Patent ID: 7349114

Claim:
An image-forming system comprising: an image-forming apparatus for forming an image on an image-forming medium; and a terminal device capable of communicating with the image-forming apparatus, wherein the terminal device includes a signal-transmitting unit, which transmits either one of two signals including a first query signal to require a function that the image-forming apparatus performs and a second query signal to require necessary information for performing a function that the image-forming apparatus performs, to the image-forming apparatus; and wherein the image-forming apparatus includes: an image-forming unit; a signal-receiving unit, which receives the signal that is transmitted by the signal-transmitting unit of 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 signal-transmitting unit of the terminal device; 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.