Patent ID: 7796910

Claim:
An image forming apparatus in which a plurality of printing jobs can be reserved comprising: a setting device to set suspended state retention time for which a suspended state of a suspended printing job is retained; a timing device to make measurement of the suspended state retention time set by the setting device; a controlling device to make determination whether the suspended printing job can be resumed and whether a subsequent printing job which can be printed exists when a printing job during output operation has been suspended, and to control a printing process of the image forming apparatus based on results of the determination and the measurement by the timing device; a sheet number detecting device for detecting number of printed sheets outputted by the suspended printing job when a printing job during output operation has been suspended; and a plurality of sheet ejecting sections to output printed sheets, wherein when the controlling device determines that the suspended printing job cannot be resumed within the suspended state retention time and that a subsequent printing job which can be printed exists, the controlling device conducts detection of a sheet ejecting section which has been designated for the subsequent printing job and a sheet ejecting section which has been designated for the suspended printing job, compares the detected sheet ejecting sections and when the sheet ejecting section for the subsequent printing job and the sheet ejecting section for the suspended printing job are different, the controlling device changes executing order of the subsequent printing job and the suspended printing job, and executes the subsequent printing job, and when the sheet ejecting section for the subsequent printing job and the sheet ejecting section for the suspended printing job are identical, if it is detected by the sheet number detecting device that no printed sheet has been outputted by the suspended printing job, the controlling device changes executing order of the subsequent printing job and the suspended printing job, and executes the subsequent printing job and if it is detected by the sheet number detecting device that one or more printed sheets have been outputted by the suspended printing job, the controlling device does not change executing order of the subsequent printing job and the suspended printing job.