Patent ID: 8687208

Claim:
A printing control apparatus connected to first and second devices that process a print job that includes job definition information in which a parameter is defined and information relating to drawing data used in printing, the printing control apparatus comprising: a first determination unit configured to determine whether the parameter defined in the job definition information has been changed into a new parameter in the first device; a collection unit, configured to, if the first determination unit determines that the parameter has been changed into a new parameter, collect the job definition information defining the new parameter; a deletion unit configured to delete access information to access the drawing data from the collected job definition information; a holding unit configured to hold the job definition information from which the access information has been deleted; a second determination unit configured to determine whether to delete the print job, the second determination unit determining to delete the print job when print processing of confidential information is performed; and an instruction unit configured to: instruct the first device to delete the print job in response to completion of processing in the first device when the second determination unit determines to delete the print job and a first deletion mode has been set; instruct the second device to sequentially delete the print job in response to completion of processing in the second device after the first device has been instructed to perform deletion of the print job in the first device when the second determination unit determines to delete the print job and the first deletion mode has been set; and instruct the first and second devices to delete the print job in response to completion of processing in both the first and second devices when the second determination unit determines to delete the print job and a second deletion mode has been set, wherein the deletion unit is configured to: after the instruction unit sends the instruction to the second device to sequentially delete the print job in response to completion of processing in the second device, delete access information to access drawing data from the collected job definition information; and after the instruction unit sends the instruction to both the first and second devices to delete the print job in response to completion of processing in both the first and second devices, delete access information to access the drawing data from the collected job definition information, wherein the processing in the second device begins after completion of the processing in the first device.