Patent ID: 6188868
Filing Date: 2001-02-13
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
An image forming apparatus comprising:receiving means for sequentially receiving a plurality of pages of image data of at least, a single size, in a main scanning direction and in a sub-scanning direction, in accordance with an instruction of a stapling process; andimage forming means for sequentially forming images on an image formation medium, on the basis of each page of the image data received by said receiving means,said apparatus further comprising:discrimination means for discriminating a width in the main scanning direction and a size, of each image data received by said receiving means;setting means for setting the maximum number of pages of the image data that are to be stapled, on the basis of a result of the detection of a first detecting means about the size of the first page of the image data received by said receiving means;cancellation means for canceling the setting of the stapling process when it is discriminated that the size of second and following pages of the image data received by said receiving means, as discriminated by said discrimination means, is the same as the size of the first page and that the width in the main scanning direction of the second and following pages of the image data received by said receiving means, as discriminated by said discrimination means, is different from the width in the main scanning direction of the first page; andchanging means for changing the maximum number of pages that are to be stapled, as set by said setting means, when it is discriminated that the size of second and following pages of the image data received by said receiving means, as discriminated by said discrimination means, is different from the size of the first page and that the width in the main scanning direction of the second and following pages of the image data received by said receiving means, as discriminated by said discrimination means, is the same as the width in the main scanning direction of the first page.