Printing support system for generating distribution target data indicating distribution targets and method for controlling the printing support system

A method for controlling a printing support system including an information processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus, the method comprising steps of:

• storing, in the information processing apparatus, document data that is data of a document to be distributed,
• generating, by the information processing apparatus, distribution target data indicating distribution targets that are persons to whom a printed matter based on the document data is to be distributed,
• storing, in the image forming apparatus, a print setting for each of belonging departments,
• receiving, by the image forming apparatus, a piece of the document data and a piece of the distribution target data corresponding to the piece of the document data, which are transmitted from the information processing apparatus,
• recognizing, by the image forming apparatus, based on the piece of the distribution target data thus received, among the belonging departments, departments to which the distribution targets belong, respectively,
• recognizing, by the image forming apparatus, among the departments to which the distribution targets belong, respectively, a minimum color number department whose permissible number of colors used in printing is smallest,
• determining, by the image forming apparatus, when a permissible number of colors used in the piece of the document data is larger than the permissible number of colors used in printing of the minimum color number department, a highlight part in the piece of the document data, which has been edited for highlighting,
• generating, by the image forming apparatus, automatic highlight image data that is image data including the highlight part subjected to a highlighting process and using a number of colors equal to the permissible number of colors used in printing of the minimum color number department and in which a character indicating that the highlight part is important is added to the highlight part, and
• performing, based on the automatic highlight image data, printing by the image forming apparatus.