Patent ID: 7262872

Claim:
A printing system configured by connecting, over a network, a printing request instruction terminal that makes a printing request including reference information that indicates a storage location of original data, a server that accepts the printing request from the printing request instruction terminal, designates a printer as a printing destination according to the printing request and sends a printing instruction to the designated printer, and a plurality of printers that execute printing of the original data according to the printing instruction from the server, wherein the server comprises: a determination unit that, when receiving the printing request from the printing request instruction terminal, determines whether or not the printer designated as the printing destination has a pull-printing function to execute printing by obtaining the original data based on the reference information; and a print control unit that, when it is determined that the designated printer does not have the pull-printing function, obtains the original data based on the reference information and sends the obtained original data together with the printing instruction to the designated printer; wherein: when the accepted printing request includes instruction to output the original data from a printer which has become available first among designated multiple printers, the determination unit determines whether or not all the designated multiple printers have the pull-printing function; and when it is not determined that all of the designated multiple printers has the pull-printing function, the print control unit obtains the original data based on the reference information and sends the obtained original data to the printer which has become available first together with the printing instruction.