PURPOSE: To reduce the power consumption of the system, composed of plural image output means which output image signals and plural image forming means which are less in number than the image output means and perform image forming operation corresponding to the image signals outputted from the image output means, without spoiling the mass-productivity of the image forming means.

CONSTITUTION: The system has a real-time clock and a control means 400 which actuates ≥1 of the image forming means 200 and 300 intermittently according to previously set actuation time, and time control is performed by the system; and the control means controls their actuation according to actuation time data set by the image forming means 200 and 300 to have image forming means which are not actuated in a time zone wherein image forming operation is performed not frequently, thereby saving the electric power. In a time zone wherein the image forming operation is frequently performed, all the image forming means 200 and 300 are actuated and placed in operation.