Patent ID: 7856202

Claim:
An image forming apparatus having an image input portion that inputs image data, a printing portion that prints onto a recording sheet an image indicated by the image data inputted by the image input portion, a condition setting portion that sets printing conditions for executing printing by the printing portion, and a displaying portion that displays the printing conditions that the condition setting portion has set, the apparatus comprising: a used amount calculating portion that calculates the used amount of paper from the size of and the number of recording sheets used by executing the printing by the printing portion for the image indicated by the image data inputted by the image input portion based on the current printing conditions that the condition setting portion has set, calculates the used amount of paper for default printing from the size of and the number of paper sheets onto which the image indicated by the image data inputted by the image input portion is printed as it is, and subtracts the used amount of paper for the default printing from the used amount of paper calculated based on the current printing conditions to thereby calculate the amount of resources saved for printing under the current printing conditions; a display controlling portion that controls the displaying portion to display the amount of resources saved that the used amount calculating portion has calculated; and a mode judging portion that judges whether resource saving state is a full saving mode from the current printing conditions, wherein when it is judged by the mode judging portion to be the full saving mode, during execution of printing or after execution of printing by the printing portion, the display controlling portion controls the displaying portion to display the amount of resources saved calculated based on the current printing conditions, and when it is judged by the mode judging portion to be not the full saving mode, before executing the printing by the printing portion, the used amount calculating portion extracts other printing conditions under which the used amount of paper is less than the used amount of paper under the current printing conditions, calculates the used amount of paper under the extracted other printing conditions, and subtracts the used amount of paper for the default printing therefrom to thereby calculate the amount of resources saved for printing under the other printing conditions, and the display controlling portion controls the displaying portion to display the other printing conditions or the other printing conditions and the amount of resources saved calculated based on the other printing conditions as proposed conditions, and the condition setting portion has a resetting portion that causes a user to select conditions to be employed from the proposed conditions and the current printing conditions displayed on the displaying portion and executes resetting of the printing conditions based on the selection result.