Patent ID: 8553266

Claim:
A digital multifunction printer, comprising an image reading section for reading a document so as to acquire image data of the document, an image forming section for forming on a recording material an image corresponding to image data, and a communication section for communicating with other device connected with the digital multifunction printer via a network, the digital multifunction printer further comprising: a memory mounting section for mounting an external storage device in such a manner that the external storage device is removable, and for storing, in the mounted external storage device, image data in a data format used when the multifunction printer processes image data; an operation input section for receiving an operation input from a user; an authentication information storage section for storing authentication information of a registered user and transmission destination information indicative of a transmission destination to which data for the registered user is to be transmitted; an application storage section for storing application software for at least one of display, editing, and printing of the image data in the data format; and a control section for carrying out an authentication process to determine whether a user of the external storage device is the registered user or not by comparing user authentication information stored in the external storage device mounted on the memory mounting section or user authentication information inputted by the user via the operation input section with the authentication information stored in the authentication information storage section, when the user of the external storage device is the registered user and when the image data in the data format is stored in the external storage device, the control section transmitting, to a transmission destination indicated by the transmission destination information corresponding to the user of the external storage device, via the communication section, the application software or information for downloading the application software from the application storage section.