Image forming apparatus and image forming system which reduce color material consumption

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• a printing section for printing an image onto a paper sheet with use of color material;
• and
• a control section for generating printing-use image data to allow the printing section to execute printing as well as for controlling the printing section, wherein
• the control section executes an image detection process of detecting, as a replacement-object area, an area containing an image involving a larger consumption quantity of the color material than a predetermined threshold value out of the printing-use image data, where when the replacement-object area is detected, the control section executes a data generation process of generating image data of an alternative image involving a smaller consumption quantity of the color material than the image contained in the replacement-object area and then generating replaced image data in which the image data of the replacement-object area out of the printing-use image data has been replaced with the image data of the alternative image, and the control section further executes an image storing process of storing the image data of the replacement-object area in a specified storage region, and moreover instructs the printing section to execute color material-saving printing of printing an image based on the replaced image data on a sheet, and
• the alternative image is an image containing information for allowing the image based on the image data of the replacement-object area to be displayed by an information terminal that has read the alternative image.