Image forming apparatus and image forming system

An image forming apparatus which registers at least one printing condition pre-used by a user and is connected with at least one host computer that displays the at least one printing condition for making the user to use, comprising:

• a printing condition registering section to register the at least one printing condition, each containing plural condition elements,
• a state detecting and obtaining section which, when having received a request from said host computer to use one of the at least one printing condition, detects a change of action states and obtains state detection information corresponding to the change;
• a printing condition abstracting section to judge whether or not each condition element can be executed on the basis of the respective state detection information so as to judge whether printing conditions, that includes corresponding condition elements, is valid or invalid, and to send at least one valid printing condition to the host apparatus;
• and
• a printing section to print based upon a valid printing condition outputted from the host computer after the valid printing condition is selected.

An image forming system which includes an information processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus to print printing data output from said information processing apparatus on the basis of printing conditions comprising:

• a condition element inputting section to input condition elements to correspond to printing action states;
• a printing condition registering section to register a plurality of printing conditions each made up of a group of said condition elements that are related to each other;
• a state obtaining section to detect respective action states for printing that correspond to the condition elements stored in the printing condition registering section, based upon a request to use one of the plurality of printing conditions that is outputted from the information processing apparatus, and to obtain respective state detection information;
• a printing condition judging section to judge whether or not each condition element can be executed on the basis of the respective state detection information so as to judge whether printing conditions, that includes corresponding condition elements, is valid or invalid, and to send at least one valid printing condition to the information processing apparatus;
• a printing condition outputting section to output at least one valid printing condition based on a judgment result obtained by said printing condition judging section;
• a printing condition selecting section to select one of said valid printing conditions outputted from said printing condition outputting section;
• and
• a printing section to print according to the valid printing conditions selected from the print condition selecting section.

An image forming system, comprising:

• an image forming apparatus which registers printing conditions pre-used by a user;
• and
• at least one host computer that displays the printing condition for making user to use, comprising:
• wherein the host computer sends a request to use one of the printing conditions;
• wherein the image forming apparatus includes a printing condition registering section to register the printing conditions, each containing plural condition elements,
• a state detecting and obtaining section to detect respective action states for printing that correspond to the plural condition elements stored in the printing condition registering section, based upon a request to use one of the printing conditions outputted from the host apparatus, and to obtain respective state detection information;
• a printing condition abstracting section to judge whether or not each condition element can be executed on the basis of the respective state detection information so as to judge whether printing conditions, that includes corresponding condition elements, is valid or invalid, and to send at least one valid printing condition to the host computer;
• and
• a printing section to print based upon a valid printing condition outputted from the host computer after the valid printing condition is selected by the user.