Patent ID: 8570561

Claim:
An image forming apparatus connected to a network, the image forming apparatus comprising: a storage part; a printing request receiving part configured to receive a printing request from a data processing apparatus via the network and record the printing request in the storage part, the printing request including a page description language list indicating at least one page description language applicable to the data processing apparatus; a determining part configured to determine whether the data processing apparatus is to convert electronic data associated to the printing request into printing data based on whether the page description language list includes a page description language processable by the image forming apparatus; a data obtaining part configured to transmit a first request for transmitting the printing data to the data processing apparatus when the determining part determines that the data processing apparatus is to convert the electronic data into the printing data and transmit a second request for transmitting the electronic data to the data processing apparatus when the determining part determines that the data processing apparatus is not to convert the electronic data into the printing data and configured to receive the printing data or the electronic data in response to the first and second request; and a printing part configured to perform printing based on the printing data or the electronic data obtained from the data obtaining part.