Patent ID: 8368940

Claim:
A digital-image printing system comprising: an external device configured to store digital image data; and a printing apparatus configured to print the digital image data received from the external device on paper, wherein the external device is configured to transmit information on a paper size, an index print command, and at least one piece of digital image data to the printing apparatus, the printing apparatus includes: a paper feeding unit that includes a plurality of trays, each storing sheets of paper in a vertical orientation or in a horizontal orientation; an index layout table that stores a plurality of image layout modes corresponding to combinations of paper sizes and horizontal and vertical orientations of paper, the image layout mode being information on an arrangement of an image on the paper; a receiving unit configured to receive the information on the paper size, the index print command, and the at least one piece of digital image data from the external device; a selecting unit configured to select one of the trays corresponding to the paper size in the received information; a determining unit configured to determine whether an orientation of the paper being stored in the selected tray is horizontal or vertical; an acquiring unit configured to acquire, from the index layout table, an image layout mode corresponding to a combination of the paper size in the received information and the orientation of the paper determined by the determining unit; and the printing apparatus is configured to output, when the receiving unit receives the index print command, an index image that arranges an image in the received digital image data on the paper from the selected tray, based on the acquired layout mode, wherein the selecting unit is configured to select, when the paper feeding unit has no tray storing paper of the paper size in the received information, a tray in which paper of a predetermined size is stored, the determining unit is configured to determine whether an orientation of the paper having the predetermined size and being stored in the selected tray is horizontal or vertical and to set a page layout to the determined orientation when the paper feeding unit has no tray storing paper of a size designated in the received information, and the acquiring unit is configured to acquire an image layout mode corresponding to a combination of the predetermined size and the orientation of the paper having the predetermined size and being stored in the selected tray.