Image forming system and communication control method in the image forming system

A communication control method in an image forming system having an image reading apparatus, a printer that is connected to the image reading apparatus and performs printing processing by directly receiving image data read by the image reading apparatus, and notification unit that notifies, failure information to the other apparatus if a failure occurs in either the image reading apparatus or the printer, the image reading apparatus comprising a failure information acquisition unit, a determination unit, and an announcing unit, the communication control method comprising:

• acquiring failure information notified by the notification unit when a failure occurs in the printer, by means of the failure information acquisition unit;
• determining whether the image reading apparatus is in the process of reading image data, by means of the determination unit;
• announcing the failure information acquired by the failure information acquisition unit, by means of the announcing unit, if the determination unit determines that the image reading apparatus is not in the process of reading image data;
• and
• prohibiting, in the printer, communication control method the announcement of the failure information notified by the notification unit if the failure occurs in the image reading apparatus.