Patent ID: 8176143

Claim:
An image forming apparatus configured to serve as a document destination apparatus for receiving and printing first image data or a first document stored in an other image forming apparatus, and the image forming apparatus further configured to serve as a document source apparatus for transmitting second image data or a second document stored therein to the other image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus comprising: a communication unit configured to communicate with the other image forming apparatus connected via a network; a document storage unit configured to store the second image data or the second document; a printing unit configured to print the first image data or the first document received from the other image forming apparatus via the communication unit; a document management unit configured to, when the image forming apparatus is serving as the document destination apparatus, transmit a print request to the other image forming apparatus, receive the first image data or the first document stored in the other image forming apparatus, and to print the received first image data or the first document by the printing unit, and the document management unit being further configured to, when the image forming apparatus is serving as the document source apparatus, transmit the second image data or the second document in response to receipt of a print request from the other image forming apparatus, for printing the second image data or the second document stored in the image forming apparatus, by a printing unit of the other image forming apparatus; and wherein the document management unit is further configured to, when the image forming apparatus is serving as the document source apparatus, transmit to the image forming apparatus a list of the second image data or the second document stored in the document storage unit in response to a list request from the other image forming apparatus, and to transmit to the other image forming apparatus thumbnail data of the second image data or the second document in response to a thumbnail request from the other image forming apparatus.