Patent ID: 8891114

Claim:
An image forming apparatus, comprising: a print condition input unit configured to input print setting conditions; a search unit configured to search for image forming apparatuses that are capable of executing the print setting conditions, in a network having a plurality of image forming apparatuses connected thereto executing print jobs in a cooperative manner; a display unit configured to display, on a display device, icons of the image forming apparatuses found by the search unit; a print job generating unit configured to generate a first print job to be executed by each image forming apparatus found by the search unit in accordance with the print setting conditions, when an icon of a first image forming apparatus displayed by the display unit is operated; a print job sending unit configured to send the first print job generated by the print job generating unit to the first image forming apparatus whose icon has been operated; and a progress situation management unit configured to manage progress situation information of a number of sheets printed in print jobs displayed on the display unit, wherein when an icon of a second image forming apparatus displayed by the display unit is operated causing activation of the second image forming apparatus to start printing with the first image forming apparatus in the cooperative manner, while the first image forming apparatus has started printing the first print job and has started sending the progress situation information of the number of sheets already printed to the progress situation management unit but before the first image forming apparatus completes printing the first print job, the print job generating unit causes the first print job to be interrupted, cancels the first print job and generates new print jobs for each of the first and second image forming apparatuses according to the progress situation information of the number of sheets already printed in the first print job, and the print job sending unit sends the new print jobs to the first image forming apparatus and the second image forming apparatus.