Patent ID: 7826085

Claim:
An image-forming apparatus capable of communicating with a terminal device which can provide an instruction for image formation to the image-forming apparatus, wherein the image-forming apparatus comprises: an image-forming unit; a signal-transmitting unit, which transmits, to the terminal device, a request signal for requesting the transmission of a signal indicating a function that is available for the terminal device that has received the request signal; a signal-receiving unit, which receives the signal that is transmitted by the terminal device as a response to the request signal and that indicates the function that is available for the terminal device; a first storage unit for storing a starting condition of a preparing action for image formation in the image-forming unit; a first determining unit for determining whether the starting condition of the preparing action stored in the first storage unit is satisfied at the time the signal-receiving unit receives the signal that is transmitted by the terminal device and the signal received indicating a function that is performable by the image-forming apparatus; and an instruction unit for providing an instruction to start the preparing action for image formation in the image-forming unit when the first determining unit determines that the starting condition of the preparing action is satisfied.