JP2007038545A - Image forming device, image forming method, and image forming program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming device which can easily acquire a printed matter for which a form image and a printing image are formed on a recording material by utilizing form data which is stored without the burden of a user even when the recording material on which the form image has been printed goes out, and to provide an image forming method, and an image forming program. <P>SOLUTION: An MFP as the image forming device reads the form data being electronic data of the form image from an IC tag which is provided on the printing paper on which the form image has been printed, and stores the form data in a storage section (S105). Then, the MFP judges whether the form image has been printed or not on the printing paper which has been used for the execution of an indicated printing job, and performs a control for acquiring the printed matter for which the form image corresponding to the printing job, and a printed image based on the printing job have been formed on a paper material, in response to the judgement result. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, an image forming method, and an image forming program.

  When creating documents such as quotations, approval documents, books, etc., a print image showing the specific contents is printed on a sheet on which a form image, which is a fixed image such as a predetermined frame, is printed. The

  On the other hand, a technique is disclosed in which paper information such as paper type and size is stored in an electronic tag of a paper provided with an electronic tag capable of storing electronic data (see Patent Document 1). According to such a technique, it is considered that it is possible to select a sheet on which a form image corresponding to a print job, for example, suitable for use in printing by the image forming apparatus is printed.

  However, it is necessary to always prepare a sheet on which a form image is printed, and there is a problem that a document using the form image cannot be created when the sheet is cut in the image forming apparatus.

  In order to solve this problem, form data that is electronic data of a form image is stored in advance in a storage unit such as a hard disk of the image forming apparatus, and a print image based on a print job is designated at the time of printing. A form overlay technique has been proposed in which images are superimposed and printed.

However, when this form overlay technology is used, form data that is frequently used is registered in advance, for example, by reading a document on which a form image is printed by an image reading unit of the image forming apparatus, that is, the image forming apparatus It was necessary to save in advance in the storage unit. In other words, the user needs to perform an operation for registering form data separately from the operation for printing, and there is a problem that the user is troublesome and time-consuming and increases the work load.
JP 2000-296653 A

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to save form data stored without any burden on the user even when the recording material on which the form image is printed runs out. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus, an image forming method, and an image forming program capable of easily obtaining a printed matter in which a form image and a printed image are formed on a recording material.

  The above object of the present invention is achieved by the following means.

  (1) Reading means for reading form data, which is electronic data of the form image, from an electronic tag provided on a recording material on which the form image is printed, storage means for storing the read form data, and a print job In accordance with a determination result by the determination means, a determination means for determining whether or not a form image is printed on a recording material used for execution of the instructed print job, Control means for performing control for obtaining a printed material formed on a recording material used for executing the print job, the form image corresponding to the print job and the print image based on the print job; An image forming apparatus.

  (2) When a form image is not printed on a recording material used for execution of an instructed print job, the control means is based on the form data stored in the storage means on the recording material. The image forming apparatus according to (1), wherein control is performed to print both the obtained form image corresponding to the print job and the print image based on the print job.

  (3) When a form image is printed on a recording material used for execution of an instructed print job, a comparison for comparing the form image printed on the recording material with the form image corresponding to the print job And when the form image printed on the recording material matches the form image corresponding to the print job, the control means only prints the print image based on the print job on the recording material. The image forming apparatus according to (1) or (2), wherein control for printing is performed.

  (4) When the form image printed on the recording material and the form image corresponding to the print job do not match, the control means notifies a warning. Image forming apparatus.

  (5) When the form image printed on the recording material does not match the form image corresponding to the print job, the control unit stops printing. Image forming apparatus.

(6) The reading unit reads form data from an electronic tag provided on a recording material designated by the print job when the print job is received,
The image forming apparatus according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the storage unit stores the read form data in association with the received print job.

  (7) a reading step of reading form data, which is electronic data of the form image, from an electronic tag provided on the recording material on which the form image is printed, a storage step of storing the read form data, and a print job In accordance with the determination result in the determination step, a determination step for determining whether or not a form image is printed on a recording material used for execution of the specified print job, A control step for performing control for obtaining a printed material formed on a recording material used for execution of the print job by a form image corresponding to the print job and a print image based on the print job. An image forming method.

