Patent ID: 8643867

Claim:
An image forming apparatus, comprising: an added annotation image detecting section that detects added annotation image data contained within image data to be printed by analyzing the image data to be printed, the added annotation image data having been added to master image data; an added image determination section that, when added annotation image data is detected by the added annotation image detecting section, determines whether the detected added annotation image data corresponds to post-processing on a post-processing apparatus which applies the post-processing to a printing medium which has been subjected to printing; an image forming section that forms a printed image corresponding to the master image data by removing the added annotation image data from image data to be printed if the added annotation image determination section determines that the added annotation image data corresponds to the post-processing; and a post-processing controller that instructs the post-processing apparatus to apply, to the printing medium which has been subjected to the prior printing process of the master image data, the post-processing for the added annotation image data if the added annotation image determination section determines that the added annotation image data corresponds to the post-processing.