Patent ID: 8406639

Claim:
A printing system, comprising: a plurality of image forming apparatuses, each of the plurality of image forming apparatuses connected to a network and including a plurality of sheet trays to store sheets to form images thereon and a detecting section provided to each of the plurality of sheet trays and to detect a capacity of empty space of each of the plurality of sheet trays; and a sheet managing section to obtain a capacity of empty space of each of the plurality of sheet trays of each of the plurality of image forming apparatuses and to compare the capacity of empty space of each of the plurality of sheet trays with a capacity of sheets of one or plural bundles of sheets as a unit of supply to be stored in the plurality of sheet trays, wherein in the case that the capacity of empty space of a sheet tray among the plurality of sheet trays of each of the plurality of image forming apparatuses is equal to or larger than the capacity of sheets of one or plural bundles of sheets, the sheet managing section notifies that sheet supply can be conducted by one or plural bundle of sheets as a unit of supply to the sheet tray, and wherein the sheet managing section specifies plural sheet trays in plural image forming apparatuses storing sheets of the same size and the same kind among the plurality of sheet trays of each of the plurality of image forming apparatuses and compares a total capacity of empty space of the plural sheet trays with a capacity of sheets of one or plural bundles of sheets as a unit of supply to be stored in the plural sheet trays, and in the case that the total capacity of empty space is equal to or larger than the capacity of sheets of one or plural bundles of sheets, the sheet managing section notifies that sheet supply can be conducted by the one or plural bundle of sheets as a unit of supply to the plural sheet trays by distributing the one or plural bundle of sheets to the plural sheet trays in the plural image forming apparatuses.