  (8) A reading procedure for reading form data that is electronic data of the form image from an electronic tag provided on the recording material on which the form image is printed, and a saving procedure for saving the read form data in the storage unit A reception procedure for receiving an instruction to execute a print job, a determination procedure for determining whether or not a form image is printed on a recording material used for executing the specified print job, and a determination result in the determination procedure In response, a control procedure for performing control for obtaining a printed material formed on a recording material used for execution of the print job by a form image corresponding to the print job and a print image based on the print job; An image forming program for causing an image forming apparatus to execute the above.

  (9) A computer-readable recording medium on which the image forming program according to (8) is recorded.

  According to the present invention, electronic data of a form image printed in advance on a recording material can be stored in the storage unit of the image forming apparatus without burden on the user. As a result, even if the recording material on which the form image is printed is cut and there is only a blank recording material on which nothing is printed, the form image and the printing can be performed by using the form data stored in the storage unit. A printed matter in which an image is formed on a recording material can be easily obtained.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing the configuration of an MFP (Multi-Function Peripheral) as an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the MFP shown in FIG. .

  The MFP 100 includes a control unit 101, a storage unit 102, an operation panel unit 103, an ADF (Auto Document Feeder) 104, an image reading unit 105, a paper feeding unit 106, an IC tag reader 107, an image forming unit 108, an interface unit 109, and paper discharge. Unit 110, which are connected to each other via a bus 111 for exchanging signals.

  The control unit 101 includes a CPU, and controls the above units and performs various arithmetic processes according to a program. The storage unit 102 includes a ROM that stores various programs and various data in advance, a RAM that temporarily stores programs and data as a work area, a hard disk that stores various programs and various data including an operating system, and the like.

  The operation panel unit 103 includes a touch panel, a numeric keypad, a start button, a stop button, and the like, and is used for displaying various information and inputting various instructions.

  The ADF 104 sequentially conveys one or more set originals one by one to a predetermined reading position of the image reading unit 105, and sequentially discharges the originals after image reading.

  The image reading unit 105 irradiates the original set at a predetermined reading position or the original conveyed to the predetermined reading position by the ADF 104 with a light source such as a fluorescent lamp, and the reflected light is received by a light receiving element such as a CCD image sensor. Photoelectric conversion is performed to generate image data from the electrical signal.

  The paper feed unit 106 (generic name of the paper feed units 1 to 3) stores paper as a recording material used for printing, and sends the stored paper to the image forming unit 108 one by one.

  The IC tag readers 107a to 107c are provided in the vicinity of the paper feeding units 1 to 3, respectively. The IC tag reader 107 (generic name for 107a to 107c) reads electronic data stored in an IC tag of a sheet (hereinafter also referred to as an IC tag-attached sheet) provided with an IC tag as an electronic tag. In response to an instruction from the control unit 101, the IC tag reader 107 can read all the electronic data in the IC tag, or can read every predetermined unit. Examples of the communication method between the IC tag reader 107 and the IC tag include those defined in international standards ISO 14443, ISO 15693, and the like, and frequency bands such as 135 KHz, 13.56 MHz, and 2.45 GHz can be used. The frequency band mainly used is 13.56 MHz, and the communicable distance when the frequency band is used is about 30 cm. However, the communication method to be used is not limited to these, and other known communication methods or unique communication methods may be used.

  In addition, the IC tag reader 107 can detect whether or not an IC tag is provided on the paper stored in the paper supply unit 106. For example, the presence / absence of an IC tag in the paper is detected based on whether a radio wave is transmitted from the IC tag reader 107 and a radio wave is returned from the IC tag to the IC tag reader 107 accordingly. The method for detecting the presence / absence of the IC tag in the paper is not limited to the above method, and other detection methods may be adopted. The presence or absence of the IC tag in the paper can be detected immediately before reading the electronic data in the IC tag, when the paper is set in the paper feeding unit 106, when the MFP 100 is activated, or at predetermined time intervals.

  The image forming unit 108 prints various data on a sheet using a known image forming process such as an electrophotographic process including charging, exposure, development, transfer, and fixing processes.

