Patent ID: 8514426

Claim:
An image forming apparatus, comprising: a receiving unit operable to receive composite data comprising image data and audio data associated with each other; a playback method storing unit configured so as to prestore therein a selection of a first playback method that indicates separately for the audio data that the audio data comprised in the composite data should be played back when the receiving unit receives the composite data, and a second playback method that indicates separately for the audio data that the audio data comprised in the composite data should be played back after an instruction is input by a user; a playback unit operable to playback the audio data in accordance with the playback method that is prestored in the playback method storing unit; an image data storing unit storing therein the image data comprised in the composite data; an audio data storing unit storing therein the audio data comprised in the composite data; a delete method storing unit prestoring therein a delete method that indicates, when the audio data comprised in the composite data is played back, whether the image data comprised in the composite data should be automatically deleted without an instruction from the user, or should be deleted after the instruction from the user; and a delete unit operable to delete, when the audio data comprised in the composite data is played back in case of the delete method indicates that the image data comprised in the composite data should be automatically deleted, the image data comprised in the composite data as well as the played-back audio data even when the image data comprised in the composite data has not been printed.