Patent ID: 8441667

Claim:
An image forming apparatus connected to an information processing apparatus, comprising: a first reception unit configured to receive a first control command including (a) first form data, (b) a first file name used in registering the first form data, (c) a command directing to output the first form data with a transparent color, and (d) a command directing to register the first form data, from the information processing apparatus; a storage unit configured to store the first form data in the image forming apparatus using the first file name in a manner that the first form data is associated with the command directing to output the first form data with a transparent color, according to the command directing to register the first form data, in a case where the first control command is received by the first reception unit; a second reception unit configured to receive a second control command including (e) content data to be combined the first form data, (f) the first file name used in storing the first form data to be combined with the content data and (g) a command directing to combine said form data with the contents data, from the information processing apparatus; a combining unit configured to combine said form data stored by said storage unit with said contents data in a case where the second control command is received by the second reception unit; and an output unit configured to output such that the first form data combined with the content data by the combining unit is output by using a transparent-color material, and such that the content data is output using a color material other than the transparent-color material.