  The interface unit 109 is an interface for communicating with an external device, such as a network interface based on standards such as Ethernet (registered trademark), token ring, and FDDI, a serial interface such as USB and IEEE1394, a parallel interface such as SCSI and IEEE1284, and BLUETOOTH. (Registered trademark), IEEE802.11, HomeRF, IrDA and other wireless communication interfaces, a telephone line interface for connecting to a telephone line, and the like can be used.

  The sheet discharge unit 110 discharges the sheet conveyed from the image forming unit 108 after finishing processing desired by the user in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 101. The finishing process includes a stapling process that staples a bundle of sheets, a punch punching process that punches filing holes at the end of the paper, a bookbinding process that bundles the paper into a book shape, a folding process that folds the paper, and For example, a trimmer process for cutting the edge of the paper. However, the paper discharge unit 110 may simply discharge the paper without the finishing function.

  MFP 100 has a print function for printing according to an instruction from an external device such as a PC or a portable terminal, or operation panel unit 103, and a copy function for copying a document.

  Note that the MFP 100 may include components other than the above-described components, or may not include some of the above-described components.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a paper with an IC tag on which a form image is printed. The IC-tagged paper 200 is configured such that an IC tag 220 is provided on at least a part of the paper 210. A form image 230, which is a fixed image such as a predetermined frame, is printed on the IC-tagged paper 200 shown in FIG. As the form image, for example, a form image for an estimate document, an approval document, a book, a letterhead, a postcard and the like can be cited.

  Here, the IC tag 220 may be affixed to the paper 210 or may be embedded in the paper 210. Further, the IC tag 220 provided on one sheet 210 may be one or plural.

  The IC tag 220 is a non-contact type electronic tag using wireless communication, and has a storage unit made up of an IC chip and an antenna unit made up of a coil (both not shown). When the IC tag 220 receives a radio wave emitted from the IC tag reader 107, a current flows through the IC tag 220 by electromagnetic induction coupling. Thus, the IC tag 220 performs wireless communication with the IC tag reader 107, and the IC tag reader 107 can read electronic data from the IC tag 220.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the contents of the electronic data stored in the IC tag 220. Electronic data 300 is stored in the storage unit of the IC tag 220. The electronic data 300 is described in the XML format and has IC tag information 310 and paper information 320.

  The IC tag information 310 is information related to the IC tag such as the presence / absence of the IC tag and the serial number of the IC tag.

  The paper information 320 is information about paper such as paper size and paper type. In the present embodiment, the paper information 320 includes information on the form image printed on the paper, such as the presence / absence of a form image, the type of form image, and form data.

  The information stored as electronic data in the IC tag 220 and the format of the electronic data are not limited to the above example.

  Next, the operation of the MFP of this embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of stored print job reception processing in MFP 100. Note that the algorithm shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5 is stored as a program in the storage unit 102 of the MFP 100 and is executed by the control unit 101.

  In this specification, the print job includes both a job related to printing based on data obtained by reading a document using a copy function and a job related to printing based on data received via the interface unit 109 using the print function. Shall be included. However, hereinafter, an example of a print job using the print function will be described.

  The print job is composed of print job information related to the print job and color print data including, for example, four colors of C (cyan), Y (yellow), M (magenta), and K (black).

  FIG. 6 shows an example of print job information. The print job information 400 includes job information 401 that is information relating to the entire print job, and page information 411, 412,.

  The print job is temporarily stored in the RAM of the storage unit 102 and converted into data that can be printed by the image forming unit 108. Here, various programs for converting the print job into printable data are stored in the hard disk of the storage unit 102, and a necessary program is read by the control unit 101 during the conversion process.

  First, the MFP 100 stands by until a stored print job is received (S101: NO). A print job including an instruction to save print data in the storage unit 102 (hard disk) of the MFP 100 is particularly referred to as an “accumulated print job”. Here, the received print job reception process will be described.

  Whether or not the print job is an accumulated print job can be determined from the value of the “accumulated print” parameter in the job information 401 (see FIG. 6) of the print job information 400. That is, the accumulated print job has two types of “accumulation” and “accumulation and printing”, and these types are described as values of the “accumulation print” parameter. Here, when the value of the “accumulated printing” parameter is “accumulated”, only the print data is stored in the storage unit 102 of the MFP 100, and printing itself is not performed. When the value of the “accumulated printing” parameter is “accumulated and printed”, the print data is stored in the storage unit 102 of the MFP 100 and printing is executed. Note that a print job whose “accumulated print” parameter value is “print” is a normal print job in which printing is executed without storing print data in the storage unit 102 of the MFP 100.

