Patent ID: 8582176

Claim:
An image forming apparatus that is connected to an image forming system in which a plurality of image forming apparatuses being linked can perform image processing, and serves as an operation target on which an operation input is performed by a user, the image forming apparatus comprising: a user environment information acquiring unit that acquires user environment information, which is information shared among the plurality of image forming apparatuses, including screen layout information that represents a layout of a screen displayed by a display unit when the user performs the operation input of instructing to perform the image processing and setting information that represents various settings relating to the image processing; a user environment information reflecting unit that generates the screen representing the settings by using the user environment information acquired by the user environment information acquiring unit; a capability acquiring unit that acquires capability information representing capabilities, relating to all or a part of the settings, of the plurality of image forming apparatuses; a settability determining unit that determines the settability of various settings represented in the setting information by using the capability information acquired by the capability acquiring unit and the setting information included in the user environment information; a display control unit that is a unit displaying the screen on the display unit and further displays the screen that represents a determination result of the settability determining unit on the display unit; a search unit that searches for a first image forming apparatus for which the various settings represented in the setting information can be set and a second image forming apparatus for which all or a part of the various settings represented in the setting information cannot be set; and a search result output unit that further displays the screen representing a search result of the search unit on the display unit through the display control unit.