Image forming apparatus which reads page numbers of a document

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• an image reading portion that continuously reads a plurality of pages of a document, the image forming portion sequentially generating image data of pages read from the document;
• a printing portion that sequentially prints based on the image data of the pages;
• a discharge portion that sequentially discharges printed sheets acquired through printing;
• and
• a control portion that sets a discharge position of the printed sheets, the control portion making the discharge portion discharge the printed sheets to the set discharge position,
• wherein
• the control portion
• detects page numbers of a precedent read page, which is, of two pages successively read by the image reading portion, one read earlier, and of a subsequent read page, which is, of two pages, another page read by the image reading portion subsequently to the precedent page, and
• sets, when the page numbers of the precedent read page and of the subsequent read page are not consecutive, the discharge position of the printed sheet corresponding to the subsequent read page to a different position from the discharge position of the printed sheet corresponding to the precedent read page,
• the discharge position comprises a first position and a second position,
• the first position is a default position,
• the second position is a position where part of the printed sheets discharged in the second position overlap with the printed sheets discharged in the first position, and
• the control portion
• when the page numbers of the precedent read page and of the subsequent read page are not consecutive,
• sets, if the discharge position of the printed sheet corresponding to the precedent read page is set to the first position, the discharge position of the printed sheet corresponding to the subsequent read page to the second position,
• sets, if the discharge position of the printed sheet corresponding to the precedent read page is set to the second position, the discharge position of the printed sheet corresponding to the subsequent read page to the first position,
• each time reading by the image reading portion is completed, the control portion checks, taking a page read by the image reading portion the previous time as the precedent read page and taking a page read by the image reading portion this time as the subsequent read page, sequentially checks whether page numbers of the precedent read page and of the subsequent read page are consecutive,
• in a state where, as a result of the page numbers of the precedent read page and of the subsequent read page being determined to be not consecutive, the discharge position of the printed sheet corresponding to the page read the previous time is set in the second position, if page numbers of the page read the previous time and of the page read this time are determined to be consecutive, the control portion keeps the discharge position of the printed sheet corresponding to the page read this time in the second position and thereafter, so long as the page numbers of the page read the previous time and of the page read this time are determined to be consecutive, the control portion keeps the discharge position of the printed sheet corresponding to the page read this time in the second position, and
• in a state where, as a result of the page numbers of the precedent read page and of the subsequent read page being determined to be not consecutive, the discharge position of the printed sheet corresponding to the page read the previous time is set in the first position, if page numbers of the page read the previous time and of the page read this time are determined to be consecutive, the control portion keeps the discharge position of the printed sheet corresponding to the page read this time in the first position and thereafter, so long as the page numbers of the page read the previous time and of the page read this time are determined to be consecutive, the control portion keeps the discharge position of the printed sheet corresponding to the page read this time in the first position.