  When the stored print job is received (S101: YES), the print job information 400 included in the received print job is analyzed (S102). Specifically, it is recognized which paper feed unit is designated based on the “paper feed unit designation” parameter in the page information 411, 412,... Of the print job information 400.

  When the value of the “paper feeding unit designation” parameter is designated as any paper feeding unit, only the designated paper feeding unit is selected as a paper feeding unit selection target. When there is no desired sheet in the designated sheet feeding unit, it may be searched whether there is a desired sheet in another sheet feeding unit and the sheet feeding unit may be automatically switched. In addition, when the value of the “paper feeding unit designation” parameter is designated as “automatic selection”, all the paper feeding units 1, 2, and 3 are selected as paper feeding unit selection targets. However, in this embodiment, in order to simplify the description, the description of the case of automatic paper feed unit selection and the case of automatic paper feed unit switching are omitted.

  Subsequently, before starting the paper feeding operation, the MFP 100 uses the IC tag reader 107 to read the electronic data 300 (see FIG. 4) from the IC tag of the paper stored in the designated paper feeding unit. The read electronic data 300 is stored in the storage unit 102. Based on the electronic data 300, the attributes of the paper stored in the designated paper feeding unit can be grasped, and it can be determined whether or not the paper is suitable for printing.

  Specifically, it can be determined whether or not the paper size and the paper type match the content specified in the print job and the content of the electronic data stored in the IC tag of the paper. In this embodiment, in particular, information relating to the presence or absence of a form image is read from the IC tag of the paper contained in the designated paper feed unit (S103), and whether or not the form image is printed on the paper. Determination is made (S104). If the form image is not printed on the paper stored in the designated paper supply unit (S104: NO), the process proceeds to step S106.

  On the other hand, when the form image is printed on the paper stored in the designated paper feed unit (S104: YES), the form data is read from the IC tag of the paper contained in the designated paper feed unit. And stored in the storage unit 102 (S105). At this time, the form data is stored in association with the print job or a page in the print job. For example, the form data is stored in association with the form image type “F001” in the electronic data 300 (see FIG. 4) and the job ID “00009317” in the print job information 400 (see FIG. 6).

  In step S105, since the print job of the present embodiment is an accumulated print job, the print data is saved in the storage unit 102 (S106).

  Subsequently, it is determined whether the type of the accumulated print job is “accumulated print” or “accumulated” (S107). The type of accumulated print job can be recognized based on the value of the “accumulated print” parameter in the job information 401 (see FIG. 6) of the print job information 400.

  When the type of the accumulated print job is “accumulate and print” (S107: accumulation and print), the image forming unit 108 prints a print image on a sheet based on the print data (S108). Then, the printed paper is discharged by the paper discharge unit 110.

  On the other hand, when the type of the accumulated print job is “accumulated” (S107: accumulation), it is not necessary to execute printing, and the processing is ended as it is.

  Next, the accumulated print job execution process in MFP 100 will be described with reference to FIG. Note that the algorithm shown in the flowchart of FIG. 7 is stored as a program in the storage unit 102 of the MFP 100 and executed by the control unit 101.

  When printing the print data stored in the storage unit 102 of the MFP 100 on a sheet, the user selects a desired print job from a plurality of print jobs displayed in a list on the operation panel unit 103 of the MFP 100. Can be instructed to execute. The user can also select a desired print job and give an execution instruction on the PC (personal computer) via the interface unit 109 via the network. Here, a case where a print job execution instruction is issued on the operation panel unit 103 of the MFP 100 will be described.

  First, the MFP 100 stands by until there is an instruction to execute the accumulated print job (S201: NO).

  When there is an instruction to execute the accumulated print job (S201: YES), the designated paper feeding unit is recognized (S202).

