To provide equipment and a method by which authentication processing can be performed safely and simply.

This equipment includes; a paper ID (identification) management device 5 which assigns a paper ID to an electronic document and manages document information; a business form layout management device 6 which manages layout of a business form based on the layout and processing information defined by a paper document; a business form definition file generation device 7 for code number which generates a definition file of a business form; and a printer 4 which acquires a paper ID from a paper ID management device 5 and prints it. The printer 4 is made to print a check column corresponding to a symbol based on the definition file from the business form definition file generation device 7 for code number.