Patent ID: 7788318

Claim:
A printing management system comprising a printing management server which is connectable to a user terminal via a network and a printing apparatus which is connectable to a document server via a network, wherein the printing management server includes: a receiving unit, which receives a printing request of an electronic file, via said network; an identification pattern generating unit, which generates an identification pattern including both information concerning a storing place of the electronic file and information concerning a printing condition of the electronic file, the identification pattern generated based on the received printing request of the electronic file, the printing condition including at least one of a sheet size, a printing quantity, a black and white/color printing selection, a reduction ratio and a quantity of pages N, the quantity of pages N corresponding to the number of pages to be placed on a single page in N-up printing; and a sending unit, which sends back said identification pattern to the user terminal, via said network, and the printing apparatus includes: a reading unit, which reads said identification pattern output by the user terminal; an electronic file obtaining unit, which obtains an electronic file from said electronic file management server, via said network, based on the read identification pattern and extracts information concerning the printing condition of the electronic file from said identification pattern; and a printing unit, which prints the obtained electronic file based on the extracted information concerning the printing condition.