  The designated paper feed unit is recognized based on the print job information of the accumulated print job. The print job information of this accumulated print job is the same as the print job information shown in FIG. 6, but the value of the “accumulated print” parameter is “accumulated”. Here, the print job information of the accumulated print job may be displayed on the operation panel unit 103, and the content of the print job information may be changed on the operation panel unit 103 by the user.

  Subsequently, information on the presence or absence of the form image is read from the IC tag of the paper stored in the designated paper feed unit (S203), and it is determined whether or not the form image is printed on the paper. (S204).

  When the form image is not printed on the paper stored in the designated paper feeding unit (S204: NO), the print job obtained based on the form data stored in the storage unit 102 on the paper Both the form image corresponding to the print image and the print image based on the print job are combined and printed (S205). The same applies to the case where the paper accommodated in the designated paper feeding unit is not equipped with an IC tag and the form image is not printed. The form image corresponding to the print job is specified by using the information associated in step S105. For example, it can be seen that the type of form image corresponding to the print job with the job ID “00009317” is “F001”.

  On the other hand, when the form image is printed on the paper stored in the designated paper feed unit (S204: YES), the form image printed on the paper is compared with the form image corresponding to the print job. (S206). Also in this comparison, the information associated in step S105 is used. For example, the type of form image corresponding to the print job with the job ID “00009317” is stored as “F001”, but the type of form image printed on the paper to be fed is “F002”. In this case, it is determined that the form image printed on the paper does not match the form image corresponding to the print job.

  If the two images match (S207: YES), only the print image based on the print job stored in the storage unit 102 is printed on the paper (S208).

  On the other hand, if the two images do not match (S207: NO), it cannot be printed as it is on a sheet on which a form image different from the form image corresponding to the print job is printed. Is displayed (S209).

  FIG. 8 shows an example of a warning screen. The warning screen 600 includes a message 601 indicating that the form image printed on the paper does not match the form image corresponding to the print job. Also, as shown in the figure, a code indicating the type of both images is preferably displayed. More preferably, a message for prompting replacement of paper is displayed. Further, the warning screen 600 includes a cancel button 602 for canceling printing, and a print execution button 603 for executing printing after paper replacement, for example. Note that if the two images do not match (S207: NO), the printing may be forcibly stopped immediately.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, electronic data of a form image printed in advance on a sheet can be stored in the storage unit 102 of the MFP 100 without burden on the user. As a result, even if there is only a blank sheet on which the form image is printed and nothing is printed, the form image and the print image can be obtained by using the form data stored in the storage unit 102. Can easily obtain printed matter formed on the paper.

  Therefore, when the paper on which the form image is printed is cut and there is only a blank paper, it is not necessary to insert the form image into the print job and transmit the print job, for example.

  In addition, when using paper on which form images are printed in advance and the form image printed on the paper matches the form image corresponding to the print job, only the print image based on the print job is printed. Therefore, processing time can be shortened.

  On the other hand, if the form image is pre-printed and the form image printed on the paper does not match the form image corresponding to the print job, a warning is sent to the user. Alternatively, since printing is stopped, it is possible to prevent useless printing contrary to the will of the user.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims.

  For example, the print job information 400 may include designation of the form image type. In this case, in step S205 in FIG. 7, both the designated form image obtained based on the form data stored in the storage unit 102 and the print image based on the print job are combined and printed. In step S206 in FIG. 7, the form image printed on the sheet is compared with the designated form image. According to such a configuration, the processing shown in FIG. 7 can also be applied to execution processing of a newly accepted print job. In this case, the form data is read from the IC tag provided on the paper designated by the print job when the print job is received, and the read form data is stored in association with the received print job. It is not always necessary. That is, for example, at any time such as when the paper is set in the paper feed unit, the form data is read from the IC tag provided on the paper in the paper feed unit, and the read form data is the type of form image. You may memorize | store with a code | symbol. Here, the form image corresponding to the print job can be specified by specifying the type of form image in the print job information 400 of the print job.

