Patent ID: 7859695

Claim:
A remote copying method for copying by utilizing a scanner apparatus, a printer apparatus, and a terminal apparatus, the scanner apparatus and the printer apparatus being connected with the terminal apparatus via a network, the copying method comprising: scanning a plurality of documents at the scanner apparatus; obtaining image data of the plurality of documents at the scanner apparatus; storing the obtained image data in a memory of the scanner apparatus; beginning transmitting the stored image data to the terminal apparatus via the network, before the image data of all of the plurality of documents are stored in the memory of the scanner apparatus; selecting a printer apparatus from a plurality of printer apparatuses connected to the terminal apparatus via the network; when an N into 1 copying function is instructed at the terminal apparatus, combining a plurality of pages worth of image data into a single page and transferring the combined image data from the terminal apparatus to the selected printer apparatus via the network every time N pages worth of image data is received by the terminal apparatus; and printing the transferred image data at the printer apparatus, wherein, in the N into 1 copying function, a plurality of pages of the transmitted image data are copied on one page by reducing and arranging the plurality of pages of the image data on the one page.