Patent ID: 9335701
Filing Date: 2016-05-10
CPC Classification: B65H,G03G

Claim Text:
1. An image forming apparatus comprising: a job executing section including a printing section that prints an image on paper and a finishing processing section; and a storage section that stores information, wherein the finishing processing section performs stapling processing on a paper sheaf composed of a plurality of sheets of paper conveyed from the printing section, the finishing processing section performing the stapling processing based on a stapling pattern designated by a user from among a plurality of stapling patterns that each stipulates a position of each of one or more stapling points and the number of stapling points, the storage section stores a threshold sheet number indicating a predetermined minimum number of paper sheaf sheets that is used as a determination criterion for whether or not to execute damage restriction processing, and when the number of sheets in a target paper sheaf that is a target of the stapling processing is smaller than the threshold sheet number, the job executing section executes, as the damage restriction processing, one or more of: first processing of ejecting paper without performing the stapling processing; second processing of performing the stapling processing after increasing the number of sheets in the target paper sheaf to the threshold sheet number; and third processing of performing the stapling processing at a larger number of stapling points than the number of stapling points stipulated by the stapling pattern designated by the user.