  Further, in the flowcharts of FIGS. 5 and 7, for the sake of simplification, the case where a paper feeding unit is designated for each print job and a form image is recognized for each paper feeding unit has been described. It is not limited to. For example, electronic data may be read out from IC tags of paper in a paper feed unit designated in units of pages in a print job, and form images may be recognized in units of paper. In this case, in FIG. 5, the processing of steps S102 to S105 is repeated for all pages in the print job, and in FIG. 7, the processing of step S203 to end is repeated for all sheets. As a result, even if the paper on which the form image is printed is cut halfway and changed to a blank paper, or even if a blank paper is mixed in the middle of the paper on which the form image is printed, an appropriate form image And a printed matter in which a print image is formed on a sheet.

  In the above embodiment, an MFP is used as the image forming apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other image forming apparatuses such as a copying machine and a printer may be used. .

  The means and method for performing various processes in the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment can be realized by either a dedicated hardware circuit or a programmed computer. The program may be provided by a computer-readable recording medium such as a flexible disk or a CD-ROM, or may be provided online via a network such as the Internet. In this case, the program recorded on the computer-readable recording medium is usually transferred to and stored in a storage unit such as a hard disk. The program may be provided as a single application software, or may be incorporated into the software of the apparatus as a function of the image forming apparatus.

1 is a schematic front view showing a configuration of an MFP as an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the MFP illustrated in FIG. 1. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the paper with an IC tag on which the form image was printed. It is a figure for demonstrating the content of the electronic data memorize | stored in the IC tag. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of received print job processing in the MFP. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of print job information. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for executing an accumulated print job in the MFP. It is a figure which shows an example of a warning screen.

Explanation of symbols

100 MFP,
101 control unit,
102 storage unit,
103 Operation panel section,
104 ADF,
105 image reading unit,
106 (1-3) paper feed unit,
107 (107a-107c) IC tag reader,
108 Image forming unit,
109 interface part,
110 Paper discharge section,
111 bus,
200 IC-tagged paper,
210 paper,
220 IC tag,
230 form image,
300 electronic data,
400 print job information,
600 Warning screen.

Claims (9)

Reading means for reading out form data, which is electronic data of the form image, from an electronic tag provided on the recording material on which the form image is printed,
Storage means for storing the read form data;
Receiving means for receiving an instruction to execute a print job;
Determining means for determining whether or not a form image is printed on a recording material used for execution of an instructed print job;
According to a determination result by the determination unit, a form image corresponding to the print job and a print image based on the print job are used to acquire a printed matter formed on a recording material used for executing the print job. Control means for controlling;
An image forming apparatus comprising:   When the form image is not printed on the recording material used to execute the instructed print job, the control means is obtained based on the form data stored in the storage means on the recording material. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein control is performed to print both a form image corresponding to the print job and a print image based on the print job. Comparing means for comparing the form image printed on the recording material and the form image corresponding to the print job when the form image is printed on the recording material used for executing the instructed print job Have
When the form image printed on the recording material matches the form image corresponding to the print job, the control means controls to print only the print image based on the print job on the recording material. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:   4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when the form image printed on the recording material does not match the form image corresponding to the print job, the control unit notifies a warning.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the control unit stops printing when a form image printed on the recording material and a form image corresponding to the print job do not match. The reading means reads form data from an electronic tag provided on a recording material designated by the print job when the print job is received,
6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit stores the read form data in association with the received print job. A reading step of reading out form data, which is electronic data of the form image, from an electronic tag provided on the recording material on which the form image is printed;
A storage step for storing the read form data;
A reception step for receiving an instruction to execute a print job;
A determination step of determining whether or not a form image is printed on a recording material used for execution of an instructed print job;
According to the determination result in the determination step, a form image corresponding to the print job and a print image based on the print job are used to obtain a printed matter formed on a recording material used for executing the print job. A control step for performing control;
An image forming method comprising: A reading procedure for reading out form data, which is electronic data of the form image, from an electronic tag provided on the recording material on which the form image is printed,
A storage procedure for storing the read form data in the storage means;
A reception procedure for receiving an instruction to execute a print job;
A determination procedure for determining whether or not a form image is printed on a recording material used for execution of an instructed print job;
According to a determination result in the determination procedure, a form image corresponding to the print job and a print image based on the print job are used to obtain a printed matter formed on a recording material used for executing the print job. A control procedure for performing control;
An image forming program for causing an image forming apparatus to execute the above.   A computer-readable recording medium on which the image forming program according to claim 8 is recorded.

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