Image forming apparatus having test printing function, control method for the image forming apparatus, storage medium, and image forming system

1. An image forming apparatus which is capable of performing test printing that prints, as a trial, one copy of a plurality of copies of print data for which the plurality of copies are to be printed, comprising:

a network interface configured to receive print data from an external apparatus via a network;

a user interface configured to accept, after the receiving of the print data, an instruction to perform the test printing for the received print data; and

a controller including one or more processors, wherein the controller is configured to act as:

a determination unit configured to determine whether the received print data includes a plurality of sections for which different numbers of print copies are able to be set; and

a prohibition unit configured to prohibit the user interface from accepting the instruction to perform the test printing for the received print data in a case where the determination unit determines the received print data includes the plurality of sections for which different numbers of print copies are able to be set.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the prohibition unit is further configured not to prohibit the user interface from accepting the instruction for the print data determined by the determination unit to include only a single section, so that the test printing for the print data determined by the determination unit to include only the single section is permitted to be executed.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the determination unit is further configured to determine, for the print data determined to include the plurality of sections, whether identical numbers of print copies are set for all the plurality of sections, and

wherein the prohibition unit is further configured to prohibit, based on at least the two determinations, the user interface from accepting the instruction for the print data determined by the determination unit to include the plurality of sections for which the identical numbers of print copies are not set.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the user interface displays a button for accepting the instruction to perform the test printing for the received print data, and

wherein in order to prohibit the user interface from accepting the instruction to perform the test printing for the received print data, the prohibition unit makes the button being displayed on the user interface disabled in the case where the determination unit determines that the received print data includes the plurality of sections for which different numbers of print copies are able to be set.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the user interface accepts a selection of the received print data from a user after the receiving of the print data, and

wherein the determination unit determines whether the received print data selected by the user includes a plurality of sections for which different numbers of print copies are able to be set,

wherein the user interface accepts the instruction to perform the test printing for the received print data selected by the user in a case where the determination unit determines that the received print data selected by the user does not include the plurality of sections for which different numbers of print copies are able to be set, and

wherein the prohibition unit prohibits the user interface from accepting the instruction to perform the test printing for the received print data in a case where the determination unit determines that the received print data selected by the user includes the plurality of section for which different numbers of print copies are able to be set.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the user interface accepts, after the receiving of the print data, another instruction to print all of print copies of the received print data, the another instruction to print all of print copies and the instruction to perform the test printing being different instructions from each other, and

wherein the prohibition unit does not prohibit the user interface from accepting the another instruction to print all of print copies, even though the determination unit determines that the received print data includes the plurality of sections for which different numbers of print copies are able to be set.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein one of the plurality of sections corresponds to a banner page, and another of the plurality of sections corresponds to a plurality of copies of a document.

8. A control method for an image forming apparatus which is capable of receiving print data, accepting an instruction to perform test printing that prints, as a trial, one copy of a plurality of copies of print data for which the plurality of copies are to be printed, and performing the test printing according to the accepted instruction, the control method comprising:

receiving print data from an external apparatus via a network;

determining whether the received print data includes a plurality of sections for which different numbers of print copies are able to be set; and

prohibiting acceptance of an instruction to perform the test printing for the received print data in a case where it is determined that the received print data includes the plurality of sections for which different numbers of print copies are able to be set.

9. The control method according to claim 8 , wherein execution of the test printing for the print data determined by the determination to include only a single section is not prohibited, so that the test printing for the print data determined by the determination to include only the single section is permitted to be executed.

10. The control method according to claim 8 ,

wherein for the print data determined to include the plurality of sections, whether identical numbers of print copies are set for all of the plurality of sections is further determined, and

wherein based on at least the two determinations, execution of the test printing from the print data determined to include the plurality of sections for which the identical numbers of print copies are not set is prohibited.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a control method for an image forming apparatus which is capable of receiving print data, accepting an instruction to perform test printing that prints, as a trial, one copy of a plurality of copies of print data for which the plurality of copies are to be printed, and performing the test printing according to the accepted instruction, the control method comprising:

receiving print data from an external apparatus via a network;

determining whether the received print data includes a plurality of sections for which different numbers of print copies are able to be set; and

prohibiting acceptance of an instruction to perform the test printing for the received print data in a case where it is determined that the received print data includes the plurality of sections for which different numbers of print copies are able to be set.

12. A method for controlling an image forming system which is capable of performing test printing for a print job in which a plurality of copies is printed out, the method comprising:

receiving a print job in which a plurality of sections are included, the plurality of sections including a banner sheet section for printing a banner sheet and a document section for printing a plurality of copies of a document; and

printing the banner sheet and the plurality of copies of the document based on the received print job,

wherein the method further comprises:

prohibiting test printing for a received print job in a case where the received print job is a print job including a plurality of sections, the plurality of sections including a banner sheet section for printing a banner sheet and a document section for printing a plurality of copies of a document.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the test printing for a print job prints, as a trial, only one copy of a plurality of copies of the print job.

14. The method according to claim 12 ,

wherein a test print instruction to perform test printing for a print job is accepted from a user after the print job is received from an external apparatus, and

wherein acceptance of the test printing instruction for a received print job is prohibited in a case where the received print job is a print job in which the banner sheet section and the document section are included.

15. The method according to claim 12 , further comprising:

displaying a job list including at least the received print job in which at least the banner sheet section and the document section are included;

displaying a button for accepting, from a user, a test print instruction to perform the test printing for a print job in the displayed job list; and

accepting, from the user, a selection of a print job from the displayed job list,

wherein the displayed button is disabled in a case where the print job selected from the displayed job list by the user is the received job in which at least the banner sheet section and the document section are included.

16. The method according to claim 15 , further comprising:

accepting, from the user, a print instruction to perform printing of the received print job including the banner sheet section and the document section, even though the displayed button is disabled for the received print job,

wherein the banner sheet and the plurality of copies of the documents are printed based on the received print job, in accordance with the accepted print instruction.

17. The method according to claim 12 , further comprising:

after the receiving of the print job, accepting a print instruction to perform printing of the received print job from a user,

wherein the banner sheet and the plurality of copies of the document are printed in accordance with the accepting of the print instruction.