Patent ID: 7204651

Claim:
A printer which is adapted to attach a cartridge for printing having a recording element thereto and which is connected to a host, the printer comprising: a controller, which receives printing data including date information representing a date on which the printing data is transmitted from the host, and which determines whether starting date information of the cartridge is recorded in the recording element; and a recorder, which records the date information on the recording element as the starting date information of the cartridge when the controller determines that starting date information is not recorded in the recording element of the cartridge; wherein the controller determines whether the starting date information of the cartridge is recorded in the recording element, whether the residual amount of toner stored in the cartridge is empty, and whether end date information of the cartridge is recorded in the recording element; and wherein the recorder records the date information on the recording element as the end date information of the cartridge, when the controller determines the starting date information is recorded on the recording element of the cartridge, the residual amount of the toner stored in the cartridge is empty, and the end date information of the cartridge is not recorded in the recording element.