12 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of selecting the start and end pages for printing when modifying the print settings displayed on the display unit 171 of the digital multifunction device 1 shown in Figure 1.

[0098] In the example shown in Figure 12, the user has selected page 2 as the starting page for printing and page 4 as the ending page. When the user selects the print button, a confirmation screen is displayed.

[0099] Figure 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a confirmation screen for printing a specific page when modifying print settings displayed on the display unit 171 of the digital multifunction printer 1 shown in Figure 1.

[0100] In the example shown in Figure 13, a preview is displayed with the message "Do you want to print on this page?" and pages 2 through 4 selected. The user can select the "Print" button if they want to print with these settings, or the "Back" button to return to the print settings modification screen.

[0101] Next, in step S19 of Figure 6, the control unit 10 determines whether or not a print instruction has been issued (step S19). If there is no print instruction (the determination in step S19 is No), the control unit 10 returns to the determination in step S19.

[0102] On the other hand, if a print command is issued (if the determination in step S19 is Yes), in step S20, the control unit 10 causes the image forming unit 12 to print the specified page (step S20), and then terminates the process.

[0103] In this way, when the digital multifunction printer 1 receives a print command, and when it receives all image data including the image data related to the print command, it displays a preview screen of the image data so that it can accept a correction command for the image data related to the print command. This makes it possible to realize an image forming system 100 that can correct errors in print instructions more easily than before.

[0104] Preferred embodiments of this disclosure include combinations of any of the embodiments described above. In addition to the embodiments described above, various modifications of this disclosure are possible. These modifications should not be construed as being outside the scope of this disclosure. This disclosure should include the meaning of equivalents to the claims and all variations within that scope. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0105] 1: Digital multifunction printer, 2: User terminal, 3: Network, 10: Control unit, 11: Image data acquisition unit, 12: Image forming unit, 13,21: Storage unit, 14,22: Image processing unit, 15,23: Communication unit, 16: Paper feed unit, 17: Operation panel, 100: Image forming system, 24,171: Display unit, 25,172: Operation unit

Claims

1. An image forming system comprising a user terminal and an image forming apparatus connected via a network, The aforementioned user terminal is A terminal operation unit that receives print commands for the image forming apparatus, A terminal communication unit that transmits image data and print settings related to the print command, The terminal includes a terminal control unit that controls the terminal operation unit and the terminal communication unit, The image forming apparatus is A communication unit that receives the print command, An image forming unit that forms an image based on the image data and print settings related to the print command, A control panel that displays various information and accepts user commands, The system comprises the communication unit, the image forming unit, and the control unit that controls the operation panel, The terminal operation unit receives a setting to determine whether or not to transmit all image data of the file to be printed, including the image data related to the print command. When the terminal operation unit receives a setting to transmit all image data, the terminal control unit causes the terminal communication unit to transmit all image data, including the image data related to the print command, and the print setting, including the setting to transmit all image data. The image forming system is characterized in that, when the control unit receives the print settings from the communication unit, it displays a preview screen of the image data on the operation panel so that it can receive a correction command for the image data related to the print command.

2. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein when the communication unit receives all the image data, including the image data related to the print command, the control unit displays a preview screen of the image data related to the print command on the operation panel, and the correction command includes at least one of a page specification command for the image data, a command to print all pages of the image data, and a command to print one page of the image data displayed on the preview screen.

3. The image forming apparatus further includes a storage unit that stores all data related to the print command in a predetermined spool area. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit causes the image forming unit to form an image based on the image data and the print settings, even if the communication unit has received all the image data, including the image data related to the print command, when the remaining capacity of the spool area falls below a predetermined capacity.

4. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the terminal control unit causes the terminal communication unit to transmit only the image data related to the print command, even if the terminal operation unit has received a setting to transmit all the image data, if the total image data of the file to be printed by the print command is only one page.

5. The user terminal further includes a terminal display unit that displays various information, The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the terminal operation unit, when the total image data of the file to be printed for the print command consists of only one page, does not display on the terminal display unit whether or not to transmit the total image data of the file to be printed, including the image data related to the print command.

6. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein if the communication unit does not receive all image data, including the image data related to the print command, the control unit causes the image forming unit to form an image based on the image data related to the print command and the print settings.

Images