Patent ID: 7609989

Claim:
A control method of a system, comprising: a determination step of determining, based on user information, to generate a first image containing a latent pattern and a background pattern, so that a visible pattern appears upon copying the first image, or to generate a second image containing the latent pattern but no background pattern; a generation step of generating the first image to be combined with a print target image, when it is determined in the determination step to generate the first image, and generating the second image to be combined with the print target image, when it is determined in the determination step to generate the second image; a combination step of combining the first or second image generated in the generation step with the print target image; and a print step of printing combination data obtained in the combination step, wherein, in the generation step, the second image is generated by repeatedly pasting the latent pattern in a region with a predetermined size without overlap, wherein the system holds first number information indicating the number of copies printed in the past by a user indicated by the user information using the first image, and wherein the determination step includes: a step of acquiring second number information indicating the number of copies using the first image, which is permitted for the user, and a step of determining to generate the first image when the number indicated by the first number information is equal to or less than the number indicated by the second number information, and determining to generate the second image when the number indicated by the first number information is more than the number indicated by the second number information.