Patent ID: 7616334

Claim:
An image printing system formed by connecting, through a network, a plurality of image printing apparatuses, each having image reading means for reading an image from an original to obtain image data, image printing means for printing an image on a sheet on the basis of the image data, and first image processing means for performing image processing for the image data, and an information processing apparatus having second image processing means for performing image processing for the image data, wherein at least one of said image printing apparatuses further comprises apparatus ID storage means for storing an apparatus ID which specifies a self image printing apparatus that comprises said apparatus ID storage means, and first image data transmission means for transmitting, to said information processing apparatus, image data to be output, an apparatus ID stored in said apparatus ID storage means, and a transfer destination address which is an address of a remote image printing apparatus to which the image data is to be transferred, said information processing apparatus further comprises first image data reception means for receiving image data, an apparatus ID, and a transfer destination address from said first image data transmission means, and second image data transmission means for transmitting the image data received by said first image data reception means and the apparatus ID to the transfer destination address received by said first image data reception means, and the least one of said image printing apparatuses further comprises external data output limitation setting means for setting a limitation associated with image printing of image data which is transferred from an apparatus as a transfer source other than the self image printing apparatus, second image data reception means for receiving image data and an apparatus ID from said second image data transmission means in said information processing apparatus, and control means for determining whether or not the transfer source of said image data is the self image printing apparatus by confirming whether or not the apparatus ID received by said second image data reception means coincides with an apparatus ID which specifies the self image printing apparatus stored in said apparatus ID storage means, and when said transfer source of said image data is not the self image printing apparatus, causing said image printing means to print an image based on the image data received by said second image data reception means on the basis of a limitation set by said external data output limitation setting means.