Printing apparatus, printing system and printer driver

A printing apparatus comprising:

• a storage unit;
• an input unit that is a receiving unit that receives a print job from at least one information processing apparatus communicatably connected to the printing apparatus;
• a printing unit, which executes the print-job input through the input unit, and which prints an image onto a recording medium;
• a connecting unit that is connectable to a removable storage medium;
• and
• a control unit that:
• reads identification information of the print-job from the connected removable storage medium when the storage medium is connected to the connecting unit,
• initiates a priority printing process that causes the printing unit to execute the print-job identified by the read identification information with priority over at least one print-job that starts being input to the input unit at a time earlier than when the print-job identified by the read identification information started being input,
• interrupts the reception of the print-job by the receiving unit,
• causes the receiving unit to receive a print-job, which is identified by the identification information read from the storage medium, and which is ready to be transmitted, from the at least one information processing apparatus with priority,
• causes the storage unit to store an address of the information processing apparatus transmitting the connection request when the receiving unit receives a connection request from one of the information processing apparatuses while the receiving unit is receiving a print-job,
• causes the receiving unit to interrupt the reception of the receiving print-job when the storage medium is connected to the connecting unit while the receiving unit is receiving a print-job,
• causes the receiving unit to receive identification information of a print-job that is ready to be transmitted from the information processing apparatus specified by the address stored in the storage unit when a reception of the print-job is interrupted by the interrupt process,
• wherein the control unit determines whether the received identification information is identical with identification information read from the connected storage medium,
• causes the receiving unit to receive a print-job, which is ready to be transmitted, and which is identified by the identification information from the information processing apparatus transmitting the connection request with priority when the received identification information is identical with the identification information,
• causes the printing unit to execute a print-job received by the priority printing process with priority over the print-job the reception of which was interrupted.

A printing system including a printing apparatus and an information processing apparatus connected communicatably with the printing apparatus,

• wherein the information processing apparatus comprises:
• a generating unit that generates a print-job;
• a first connecting unit that is connectable to a removable storage medium;
• and
• a storage controlling unit that causes a connected storage medium to store identification information, which identifies the print-job generated by the generating unit, and
• wherein the printing apparatus comprises:
• a storage unit;
• an input unit through which a print-job is input;
• a printing unit, which executes the print-job input through the input unit, and which prints an image onto a recording medium;
• a second connecting unit that is connectable to a removable storage medium;
• and
• a control unit that:
• reads identification information of the print-job from a connected removable storage medium when the removable storage medium is connected to the second connecting unit,
• initiates a priority printing process that causes the printing unit to execute the print-job identified by the read identification information with priority over at least one print-job that starts being input to the input unit at a time earlier than when the print-job identified by the read identification information started being input,
• interrupts the reception of the print-job by the receiving unit,
• causes the receiving unit to receive a print-job, which is identified by the identification information read from the storage medium, and which is ready to be transmitted, from the at least one information processing apparatus with priority,
• causes the receiving unit to receive the identification information of a print-job that is ready to be transmitted from the information processing apparatus that transmits the connection request when the receiving unit receives a connection request from the at least one information processing apparatus while the receiving unit is receiving the print-job,
• causes the storage unit to record both the received identification information and an address of the information processing apparatus, which is transmitting the connection request, and which corresponds with each other into the storage unit,
• determines whether the identification information read from the storage medium is identical with the identification information stored in the storage unit when the storage medium is connected to the connecting unit while the receiving unit is receiving a print-job,
• causes the receiving unit to interrupt the reception of the print-job when the control unit determines that the identification information read from the storage medium is identical with the stored identification information in the storage unit,
• causes the receiving unit to receive a print-job identified by the identification information with priority from the information processing apparatus specified by the address, which is recorded in the storage unit, and which corresponds to the identification information read from the storage medium when a reception of the print-job is interrupted,
• causes the printing unit to execute the print-job received by the priority printing process with priority over the print-job the reception of which was interrupted.