Patent ID: 8061911

Claim:
An image forming apparatus having a plurality of trays for accommodating a plurality of different types of print media, which comprises: a receiving section for receiving print data from an upper apparatus; a storing section for storing first print media designation information included in the print data received from the upper apparatus; a judging section for judging whether or not first print media is accommodated in the plurality of trays, the first print media being print media that corresponds to the first print media designation information; an informing section which, if at least one of the trays accommodates the first print media at the beginning of a print job but the first print media is used up before completion of the print job, issues a first print media replacement request to request an operator to replenish the first print media, and which if none of the plurality of trays accommodates the first print media at the beginning of the print job, issues a first print media placement request to request the operator to place first print media in one of the plurality of trays in which second print media is accommodated, the second print media being different from the first print media; and a controller which, after issuance of the first print media placement request, executes an image forming process on the basis of the print data by using the second print media in said one of the trays if the operator inputs a continue printing instruction and, if the operator does not input the continue printing instruction but instead loads arbitrary print media into said one of the trays, executes the image forming process using the arbitrary print media; wherein the informing section, if the operator inputted the continue printing instruction after issuance of the first print media placement request and if the second print media in said one of the trays is subsequently used up, issues a second print media placement request to request the operator to place second print media in said one of the trays, and wherein the controller, if second print media is placed in said one of the trays after issuance of the second print media placement request, continues the image forming process on the basis of the print data by using the second print media.