IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, STATE CONTROLLING METHOD FOR THE APPARATUS, AND IMAGE FORMING SYSTEM

An image forming apparatus provided by the invention includes a communication device, a storage device, an image forming unit and a control unit that controls adoption of which one of three power states of a quick response available state, a response available state and a response unavailable state. The quick response available state is a state capable of communication and access to print data, the response available state is a state capable of communication but not capable of access to print data with smaller power consumption than the quick response available state, the response unavailablestate is a state neither capable of communication nor capable of access to print data with minimum power consumption, and in response to a request from an external image forming apparatus, the controlunit transmits the print data to the image forming apparatus, determines whether the external certain image forming apparatus is capable of communication if a power-off request is submitted in the quick response available sta