Patent ID: 8179547

Claim:
A printing apparatus comprising: an input unit which inputs a file; a code information generating unit which generates a first code information based on the file, the first code information including identification information of the file, a page number of the file, a total page number of the file, and a data part; a printing unit which prints the first code information including the identification information of the file, the page number of the file, the total page number of the file, and the data part on a first sheet group, whereas the coded identification information, the page number and the total page number are printed in a header part of the sheets of the first sheet group and the coded data part is printed in a data part of the sheets of the first sheet group, and prints a second code information including identification information of the file inputted by the input unit on a second sheet group, a reading unit which reads the identification information printed on the first and second sheet groups; a determination unit which determines whether a desired sheet is found or not based on the identification information read by the reading unit; a processing unit is configured to; start a timer to monitor the processing time; if the determination unit determines that the desired sheet is not found, determine whether the timer has reached a preset time period, if the processing unit determines that the timer has not reached the preset time period, make the reading unit skip reading of the data part of an undesired sheet and make the reading unit read the header part of another sheet, if the processing unit determines that the timer has reached the preset time period, discard an accumulated data obtained by the reading unit, if the determination unit determines that the desired sheet is found, make the reading unit read the data part of the desired sheet; a storage unit which stores data read from the data part; and a decoding unit which decodes the data stored in the storage unit when the data stored in the storage unit becomes decodable.