Patent ID: 7931262

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising: a print engine which forms an image based on image data processed in a unit of page and prints the image on a paper; and a controller which, in a case where it is requested in a given print job that printed papers be sent to a finisher to be stapled with a stapler in the finisher, counts the number of pages of image data that are intended to be printed on papers in the current print job, concurrently with an operation for said print engine to actually print images on papers based on image data processed for said print engine, and when determining that a count value of the pages exceeds an upper limit number of printed papers that are staplable with the stapler, gives to the finisher a command that the received printed papers should be discharged without being stapled, at a stage when the processing of the image data in number exceeding the upper limit number is finished and the number of the printed papers actually sent to the finisher is fess than the count value, thereby making the number of the printed papers discharged without being stapled by the finisher smaller than the upper limit number.