Control device, image forming apparatus, printing system, control method, and control program

An image forming apparatus, comprising:

• a receiving portion to externally receive a print job;
• and
• a switching portion to switch an operating mode to one of a standby mode ready for printing and a sleep mode unready for printing and consuming less power than in said standby mode, wherein
• when a print job having a printing method set to confidential printing, where printing is performed only after reception of a prescribed instruction, is received while the operating mode is switched to said sleep mode, said switching portion maintains said sleep mode, instead of switching the operating mode to said standby mode.

A printing system including at least one client and a server for controlling a plurality of image forming apparatuses,

• each of said at least one client comprising:
• a setting portion to accept setting for printing;
• a generating portion to generate a print job based on said accepted setting;
• and
• a first transmitting portion to transmit said generated print job to said server;
• said server comprising:
• a storage portion to store said print job received from at least one of said at least one client;
• and
• a second transmitting portion, when transmission of said stored print job is requested from one of said plurality of image forming apparatuses, to transmit said print job to said image forming apparatus that requested the transmission of the print job;
• each of said at least one client further comprising:
• a selection accepting portion to accept selection of one of said plurality of image forming apparatuses when setting of confidential printing as a printing method, where printing is performed only after reception of a prescribed instruction, is accepted by said setting portion;
• and
• an apparatus transmitting portion to transmit identification information for identifying said selected image forming apparatus to said server;
• and
• said server further comprising:
• a control portion, upon reception of said identification information from at least one of said at least one client, to control said image forming apparatus specified by the identification information to attain a printable state.

A control method executed in a control device for controlling an image forming apparatus having operating modes of a standby mode ready for printing and a sleep mode unready for printing and consuming less power than in said standby mode, in which when a print job having a printing method set to confidential printing, where printing is performed only after reception of a prescribed instruction, is received while the operating mode is switched to said sleep mode, said sleep mode is maintained instead of being switched to said standby mode, comprising the steps of

• accepting setting for printing;
• generating a job based on said accepted setting;
• transmitting said generated job to said image forming apparatus;
• and
• controlling to switch the operating mode of said image forming apparatus to said standby mode when the setting of said confidential printing as the printing method is accepted in said step of accepting the setting and when a predetermined condition is satisfied.

A control method, comprising the steps of

• externally receiving a print job;
• switching an operating mode to one of a standby mode ready for printing and a sleep mode unready for printing and consuming less power than in said standby mode;
• and
• when a print job having a printing method set to confidential printing where printing is performed only after reception of a prescribed instruction is received while the operating mode is switched to said sleep mode, maintaining said sleep mode instead of switching the operating mode to said standby mode.

A control method executed by at least one client and a server for controlling a plurality of image forming apparatuses,

• causing each of said at least one client to execute the steps of;
• accepting setting for printing;
• generating a print job based on said accepted setting;
• and
• transmitting said generated print job to said server;
• causing said server to execute the steps of:
• storing said print job received from at least one of said at least one client;
• and
• when transmission of said stored print job is requested from one of said plurality of image forming apparatuses, transmitting said print job to said image forming apparatus that requested the transmission of the print job;
• causing each of said at least one client to further execute the steps of:
• when setting of confidential printing as a printing method where printing is performed only after reception of a prescribed instruction is accepted in said step of accepting the setting, selecting one of said plurality of image forming apparatuses;
• and
• transmitting identification information for identifying said selected image forming apparatus to said server;
• and
• causing said server to further execute the step of:
• when receiving said identification information from at least one of said at least one client, controlling said image forming apparatus specified by the identification information to attain a printable state.

A control program for a control device for controlling an image forming apparatus having operating modes of a standby mode ready for printing and a sleep mode unready for printing and consuming less power than in said standby mode, in which when a print job having a printing method set to confidential printing, where printing is performed only after reception of a prescribed instruction, is received while the operating mode is switched to said sleep mode, said sleep mode is maintained instead of being switched to said standby mode,

• the control program being embodied on a computer readable medium for causing said control device to execute processing comprising the steps of:
• accepting setting for printing;
• generating a job based on said accepted setting;
• transmitting said generated job to said image forming apparatus;
• and
• when setting of said confidential printing as the printing method is accepted in said step of accepting the setting and when a predetermined condition is satisfied, controlling said image forming apparatus to attain a printable state.

A control program embodied on a computer readable medium for causing a computer to execute processing comprising the steps of:

• externally receiving a print job;
• switching an operating mode to one of a standby mode ready for printing and a sleep mode unready for printing and consuming less power than in said standby mode;
• and
• maintaining said sleep mode, instead of switching the operating mode to said standby mode, when a print job having a printing method set to confidential printing where printing is performed only after reception of a prescribed instruction is received while the operating mode is switched to said sleep mode.